Meet Our Therapists
Contact your preferred Beautiful Journey therapist today to schedule an appointment or ask questions
I am the founder and clinical director of Beautiful Journey Counseling. My graduate training was at Fordham University, where I earned both my doctorate in Educational Psychology and my Masters in Counseling. I provide supervision to Licensed Associate Counselors and am an Approved Clinical Supervisor (ACS) as well as am a certified school counselor, teacher and administrator.
My career began as a high school counselor and school administrator (K-12) prior to my transition into Private Practice in 2013. My experience working in the school districts has helped me to connect well with school professionals.
My specialty has been predominantly working with anxiety, relationship issues, coping and stress management, career development and exploration, as well as prenatal and postpartum concerns.
Ever since I was a young child, I knew I wanted to be a “helper” in the future. I was always quick to lend a hand to someone in need and when someone was upset or struggling, I would never hesitate to lend an ear.
I began my career as a Special Education teacher and remained in that position for almost ten years. I realized that many of my students’ issues in the classroom were related to their emotional issues and lack of coping skills. In some cases, my students just needed a “safe place” to talk and share. As I made plans to further my education, pursing a degree in counseling seemed like the best plan for me.
After earning my Master’s in Counseling Services at William Paterson University, I was fortunate to be able to transition to a School Counseling position and have been in this position for the past nine years. I truly love being able to work with adolescents and to help them learn to find strength during difficult times.
I have always been very passionate about helping people. After graduating with my Bachelor’s in Psychology from Georgian Court University, I went on to pursue my Master’s in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Georgian Court University.
I completed my internship at Georgian Court University’s Counseling Center. I absolutely loved working with college students! College students are so unique in the way that they chose to come to counseling and have a strong desire to change and grow. Working at a university’s counseling center inspired me to make the move to private practice. It gave me insight into what it looks like working as a collaborative team!
I live in Ocean County with my husband and our toddler. I enjoy spending time with my family, reading, connecting with nature, and feeding the ducks with my son!
I started my career as a high school English teacher during which I engaged my students in creative lessons but found myself connecting with them on a different level. Luckily, I was already pursuing my masters degree in school counseling.
I earned my masters degree at Long Island University, Brookville and finished my post masters coursework at Montclair State University. My school counseling career began with a diverse population in a K-8 public school in the Bronx and then a K-8 public school for disadvantaged children in Bergen County.
These experiences helped to shape me into the therapist I am today and provided me with tools that help me connect with all of my students. Currently I work in one of the top middle schools in Bergen County where I have been a School Counselor for the last seventeen years.
For over a decade I have used counseling skills, techniques, and interventions in a primary healthcare and post-secondary educational setting. I have been a diagnostic medical sonographer since 2008.
In this setting, I often noticed people undergoing diagnostic medical examinations were nervous, scared, and if they’ve recently received discouraging news, depressed. Spending up to an hour with an individual in a room while performing an exam, I found people would discuss almost all aspects of their lives with me. I found that an empathetic ear was as useful as the advanced instrumentation I was using to perform their exams.
My counseling style is informed primarily by a post-constructivist philosophy that states there is no one central truth. I love to encourage clients to develop their own sense of empowerment through retelling their stories in a future-focused, goal-oriented, recovery-focused environment.
In life there are many stages, changes, and relationships that bring stress and challenges. Seeking psychotherapy is a positive and important step to gaining insight and empower the client to overcome obstacles in life. As a therapist my primary goal is to provide an environment that is safe, promotes trust between therapist and client and most importantly without judgment.
After graduating with my Masters in Social Work from Rutgers University, I have dedicated my life to help teens, adults, families and couples see their best version of themselves and by doing so, empowering them to move forward in life with acceptance and resilience. My first five years in the field were spent working in a variety of settings and with different populations and different backgrounds. I had worked in schools working one-on-one with students in crisis and with social and emotional situations. As a therapist in a mental health clinic I was able to see people from different ages and with different stressors which gave me the experience needed to see life from different points of view.
I love being a therapist. I began my career in the corporate world, and though I learned some great skills, I was not personally fulfilled. I made the career switch to counseling by going to graduate school, and I was so glad that I did! I received my Masters in Counseling Psychology in 2004 from Texas Woman’s University. My original plan was to work in the area of Domestic Violence, but during one of my practica I was introduced to play therapy. I began working with children and families and found the fulfilling career that I was looking for.
I have been working with children and families for the last 18 years. I have worked in a variety of settings, as an Elementary School Counselor, in community agencies, and with a variety of clients from social and cultural backgrounds. I strive to connect with my clients and help them develop skills for lasting change. I also use a variety of techniques with my clients to help them achieve their goals. With my youngest clients, play therapy is most effective, but I believe clients of all ages can benefit from play!
I have always considered myself a nurturer and a caretaker. After graduating from James Madison University with bachelor’s degrees in Psychology and Spanish, I continued on for my Master’s in Counseling Services at William Paterson University.
My first ten years in the field were spent as a school counselor, two of them in an urban K-2 school and the last eight in a competitive regional high school. Although I loved working with my students and being a part of the educational community, I felt that my main strength was working one-on-one with my students in crisis and with social/emotional situations. Making the move to private practice was an exciting and rejuvenating step.
Working from both a mindfulness and a humanistic perspective, I believe that everyone deserves a safe, supportive space to work through life’s stressors. I am a Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction graduate and is trained in Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy, actively employing both formal and informal techniques in my counseling sessions.