About Margaret

I provide therapy to individuals and couples in a safe, comfortable setting. Many people who give up on therapy do so because they haven’t found the right "fit" with a therapist. Choosing a therapist with whom you feel comfortable is paramount to starting the therapeutic process. I offer a free thirty-minute consultation for individuals and couples interested in starting therapy. This is an opportunity to meet face to face to discuss your therapeutic goals and how I can help you. We can decide together if my background and your goals are a good match.

I have a Masters of Science in Social Work from the University of Texas at Austin and am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker. My 20+ years of clinical experience includes providing therapy in an inpatient treatment facility, an intensive outpatient program, a medical practice, and in private practice. I have worked with children, adolescents, and adults in individual, group, couple, and family therapy.

I approach my work with clients from a combination of psychodynamic psychotherapy (based on Freudian theory), attachment theory, and interpersonal neurobiology. Our past experiences, including in infancy, influence our current thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. The unconscious mind creates our defenses and drives self-defeating behaviors. Repressed feelings feed symptoms of depression, anxiety, and chronic pain, disrupting relationships, and interfering with the ability to enjoy life. Exploring how out-dated defense mechanisms impede current function creates space for growth and freedom in our lives. Gaining a new understanding of past experiences and relationships can help us in our current lives as we develop new coping skills and strategies for living.

Intensive Short Term Dynamic Psychotherapy (ISTDP), a psychodynamic psychotherapy model, informs all of my clinical work. ISTDP promotes accelerated symptom reduction in depression, anxiety, PTSD, and somatoform disorders. In addition, I incorporate a variety of therapeutic interventions as part of the process depending on individual needs. These include Somatic Experiencing, Emotional Transformation Therapy, Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR), cognitive-behavioral therapy, deep relaxation and mindfulness work, radical acceptance, and clinical hypnosis.

For my work with couples, I use the Psychobiological Approach to Couple Therapy (PACT). I began studying with Stan Tatkin, Psy D, the developer of PACT and co-founder of the PACT Institute in 2012. I continue to have monthly case consultations with Stan and am a member of the PACT Institute's Ambassador Program.

On a personal level, I'm a bit of a neuroscience geek and love learning about the latest research regarding how our brains function and how that applies to the healing process. I'm also passionate about knitting and other fiber arts and take almost any opportunity to get my creative juices flowing.