I'm a licensed clinical social worker specializing in child and adolescent mental health. I spend my days working with kids and teens at The Ross Center in Washington DC, teaching at Columbia University, and thinking a lot about how technology is reshaping childhood.
I came to this work through a somewhat indirect path. I studied psychology in undergrad, but it wasn't until I started working with families that I realized how much I loved sitting with kids in their worst moments and helping them find skills to manage.
What drew me specifically to child and adolescent work was this: kids are so much more flexible than we give them credit for. They can learn new skills, shift patterns, develop resilience in ways that constantly surprise me. But they're also navigating a world that's changing faster than any previous generation, especially when it comes to technology.
That tension is what keeps me engaged.
Most of my clinical time is spent at The Ross Center, where I work primarily with children and adolescents dealing with anxiety, depression, and the various ways those show up in young lives. I'm trained in DBT and use those skills constantly, especially with teens who need concrete tools for managing intense emotions.
I also teach at Columbia University School of Social Work, where I get to work with graduate students who are just starting to figure out what kind of clinicians they want to be. Teaching keeps me honest. Students ask the questions I've stopped asking myself, and they push back on assumptions I didn't realize I was making.
The third part of my work is newer and still evolving. I've become increasingly involved in conversations about AI ethics in mental healthcare, particularly as it relates to children and adolescents. I'm part of working groups, I consult with organizations building technology for young people, and I write and speak about what I think we're getting right and wrong.
A few questions I keep returning to:
I don't have definitive answers to most of these, but I think wrestling with them matters.
I started writing publicly because I was tired of seeing oversimplified takes on complicated topics. A lot of the discourse around kids and technology is either fearmongering or dismissive, and I think we need more space for nuance, uncertainty, and thoughtful questions.
I write for a few different audiences: parents who are trying to figure out how to raise kids in a digital age, clinicians who are seeing similar patterns in their practices, students who want to understand this space, and people building technology who want to do it responsibly.
Mostly, I write to think. Putting ideas into words forces me to clarify what I actually believe versus what sounds good.
I live in DC. When I'm not working, I'm usually reading (a lot of fiction, some philosophy, too many newsletters), running along the Potomac, or trying new restaurants. I have strong opinions about coffee and think most therapy offices would benefit from better lighting.
I'm not taking on new therapy clients, but I'm open to speaking engagements, consulting on technology projects, and collaborating on research or writing projects related to child mental health and AI ethics.
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