Innovative Psychologist

 

Maybe you thought I'd place a picture here of me sitting across from someone as I listened to them. Believe me, I've spent thousands of hours doing just that (to read more about the services I offer, go here). But these pictures are of me being a psychologist that gets her hands dirty. 

 

One image is of some our staff participating in Merrick's Walk in honor of a young woman who lost her life to an eating disorder. The theme this particular year was come as a superhero. If you look closely at my shirt (I'm on the far left of the group), you can see that my superpower is "She who sees through defenses." I’ve been committed to helping people accept themselves and learn how to reevaluate the things they believe about themselves. I believe that I can see behind the habits, early narratives and irrational beliefs to the authentic person, often before they can see it for themselves.

 

The other photos are of events that we call "Scrap Your Scale." In one, I am cheering someone on and in the other, I'm showing off a scale that I have scrapped. In these events (once aired on local news) we gather groups of people to destroy their scale; symbolically destroying the power that the scale has over them.

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My career helping people began as a youth director in a Methodist church after earning an undergraduate degree in psychology. I realized quickly that I wasn’t equipped to help with many of the problems that the members in my youth group encountered. I became inspired to learn more about helping people both spiritually and psychologically.

 

I headed to Georgia State University for a Master’s degree in Counseling, and simultaneously attended the Psychological Studies Institute for a diploma in Christian Counseling. I worked as a therapist for three years before deciding to go back to school for a doctorate in psychology. A strong interest in treating people with eating disorders led me to specialize in that area.

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When I graduated with my doctorate in 1993, I opened the Atlanta Center for Eating Disorders. The center grew to three locations in metro Atlanta before selling it in 2017. I am honored to have worked with thousands of individuals, couples and families struggling in some way with this devastating disorder. Over the years I have often been brought to tears – not by the sad stories, but by the courage and support my team and our clients have shared together. 

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I am no longer conducting psychotherapy for individuals with eating disorders but you can read more about what services I do offer under the Services tab on this website.