More about me
I’m a New York City transplant! I’m originally from South Carolina, but I’ve been in NYC since 2022.
My M.Ed. in Mental Health Counseling is from Teachers College at Columbia University.
I’ve been a board-certified health and wellness coach since 2022. I’ve been working in the wellness and coaching world since 2020. The National Board for Health and Wellness Coaches (NBHWC) is one of the United States’ primary credentialing associations for health and wellness coaching. Learn more about it here.
I used to work as Care Coach Claire at the Ontrak Health Program. If you worked with me there, please reach out!
Questions about therapy?
What is a psychologist?
In the US, “psychologist” usually refers to a Ph.D. level scientist-practitioner. These professionals have likely specialized in a particular field of psychology and may do academic or scientific research, clinical work with actual patients, or both. Some examples include child psychologists, who have specialized in pediatric pathology and wellbeing; sports psychologists, who have specialized in athletic performance; or forensic psychologists, who have specialized in court and legal practice.
What is a psychiatrist?
A psychiatrist is a medical doctor (MD) who went to medical school and specialized in medications that affect your mental health and behavior. You may also see a Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner or a Primary Care Provider, or anyone who has the ability to prescribe medication. This provider will assume that you are there to get prescription medication, because that is the primary thing they do, so they will jump into talking about your medical history, symptoms, and side effects. Some movies and TV shows portray a mental health provider who does both talk therapy and prescribes medication, but that’s not very common today. Most likely, you’ll find both a therapist (like me) to do talk therapy with regularly, and a psychiatrist whom you see for just a few minutes every few months to verify that your medications are still working for you.
Medications that might be prescribed by a psychiatrist include antidepressants such as SSRIs, anxiety medications, and ADHD medications. Not all providers will prescribe stimulant-based ADHD meds, so if that is something you’re looking for, verify before you make an appointment that it's possible!
What is psychotherapy?
Psychotherapy is the full word that “therapy” derives from. “Therapy” is a generic term that can refer to any kind of treatment for a problem, such as physical therapy, chemotherapy, or antibiotic therapy. Counselors originally used the word psychotherapy to refer to a unique form of care that involved talking to a counselor in order to improve mental health symptoms. Over time, the prefix “psycho-” was largely dropped due to the stigma of that word. Today, therapy and counseling are somewhat synonymous, just as therapist and counselor are–counseling is typically the more formal use, where therapy is more colloquial. A therapist might be a LMHC, LSW, psychologist, or something else.
On another note, “psychoanalyst” typically refers to a therapist who specifically practices psychoanalysis, which is a particular modality of therapy known as Psychoanalytic or Psychodynamic Therapy.
What is counseling/therapy?
Mental health counseling can be hard to define, but at its most basic level, it is sitting down with someone in a confidential space to talk about problems you may be having with your emotions, behavior, functioning, or general health. Conversation can be incredibly powerful and healing. Counseling may include various modalities such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy or Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, or it might just consist of a simple conversation. But it should always be centered on the client, it should be confidential and judgement-free, and it should respect the client’s autonomy. Counselors are there to listen and to help, not to tell you what to do.
What is coaching?
Coaching is a particular form of counseling that focuses on behavior change. It is equally centered on the client’s needs and respects autonomy and confidentiality, but it is typically more solution focused–what is the problem, and how can we fix it? It involves setting goals and figuring out how to make an effective, lasting change. Coaching may be appropriate if you are trying to make lifestyle changes, such as for health and wellness reasons. Still, your coach will never tell you what to do–they will help you figure out what the options are and how you can best move towards the version of yourself you want to be.
I’m board-certified for health and wellness coaching, but due to my additional training in psychotherapy, I am proud to offer general life coaching. Perhaps you’re struggling with sleep, diet, or exercise. Perhaps you’ve just gotten a big diagnosis and you don’t know where to start. Perhaps you’re thinking about changing your career and need some guidance, or starting a family. Perhaps you want to explore lifestyle changes to help with chronic pain. If that sounds like you, you may benefit from coaching. If you struggle with mental health concerns such as disordered eating, depression, anxiety, suicidal ideation, or trauma, therapy is likely a better option than coaching.
What is the difference between an LMHC and LCSW?
There are several different routes you can take to become a master-level therapist. Both people who have gotten a master’s degree in mental health counseling or a master’s degree in social work can become licensed. Though there are plenty of other credentials, these are the two most common that you might see on websites like PsychologyToday. LMHC simply stands for Licensed Mental Health Counselor and LCSW stands for Licensed Clinical Social Worker. Acronyms might also vary by state and credentialing organization.