I am a Pennsylvania native who slowly made my way to California over the years. I completed my undergraduate studies at Kutztown University of Pennsylvania, then moved to San Marcos, Texas, to study at Texas State University, where I earned a specialist-level master’s degree in school psychology. I have experience working as an activities therapist for an adolescent inpatient psychiatric hospital and in-home therapeutic support staff for children with autism spectrum disorder. I have also worked in public schools as a school psychologist for fifteen years–eight years in Texas and seven years in California. Learning never stops in the field of educational psychology. I learn from each individual I serve and routinely attend professional development to stay informed of current research. In 2016, I earned diplomate status from the American Board of School Neuropsychology.
Finally, I am a doctoral student attending Fielding Graduate University’s Infant and Early Childhood Development program. I am keenly interested in the neuroscience of attachment and attunement. A deeper understanding of a child’s earliest relational experiences helps provide insight into social-emotional patterns later in life. The more emotionally connected students are to their attachment figures—be it parents or teachers—the greater their learning capacity.