You can’t navigate your child’s transition for them, but you can find a new way to support them.

I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker based in Chicago with more than 10 years of experience supporting adolescents and young adults as they navigate periods of uncertainty, growth, and transition.

Much of my professional experience has put me directly alongside young people and their families during some of the most challenging and formative moments of their lives. As a career advisor at a large university, I work with college students and recent graduates as they navigate rigorous coursework, high-stakes career decisions, and complex graduate school applications. These conversations are often focused on the future, but sometimes moving forward requires us to pause and take an honest look at what has happened in the past. I help young adults take accountability for their choices while also developing a deeper understanding of what may be driving them.

As a Dean of Students for a pre-college program, I worked closely with high school students as they experienced the independence, and responsibility, of living and learning on a college campus. I watched students challenge themselves academically and socially, gain confidence, make mistakes, and sometimes struggle to find their footing. I also spoke regularly with parents. Sometimes a parent would call after receiving a concerning text from their teenager; other times, I was the one reaching out because we had noticed a pattern of behavior that concerned us.

Regardless of how the conversation began, parents often asked the same question: “What can I do to fix this?”

Over time, I came to understand that the answer is rarely about fixing. Instead, it is about becoming curious. What is motivating a young person to respond in a particular way? What is their behavior helping them accomplish? What fear, need, or belief might be underneath it? Understanding behavior in this way can create space for parents to respond differently, and can open the door to a relationship that feels more connected and less reactive.

This is the perspective I bring to my work with parents. I am equal parts curious and empathetic, and I want to understand not only what is happening with your child, but also what this experience is bringing up for you. Parenting a teenager or young adult can stir up old fears, expectations, disappointments, and experiences that we may have thought we had already worked through. Sometimes the current situation touches something much deeper than the immediate problem.

In our work together, I may help you “zoom out” and consider where you and your child are developmentally, explore patterns in your family relationships, or make space for the grief that can accompany watching your child grow into someone you cannot always protect or guide in the ways you once could. I will also make sure that your needs are not overlooked. Supporting your child does not mean abandoning your own values, boundaries, or sense of self.

My approach is collaborative, warm, and grounded in the belief that meaningful change begins with understanding. I want therapy to be a space where you can be honest about the things you are struggling with without feeling judged. I believe there is room for humor, even in moments of fear and uncertainty, and I know that this work can only happen when there is a foundation of trust.

My goal is not to tell you how to parent your child. It is to help you better understand yourself, your child, and the relationship between you, so that you can move through this transition with greater clarity, confidence, and connection.