I am the 4th of 5 children born to my college-educated parents. My father’s alcohol dependence sometimes led to violence and abuse in our home. Early on I was taught that alcoholism is a disease. I was envied and bullied by my older siblings due to parental favoritism. My ability to process and understand the psychodynamics (albeit elementary) of why my father selected me as his “favored child” and my siblings’ aggression and resentment of me, was the beginning of my journey to psychiatry. I wanted to understand why there was so much anger. I became very observant and analyzed interpersonal dynamics. This helped me empathize with them. My love and attachment to them never faltered. I had to understand the psychological (mental) and physical (physiological) consequences of a family history of alcoholism and the effects of abandonment. My interest in adoption began in my teens because I understood that some children were exposed to significant childhood adversities. Treating and educating children about the effects of childhood trauma could reduce their risk of an adult life of adversity, chronic illness, and the risk of intergenerational trauma.

I earned a BS in pre-med Biology in 1981 and later a Masters degree in Chemistry. I had to improve my application to medication school and was accepted to a Post-baccalaureate program called MedPrep (Medical and Dental Preparatory Program at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, Illinois. I attended Drexel University Medical School in Philadelphia. I completed my residency and fellowship at the University of Pittsburgh-Western Psychiatric Institute & Clinic. Practicing for over 25 years at county, tribal, public health, and community-based programs gave me experience with at-risk youth and communities which required an understanding of trauma-informed care and the interplay between socioeconomic, environmental, and biological factors. Currently, I am an independent contractor and the sole proprietor of The Center for Integrative Psychiatric Care, L.L.C. I have provided psychiatric care as a contractor with two locum tenens companies over the past 2 years and as a consultant. I volunteer at The Bread of Healing free clinic and as a clinical supervisor at HIR Wellness (Healing Intergenerational Roots). I have been certified as a Clinical Hypnotherapist and am currently engaged in the Dream Academy while developing my integrated psychiatric practice and the Behavioral Therapy Training Institute with the International Obsessive Compulsive Disorder Foundation (IOCDF). I am a member of several professional organizations: American Psychiatric Association, American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatrists, Wisconsin Medical Society, International OCD Foundation, Cream City Medical Society, and the social service organization Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.

I am most proud of my family and the fact that my husband and I are the parents of seven amazing young adult children. We first had three biolo