ANXIETY, STAGE FRIGHT, AND OTHER PSYCHOLOGICAL STRESSORS IN THE 21ST CENTURY
As a concert pianist and Juilliard graduate with two degrees, I performed with (or despite of) stage fright for many years. Because of this, I came to the decision it was important to gain a better understanding of what interfered with doing what I loved and was trained to do. So, I returned to school at The University of Michigan where I graduated with 3 more degrees – MSW, MA (psychology) and Ph.D. (psychology and social work). Wishing to explore the deeper layers of stage fright and other psychological roadblocks, I subsequently completed training as a psychoanalyst at the Michigan Psychoanalytic Institute.
I bring my unique background and education in mental health and music to my work as well as my passion and experience about coping with performance anxiety, the psychological impact of COVID-19 on self-esteem and careers, and the value of music in mental life and in promoting social justice.
I have treated individuals in discovering emotional barriers so that they can pursue and fulfill their professional and personal ambitions. I offer evaluations, consultations, coaching for auditions, and job interviews, test and presentation anxiety, and writers’ block. I am available for presentations, workshops, Town Hall conversations, courses, and other creative programs that are specifically designed for groups. During COVID-19, I have been teaching courses and interacting with various groups around the stressors connected with the Pandemic, work, and career change, and music and social justice (via Zoom).
I have treated countless individuals over many years and helped them discover barriers to feeling competent so that they can pursue and fulfill their professional and personal dreams.
HOW I HELP
PSYCHOTHERAPY & PSYCHOANALYSIS
I offer you confidential sessions in my private office where we explore your concerns, what causes your psychological distress, and come to understand how your past experiences effect your present life.
SPEAKING
I offer presentations to organizations on topics ranging from performance anxiety to the connection between music and mental health, including how to use music and psychology in everyday life.
HONORS
The Gertrude and Ernst Ticho Award and Lecture, The American Psychoanalytic Association, Washington, D.C.
Karl A. Menninger Memorial Award for "Psychoanalytic and Musical Perspectives on Shame in Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor" awarded by American Psychoanalytic Association
Nathan Segel Award for "Psychoanalytic and Musical Perspectives on Shame in Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor" Awarded by Michigan Psychoanalytic Institute
Nathan P. Segel Outstanding Essay Award: "Mozart in 1778: Music as Psychoanalytic Data", Michigan Psychoanalytic Institute.
Continuing Education for Women Scholarship, The University of Michigan
Irving S. Gilmore International Piano Competition, Grant for organizing and presenting Music and Mental Health Symposium