I have a bachelor's degree in film production, but that was the beginning of my own imposter syndrome. Directors had “vision,” I thought, of the grand movies they made. The only vision I had was being a production assistant standing at 28th and Broadway trying to stop traffic with nothing but a two-way radio… and no health insurance.

I was a resident assistant in college, though, and I really loved that role — building community and, especially, talking with students one on one about their problems and lives. When a supervisor told me about getting a master's degree in higher education, I went for it.

Four years later, I was the director of a residence hall, and a student approached me in the cafeteria. “Can we just... talk?” he asked. After making sure he was aware of the university's counseling center, he still chose me. It was the moment in my life when the signal of belief — in my own abilities — finally began to drown out the noise of imposter syndrome.

A couple years later, I enrolled in another master's program — this time in counseling psychology — and here I am.

The noise of my own imposter syndrome hasn't gone away; it probably never will. But in my own journey, I've chosen to focus on growing and amplifying that signal of belief.

Education & Qualifications:

B.S., Film Production (Boston University, 2001)
M.Ed., Higher Education Administration (UMass Amherst, 2003)
M.S., Counseling Psychology (Northeastern University, 2014)
Mass. Licensed Mental Health Counselor (2017, #10134)

Click here to verify my license. Under “License Board,” choose “B​o​a​r​d​ ​o​f Registration of​ ​A​l​l​i​e​d​ ​Mental​ ​He​a​l​t​h​ ​a​n​d​ ​Hu​m​a​n​ ​S​e​r​v​i​c​e​s Professions,” enter my first and last name, and click “Search.”