I was born in Passaic, NJ and have been endlessly fascinated with human behavior from my earliest memories. I began my career working with those living with HIV as an activist in the mid-1990s in Newark and New Brunswick, NJ, where I engaged in street outreach and advocated for a harm reduction approach. This work informed my commitment to public health and to exploring how economic and sociological factors can play significant roles in the ways we move through the world. During this time, I researched the psychological effects of isolation and sensory deprivation while monitoring conditions in NJ state prisons, and organized speaking engagements on criminal justice, human rights, racial justice, and animal welfare issues. I graduated from Rutgers University in 1998 with a BSW, and subsequently worked with survivors of childhood physical and sexual abuse, adults and children with developmental disabilities, prisoners and veterans struggling with PTSD symptoms, and clients in addiction treatment. After earning my masters in clinical social work from Temple University in 2010, I worked as a medical case manager, psychotherapist and clinical supervisor for 10 years in the community mental health realm prior to establishing my own practice.