Research & Educational Mission
My research and educational mission is to deepen our understanding of how childhood maltreatment and other forms of trauma shape the nervous system, physical health, relationships, and sexual functioning across the lifespan—and to translate that knowledge into more precise, humane, and effective clinical care.
Research & Educational Mission
Develop mechanistic models that explain the neurobiological, psychological, somatic, and relational pathways through which childhood abuse and neglect contribute to adult sexual dysfunction.
Improve how sexual functioning is studied and assessed by contributing to the development of contemporary, inclusive, and clinically meaningful measures.
Conduct, present, and publish interdisciplinary research on childhood maltreatment, PTSD, somatization, sexual health, and the autonomic nervous system.
Translate emerging research into practical frameworks, educational resources, and clinical interventions that professionals can use in their work.
Train current and future clinicians in psychodynamic, trauma-informed, somatic, relational, and sexual health approaches to psychotherapy.
Provide advanced professional consultation that helps clinicians think more deeply about complex presentations involving trauma, sexuality, the body, and relationships.
Develop continuing education and interdisciplinary training for mental health, medical, rehabilitation, and sexual healthcare professionals.
Advance culturally responsive and affirming care for LGBTQIA+ and gender-diverse communities by helping professionals and organizations recognize bias, reduce systemic harm, and create safer pathways to care.
Bring researchers, clinicians, students, and healthcare professionals into conversation so that research questions emerge from real clinical needs and scientific findings lead to better care.
Foundations of My Educational Work
Before my practice evolved into its current form, I developed several educational initiatives for clinicians designed to strengthen clinical thinking, expand therapeutic skill, and connect emerging science with everyday practice. These programs helped shape the integrated approach I now bring to psychotherapy, research, professional education, and the MendEd Model.
Sex Plus Symposium
Education has always been central to the way I practice. While leading a group practice, I created internal seminars and ongoing learning opportunities to help clinicians deepen their case conceptualization, engage with new research, and expand their approaches to treatment. The goal was to cultivate an intellectually active clinical environment in which therapists continued asking better questions rather than relying only on what they had learned earlier in their careers.
The Polyvagal-Informed Wellness Program
I developed the Polyvagal-Informed Wellness Program to explore how greater attention to the autonomic nervous system could strengthen both therapeutic care and the culture of a clinical practice. The program emphasized recognizing states of activation, shutdown, safety, and social connection; developing practical regulation skills; and understanding how physiological states can influence emotion, behavior, relationships, and the capacity to engage in therapy.
This program provided advanced education in sex therapy, trauma treatment, couples therapy, somatic approaches, and clinical sexual health. This commitment continues to guide my work today: I study throughout my career so that the care, consultation, and educational resources I provide remain thoughtful, relevant, and responsive to developing knowledge.
The program drew from Stephen Porges’ Polyvagal Theory, a theoretical framework proposing ways the vagus nerve and autonomic nervous system may contribute to defensive responses and social engagement. It incorporated polyvagal-informed practices for clients alongside efforts to create a more regulated, connected, and trauma-aware workplace.
This initiative helped establish the foundation for my continuing interest in the relationships among childhood maltreatment, autonomic nervous system functioning, somatic symptoms, trauma, sexual health, and human connection.
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