SPECIALTY PROJECTS

YOGA

I am a yoga Instructor utilizing a trauma informed approach to yoga that integrates evidence-based intervention skills (CBT, DBT, ACT, MBSR) into the movement (asana) and meditation (dhyana) components of the yoga practice. When teaching, classes focus on connecting mind, body, and soul, or our essential self, to maintain or reintroduce the body to its natural rhythm. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic I enjoyed instructing group classes in a dual diagnosis adolescent residential treatment center.

RESEARCH

I have worked as a research assistant on the FAIR DNA Project. FAIR, Family Ancestry Identity Research, is a research study conducted by Principal Investigators Michele Grethel, Ph.D., LCSW and Jennifer Lewis, PhD, LCSW, from the University of Southern California. The study consisted of qualitative interviews with voluntary participants in the United States between the ages of 40 and 70 who learned unexpected DNA results. The purpose of this study was to understand the affects and gain insight into the complex experience of unexpected DNA discovery. Interviews focused on the intersection of discovery, impacts on identity, emotions, and family and social dynamics. Our research team’s hope is that information provided during interviews and gained during research would ultimately lead to resources and tools to help individuals navigate this experience as well as guidance for clinicians working with individuals who have encountered unexpected DNA results.