My career began as a middle school teacher, so I often joke that nothing can scare me. As a mental health counselor and counselor educator, I enjoy speaking to various audiences about mental health topics. With over 55 presentations and countless graduate and undergraduate courses under my belt, speaking and teaching have become an important part of my career.

Presentations cover a wide range of topics as well as audiences. I enjoy presenting to:

• Parents

• Teachers

• Students

• Corporate Settings

• Additionally, I am an approved provider through The Association for Play Therapy and provide Continuing Education for Play Therapists and Mental Health Professionals.

I have covered a large range of topics. Most notably, I have presented on and have additional expertise on the following topics:

• Childhood Anxiety: How to Support Your Child

• How to Advocate for Your Child in a School Setting

• Parenting Littles: Ages 3-5

• Parenting: The Elementary Years

• Parenting Adolescents: Navigating the Teen Years

• Middle Eastern Children and Families

• Bullying

• The Impact of Technology on the Developing Brain

• Zoom Fatigue in the Workplace

• Healthy Relationships in Adolescence

• Teaching Teachers the Art of Play Therapy

• Teacher Mental Health and Burn Out

• How to Effectively Work with Parents

• Navigating Your New Identity as a Parent

• What is Play Therapy? An Introduction for Teachers

• Embracing Diversity: How to Talk to Kids about Race

I have presented in many different settings including schools, conferences, and corporate settings.

• Southern Methodist University

• Episcopal School of Dallas

• Lakewood PTA

• Bradfield Elementary PTA

• Good Shepherd Episcopal School

• St. Philip's Preschool

• Trive Capital

• Center for Play Therapy: Multicultural Webinar Series

• UNC Charlotte Multicultural Play Therapy Conference: Charlotte, NC

• Association for Play Therapy International Conference: Palm Springs

• Association for Play Therapy International Conference: Atlanta

• American Counseling Association Conference: Atlanta

• University of North Texas

• Primrose White Rock Lake

• Primrose Richardson 

I am thrilled to offer consultation services both to individual mental health clinicians and to organizations/private practices seeking to improve their practice of involving parents.

• Professional Consultation (individual)

• Professional Consultation (Private Practice or Mental Health Organization): 10- hour minimum. This includes:

  • 1 hour: individual initial consultation with organization leaders to determine needs for the practice related to parent involvement.

  • 2 hours: Audit of all organization paperwork to determine cultural competence, ethical considerations, and intake procedures. Following the audit, I will provide recommendations to improve all clinical documentation including intake forms, notes templates, and parent consultation preparation guides.

  • 3-4 hours: Tailored workshop for all team members including activities for therapists that improve clinical practice as related to parent involvement. This can include activities to better understand and communicate theoretical orientation and the process of play therapy, understand barriers to working with parents, clarify cultural competence and implicit biases, etc.

  • 3-5 hours: Tailored presentation for all clinicians within the practice discussing effective parent engagement strategies and evidence-based approaches to parent involvement. As an APT Approved Provider, this presentation will be approved for CE for RPT.

  • 1-4 hours: follow up meetings with clinical leadership and team members to evaluate individual needs. This can be in a group format or individually.

I am a Licensed Professional Counselor-Supervisor and Certified Child-Centered Play Therapy- Supervisor. I provide both in-person and virtual supervision options for LPC- Associates and for those seeking their Child-Centered Play Therapy certification.

Through my private practice, Thread Counseling Group, I serve clients of all ages and specialize in working with parents. I strive to create a warm, comfortable, and safe environment for each client and work to understand individuals holistically. My goal as a therapist is to act as a partner as you create your own goals for counseling and progress through their journey towards meaningful change. When working with children, I value the relationship with both the child and the parents and work collaboratively with parents to help make necessary changes within the family. When working with adults, I strive to create a safe environment where individuals can express themselves without judgment. I truly believe that “people change when they feel free not to change”. Additionally, I am bilingual, speaking both English and Farsi.