My journey towards counseling began a long time ago with my first job, straight out of college, as a youth counselor in a program that combined, counseling, education, socialization and recreation in Queens, New York.
My path seemed to take a different turn when my own desire for an international education led me to pursue my MA degree in Italian studies through Middlebury College in Florence, Italy.
Soon after completing my studies, I relocated to Florence and it has been my home, ever since.
Decades have passed since I first landed in Italy but I can clearly remember being curious, excited, overwhelmed, and very confused: there were all of those invisible cultural norms that I needed to understand; I was still learning about myself; I wanted to succeed in my courses and I was managing a new social life, far away from friends and family!
My entire career has been dedicated to study abroad administration and student affairs and I have always found reward in supporting students and junior staff members through their experience and growth. Through my most recent role as director of a large study abroad program in Florence, I was privileged to often work directly with students and to help accompany them through multiple challenges, issues and successes.
My staff often commented on my ability to help ground and calm students when they were feeling stressed and thanks to the many students who trusted in me over the years, I was able to learn about my own empathy and efficacy in working with students in critical moments of their personal development.
This is how I came to identify my desire to deepen my work with students and young adults and to provide resources and support to families, schools and universities in their quest to accompany those students towards greater autonomy, reslience and growth. And so, after completing my education and training in professional counseling, Centered was born!
Contact us for an initial consultation