She earned her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology at Fairleigh Dickinson University, where her research focus was on the psychological impact of sexual abuse and trauma. She completed her predoctoral internship at a psychoanalytic training and treatment facility, The Postgraduate Center for Mental Health, in New York City, NY. After graduation, she worked for five years at a university hospital child development center, providing psychological evaluations and therapy as part of a developmental assessment and treatment team.