Cultivating relationship and fostering resilience.

Allison emphasizes that before she is a psychotherapist or parenting educator, she is a devoted mother. She limits her practice and parenting groups so that she can spend time with her family. Alongside her husband and soulmate of 38 years, parenting her two young-adult children is what has brought her the most lifetime joy. She sees who her kids are becoming as testament to the power of connected relationship and discipline. She continues to be struck by the parallel process of growth in parenting: one must grow in ways one likely would not have chosen, in order to parent your growing child as an individual.  Allison’s own journey as a parent fuels the passion for her work.

Allison has 30 years of experience counseling individuals, couples and families and has facilitated life-changing consultation groups for parents in private practice, as well as at Babygroup™ for over two decades. 

Cultivating relationship and fostering resilience is at the core of Allison’s work. She encourages self-awareness and reflection, while helping clients make better choices and take thoughtful action in their lives.

With a deep understanding of a woman’s transition to motherhood, Allison prioritizes maternal health, addressing the core issue of identity re-birth, as well as the multitude of conflicting feelings new mothers experience in the process.  She also inspires couples to prioritize and grow in their partnership as it is the center of the family, and to recognize their relationship is their child’s first model of love and blueprint to intimacy.

Helping families go beyond merely surviving and move toward thriving, Allison guides clients in creating a coherent narrative of their early childhood experience, fostering increased presence, compassion, and flexibility within oneself and one’s relationships, along with the ability to more intentionally and effectively parent. This process enables parents and future generations to create secure attachments with their children, thereby promoting well-balanced lives. More about Philosophy.

Allison specializes in empowering parents with the understanding, vision and tools to create thriving and fulfilling family lives and foster long term connections. She inspires parents to be present and to connect with their child, while guiding them to parent with intention.  Passionate about the power of language to carry the emotional intention of our thoughts, Allison coaches parents to mindfully choose their words to maintain connection, build self-esteem, and foster emotional intelligence (see Words Matter.) Understanding that behavior is communication, Allison guides parents to tune into their child to see the mind beneath the behavior.  She facilitates uncovering the origins of challenging behaviors and provides optimal strategies and tools to address them effectively. 

By educating parents about the dynamic interaction between the mind, brain and relationships, they discover they can fundamentally affect the way their child views, feels, and interacts with their world. Guiding parents to utilize mindful and purposeful philosophies grounded in research and science, Allison offers specific strategies and invaluable insights to deepen relationships, build skills, and ease the inherent challenges of contemporary parenthood.