I understand the challenges of PANS parenting because I have been I have walked the same exact road as a PANS parent.

Welcome!  I'm Julie, a therapist dedicated to working with both PANS families and mental health professionals.  

My understanding of PANS comes not only from my research and professional background, but also from my personal experience as a parent of a child with PANS.  

When it comes to parenting with PANS, I have lived it and I have created systems and techniques to help families navigate this path.

I have always had an interest in combining science and mental health. As I searched to find a career that combined these two interests, I spent 8 years working as an Assistant Research Scientist at a National Cancer Institute.

I learned invaluable skills including data analysis, research protocols and even was a co-author on publications involving glutathione, green tea for cancer prevention and selenium for prostate cancer prevention. While I appreciate all that I learned from that my time in medical research, it did not fulfill my interests in mental health and working directly with people.

During my time in research, a friend of mine shared with me about her pursuit of a Master's Degree in Social Work. Since I had very little understanding of that field, I began to research Fordham's program, which was very accessible to me. When I saw that I could do both research and work in the mental health field at Fordham, I realized I had found the right career path. While receiving my credits for my Master's in Social Work at Fordham, I received at $10,000 scholarship to conduct research in their prestigious Children FIRST program and began my specialization in children and families.

My research experience and the past 20 years of being a child and adolescent therapist have set me up well to work with PANS families.

I understand the medical aspects of the illness given my medical background and I both understand and am well-trained in therapy techniques that are needed for PANS families.