Vinny’s (they/them or he/his) pathway to becoming a therapist was never a straight or predictable line. As a first-generation college graduate who grew up in a low-income environment and has navigated significant personal adversity, they know firsthand that a person’s circumstances are not fated to determine their potential, and that the right support at the right time can profoundly transform the trajectory of a life. They understand that healing and growth are rarely linear, that "resilience" is shaped by both individual and systemic factors, and that people deserve to be understood in the full context of their lives rather than pathologized or reduced to their symptoms, circumstances, or perceived limitations. Vinny’s lived experiences with identity, belonging, disability, and neurodivergence, alongside the process of building a life on their own terms, inform their deep respect for the near-infinite and wondrous complexity of the human experience.

   These experiences also shape Vinny’s understanding of what therapy can offer. They believe people deserve so much more than a space to merely manage their symptoms or learn coping mechanisms; they deserve a space where they feel safe and seen enough to explore hidden emotions, arrive at profound insights, and feel deeply understood within the nuanced context of their relationships, histories, bodies, identities, family environments, neurobiology, and lived experiences. Vinny recognizes that this work takes time, patience, trust, and compassionate/thoughtful structure. They are particularly passionate about working with people who have felt misunderstood, marginalized, or pressured to shrink themselves to fit society’s expectations of what is considered normal or acceptable. Their approach combines scientific curiosity and cutting-edge evidence-informed treatment approaches with a holistic appreciation for the emotional, relational, and existential dimensions of being human. They strive to meet clients with warmth, honesty, and compassion while making room for complexity, contradiction, humor, personal growth, shadow-work, and the gradual process of bringing previously unrecognized parts of ourselves into conscious awareness.

   Outside of their clinical work, Vinny has long been drawn to poetry, art, music, and ideas that challenge conventional ways of seeing the world. They have published poetry and had the opportunity to learn from and be mentored by artistic role models. Their current interests span philosophy, neuroscience, building authentic community, photography, mixed media, and exploring the blue mists of the Great Smoky Mountains and temperate rainforests surrounding their new home in Asheville, North Carolina. They value open-mindedness, curiosity, creative expression, and conversations that move fluidly between the intellectually serious and the wonderfully absurd. These interests reflect something central to how they approach both life and therapy: a belief that people are rarely as simple as the stories they believe about themselves or have been told by others.

   Vinny works collaboratively with clients to develop goals that evolve as they do, integrating unique training methods with an individualized understanding of each person’s needs, circumstances, and lived experience. For clients working through trauma, they offer a structured, educational treatment process that explores the history and definitions of trauma, its effects on the brain and nervous system, the role of personal and environmental context, and a range of therapeutic approaches. Depending on each client’s needs and readiness, this may incorporate neural desensitization, Compassionate Inquiry concepts, somatic experiencing, and memory reconsolidation-informed approaches. The process emphasizes preparation, understanding, and collaboration, with progress toward treatment goals reviewed regularly and the work adapted as needed because sometimes we must focus on the present environment and temporarily pause the past.

   Ultimately, Vinny hopes to help people build lives that feel not only more manageable and less distressing, but also more authentic, meaningful, and fulfilling. They understand that it is often our environments which are disordered, not the individual.  They currently provide telehealth psychotherapy to clients in Michigan, North Carolina, and South Carolina, allowing clients to participate from the comfort of their own homes. If you’re curious about working together, Vinny welcomes you to reach out for a free 15-minute consultation to explore whether they might be the right fit for your unique individual needs.