After graduating Summa Cum Laude and Departmental Scholar from SUNY Potsdam, I completed my Masters and Ph.D. in Sociology, as well as a Graduate Certificate in Feminist Theory, at Binghamton University. I am currently researching and writing about prenatal and perinatal psychology and the biopsychosocial - as well as iatrogenic - contributions to maternal fear and stress during pregnancy, birth and early motherhood and their subsequent effect on the mother and infant/child’s mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual health and well-being including, but not limited to, the impact on individual and family violence. My broader research interests focus on interpersonal and family relationships, family health activism, and parenting "differently."
I have over 20 years of teaching experience at the university level in Human Development, Child and Family Studies, Sociology, Women's Studies, and Criminology.
I am a certified and experienced Birth Attendant, Doula and Childbirth Educator and conduct Childbirth Educator and Doula certification trainings for BirthWorks International. I am also a certified Prenatal and Perinatal Educator (PPNE) with The Association For Prenatal and Perinatal Psychology and Health (APPPAH) and am a certified Reiki Master.
I am also a proud member of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP), a hundred plus year old organization which promotes principles of academic freedom, academic integrity, tenure, and due process in higher education and currently serve as the Executive Director of the NYS Conference of the AAUP. I am the Chair the NYS AAUP Committee on Gender and Sexuality in the Academic Profession, was twice elected as the District 8 Representative on the National AAUP Council, and am currently an elected Chapter Delegate for the AAUP National At-Large Chapter. In 2010 I was awarded the Robert Maynard Hutchens Award by The Drake Group (www.thedrakegroup.org) for my “courageous defense of academic integrity in collegiate sports.” For several years I served as Secretary on their Board of Directors and am on their Advisory Council.
As a trained mediator I regularly conduct family, parenting, custody, visitation, and civil mediations in my community for Accord; A Center for Dispute Resolution. I also do Conflict Coaching and am also a Certified Divorce Mediator.
After training and certifying in Quality of Life Therapy and Coaching, and undertaking extensive professional coach training through Mentor Coach, I founded It's Your Life Coaching and Consulting. My specialty areas are transitional and transformative life coaching and consulting for professional and personal empowerment and fulfillment as well as pregnancy/birth/postpartum, couples, parenting, and family coaching. For those that are interested in dissertation coaching, I also offer my services as The Dissertation Doula (www.thedissertationdoula.com).
I have over 20 years of teaching experience at the university level in Human Development, Child and Family Studies, Sociology, Women's Studies, and Criminology.
I am a certified and experienced Birth Attendant, Doula and Childbirth Educator and conduct Childbirth Educator and Doula certification trainings for BirthWorks International. I am also a certified Prenatal and Perinatal Educator (PPNE) with The Association For Prenatal and Perinatal Psychology and Health (APPPAH) and am a certified Reiki Master.
I am also a proud member of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP), a hundred plus year old organization which promotes principles of academic freedom, academic integrity, tenure, and due process in higher education and currently serve as the Executive Director of the NYS Conference of the AAUP. I am the Chair the NYS AAUP Committee on Gender and Sexuality in the Academic Profession, was twice elected as the District 8 Representative on the National AAUP Council, and am currently an elected Chapter Delegate for the AAUP National At-Large Chapter. In 2010 I was awarded the Robert Maynard Hutchens Award by The Drake Group (www.thedrakegroup.org) for my “courageous defense of academic integrity in collegiate sports.” For several years I served as Secretary on their Board of Directors and am on their Advisory Council.
As a trained mediator I regularly conduct family, parenting, custody, visitation, and civil mediations in my community for Accord; A Center for Dispute Resolution. I also do Conflict Coaching and am also a Certified Divorce Mediator.
After training and certifying in Quality of Life Therapy and Coaching, and undertaking extensive professional coach training through Mentor Coach, I founded It's Your Life Coaching and Consulting. My specialty areas are transitional and transformative life coaching and consulting for professional and personal empowerment and fulfillment as well as pregnancy/birth/postpartum, couples, parenting, and family coaching. For those that are interested in dissertation coaching, I also offer my services as The Dissertation Doula (www.thedissertationdoula.com).