About me
Living is an art shaped by the singularity of your desire.
I work to create a space where you can speak freely, without pressure to conform to any fixed idea of yourself. We pay attention to what comes up in the moment—what you think, feel, and say. We examine the tensions that shape your experience and the patterns that keep repeating, questioning why they persist. The aim is not to fix or resolve but to make space for you to articulate your own way forward.
Analysis takes time, consistency, and a willingness to confront what resists change. I typically meet with you once a week for 30 or 45 minutes, keeping a steady rhythm to support your ongoing work.
I approach each session with curiosity, openness, and a willingness to follow where your speech leads. I work with adults and adolescents from diverse backgrounds, including those navigating questions of desire, relationships, self-perception, and the challenges of making sense of their own experiences. I also work with college students and emerging adults who identify as LGBTQI+, NB, ND, and BIPOC.
My academic and professional formation
I earned my bachelor’s degree in Italian Language and Culture from Princeton University in Princeton, NJ. Later, I pursued my doctoral studies at the Ferkauf Graduate School of Yeshiva University in the Bronx, NY. My research, guided by Dr. Shelly Goldklank, explored questions at the intersection of public health, sexuality, and subjectivity, focusing on how PrEP is understood and taken up among gay men.
My clinical experience spans diverse contexts: hospitals, university counseling settings, community organizations, and mental health clinics across New York City and Philadelphia. This work shaped my approach to understanding how social, political, and cultural factors intersect with psychic life.
In these contexts, I practiced psychoanalysis and psychoanalytic psychotherapy through ongoing supervision with psychoanalysts from various theoretical orientations, alongside my personal analysis.
I continue my psychoanalytic formation at NUCEP (Madrid), SCB (Barcelona), and Après Coup Psychoanalytic Association (NY), further developing my practice within the field of Lacanian psychoanalysis.
I have also facilitated discussions and presentations on how the pandemic impacted LGBTQ+ and POC communities, emphasizing how collective crises shape individual experiences. Additionally, I co-founded the Get It Together Coalition, a non-profit initiative based in West Hollywood that fosters dialogue and collaboration among local organizations to address the singular challenges faced by LGBTQ+ communities.
Writing and Translation
I have co-authored research on the intersection of public health and sexuality, exploring the subjective experiences of gay men using PrEP:
Alcantar Heredia, J.L., and Shelly Goldklank, The relevance of pre-exposure prophylaxis in gay men’s lives and their motivations to use it: a qualitative study. BMC Public Health 21, 1829 (2021).
I have also engaged in the translation and contextual analysis of psychoanalytic texts, contributing to a dialogue on how psychoanalytic theory intersects with contemporary social issues. My work includes translating and discussing articles from Psychoanalysis Today, including:
Rozitchner, E. (2020). Old Age and the Pandemic. Psychoanalysis Today,
Issaharoff, E.B. (2020). Self-Realization. Psychoanalysis Today.
Durand, N. (2019). A Theory about Addictions. Psychoanalysis Today.
Catz, H. (2019). Tattoos, from Diction to Addiction. Psychoanalysis Today,
Adler, E. (2019). Current Presentations in Adolescent Sexuality. Psychoanalysis Today,
Zac de Filc, S. (2019). On Working with Narcissistic Patients. Psychoanalysis Today,
Jarast, R. (2018). Death of the Hand. Psychoanalysis Today,
Valdes, E. (2018). Learning from Childhood. Psychoanalysis Today,
Onaindia, J. (2018). Putting Together Fragments to Be Alone. Psychoanalysis Today.
These works reflect my commitment to situating psychoanalytic theory within contemporary social and cultural frameworks, fostering nuanced discussions on subjectivity, desire, and the complexities of human experience.