She graduated with honors from Indiana University in Education and was awarded a grant from the National Institute of Mental Health to pursue her master’s in Social Work. After a successful private practice in Indiana, specializing in children with ADHD and Autism Spectrum Disorders, she moved to California and went back to the classroom as a special education teacher.

She has taught in international schools in four different countries, including Kenya, where she started a volunteer service club with the Kenya Autism Support Center, providing socialization opportunities for handicapped children who lived in the slums, and created a scholarship program for indigenous Massai girls, programs which continue to serve children. Returning to California, she worked as a psychiatric social worker at the Veteran’s Administration before joining Hallowell Todaro in 2021.

A life learner, she is trained in evidence-based treatment methods, is certified by the Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing Therapy Institute. She provides EMDR for trauma, depression, and anxiety disorders She also utilizes Dialectical Behavior Therapy and recently created a skills-based DBT group focusing on how to apply those strategies to ADHD challenges, and is writing a book on DBT for ADHD. Cognitive Behavior Therapy skills are also integrated into her practice since training with Aaron and Judith Beck at the International Cognitive Behavior Therapy Conference in Copenhagen.

Paula believes the therapeutic relationship forms the foundation for acceptance as well as change. She sees therapy as a process of psychoeducation, inspiration, and learning more effective ways of thinking and coping with life’s inevitable challenges. She enjoys working with individuals and couples, and leading groups for Hallowell Todaro.