Social Science Research
Because my career has always been focused on different forms of direct practice social work, finding myself conducting research was a bit of a twist. Over the years that I’ve been a social worker, detours into administration, advocacy, and teaching have always led me back to the work of connecting personally with clients. Which I still love.
My interest in research is connected to my work with psychedelic medicines. Because of the War on Drugs, we have lost precious decades that could have been used to develop a greater understanding of how these medicines work and how best to use them to reduce human suffering. Suddenly, I had encountered a topic that was under-studied and where I felt I could make a contribution.
Currently, I am the Primary Investigator for a small study that has been approved by the University of Maryland, Baltimore County’s internal review board (IRB). This project is entitled “Approaches to Ketamine-Assisted Couple Therapy” and is in process. As a result of this work I have had the chance to meet with and learn from some of the leading minds in the nascent/emergent subfield of psychedelic-assisted therapy for couples.
I do my research within the field of sociology because I have always been fascinated by how people make meaning out of their lived experience. I am interested in psychedelic-assisted couples psychotherapy from the perspective of both the clients and the practitioner. My desire is to help us understand how psychedelic molecules can play a role in facilitating attachment processes, particularly in the context of healing from traumatic experiences.