Her education was in clinical psychology (PhD from Fielding Graduate University, 2007) and law (JD, Georgetown University, 1985). She was a practicing attorney for over 15 years and uses her legal background in her areas of scholarship and teaching: forensic psychology; the social construction of bipolar disorder and other mental health diagnoses; the impact of laws, such as the Americans with Disabilities Act, on people with psychiatric disabilities; and legal and ethical issues that confront mental health practitioners.