Dr. Arenella received her doctoral degree in clinical psychology at the University of Missouri, St. Louis. She completed her predoctoral internship at the Charlie Norwood VA and Medical College of Georgia where she worked with military sexual trauma, eating disorders, and as part of the comprehensive DBT team. She then completed her postdoctoral fellowship as the Michael Metz Fellow in Couples' Sexual Health at the Institute for Sexual and Gender Health at the University of Minnesota Medical School. There, she worked with transgender and gender diverse adults and their families, individuals and couples experiencing sexual concerns and questions, and clients struggling with compulsive sexual behavior. She also taught within the College of Continuing and Professional Studies' Human Sexuality Certificate, and provided instruction to medical students and residents at the University of Minnesota.

Dr. Arenella's research and clinical interests include sexual and gender health, LGBTQ affirming practice, gynecologic cancer, and women's health and aging. She has published in International Psychogeriatrics, the Journal of Women and Aging, and The Gerontologist, and she has presented at conferences such as the Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality Annual Conference. She is experienced in a number of empirically supported therapies, such as Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Written Exposure Therapy (WET), and Sensate Focus. Her interests also include providing sexuality and gender training to healthcare providers.