LCSW, 18 years of experience
I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in California with almost 20 years of experience working as Clinical and Medical Social Worker. I have had the honor to work with clients with a wide range of life circumstances including chronic illness and disability, terminal illness and end of life, and supporting adults and their families navigate complex medical systems by way of providing empathic, mindful, and client-centered care. The individuals I've worked with have histories of addiction, trauma, depression, anxiety, and immigration issues. My previous clients have been multi-cultural, POC, and LGBTQA. Through this work, I've had the privilege to counsel individuals and families in moments of great fragility and unknown. My style is warm, calm, empowering and present. It is extremely important that the individuals I work with feel safe, heard and provided with the opportunity to identify the areas of which they would like to focus on in counseling without judgement or bias. My approach combines mindfulness, cognitive behavioral therapy, and humanistic therapies. I will tailor our dialog and treatment plan to meet your unique and specific needs.
At our first session, I will inquire about what has lead you here, and ask additional questions to learn more about you, your strengths and your areas for growth and development. I will offer a chance to set some goals, short-term and long-term, and overall assess whether we are a good match for your counseling needs.
My greatest strengths are the ability to connect with a very diverse group of patients.
My clinical strengths would likely best serve patients who have experienced some grief and loss, either related to their own personal circumstances or for someone they care deeply for. They recognize the need to process that grief and loss, have desire to move through it, and are looking for some tools to cope, despite the stage of grief or loss they are currently experiencing. I
I have found that building awareness of our thought patterns and evaluating the evidence of our beliefs can be liberating. It’s a lifelong practice that overtime becomes inherent in our daily lives.
Mindfulness practice may feel like a stretch for many, but by implementing simple changes to our common habits, like scrolling through our phone during moments of downtime, we can open up space to recognize and become aware of how much we are avoiding in the present through the allure of distraction.
I believe that everyone has adapted some type of coping mechanisms to manage the complex layers of life, and these can be strengths. I attempt to reconnect and remind us to of strengths, and bring attention to your voice.