LCSW, 26 years of experience
New to Grow
I am native to the bay area of Northern California. I attended San Jose State University and received a master’s in Social Work. I have worked with severe mentally ill, drug and alcohol treatment, adolescents in crisis and have completed 5150 assessments concluding in safety plans or placed in a psychiatric hospital. I have been working in social services for 25+ years. My specialty has become working with teens and young adults who are struggling with the long term effects of trauma and low self-esteem.
During the first session, I want to get to know the client and hear about who they are and what they are going through. But I also want them to be able to get a sense of whether they are comfortable with me. This work can be difficult, and if a client does not have a good connection, then I want that to be determined early.
In addition to my years of training and experience I feel I have an ability to connect with clients even through telehealth. I often share my screen with clients and collaborate through shared documents to enhance the connection being made through telehealth. I also find the opportunity to be able to connect while in your personal setting helpful to share details that otherwise can not be shared.
I work primarily with teens and young adults who struggle with relationships, self-esteem, family conflict, depression, anxiety, having difficulty with school, as well as people who may be suicidal or who self-harm. My work with clients is focused on what they want to work on and what is most important to them. I feel it is a privilege to work and gain the trust of my clients to support them to a happier, more successful life. I look forward to having an opportunity to work with you.
My style varies to support the individual needs of each client. I want clients to feel comfortable expressing themselves, which can be a humanistic approach or CBT, but I also focus on how emotions sit in the body and can impact our nervous systems through somatic therapy.