LMFT, 13 years of experience
I knew when I was eleven years old that I wanted to be a therapist, and I'm grateful to do what I love. I’ve worked in the mental health field since 1999, with a break to raise my two children. For the past six years, I worked with individuals, couples and families as a provider with a group practice, and before that, I worked in non-profit mental health organizations across San Diego. My experience includes supporting individuals and couples experiencing and adjusting to a variety of life issues such as the aftermath of trauma, birth of a child, marriage, divorce, teen issues, college students, career planning, dating, parenting, co-parenting, mid-life, grief, neurodiversity, chronic mental health issues, and BIPOC community issues.
In this first session, my main goal is to get to know you—not just the challenges you’re facing, but also your hopes. We’ll talk about what brings you here, and together we’ll begin exploring the stories that have been influencing how you see yourself, others, and the world. We’ll have a better sense of what you want from our work together and how we can move in a direction that feels meaningful and empowering for you. There’s no pressure to share everything right away—we’ll go at a pace that feels safe and right for you.
I see my role as part counselor, part teacher, and part coach. I’m here to support you, offer practical tools, and collaboratively work with you toward healing and growth. I hold space with compassion and nonjudgment, while also gently challenging you to move toward the life you want. As a woman of color, an immigrant, and someone with personal experience healing from trauma, I bring not only professional training but also lived insight into the emotional work of change and resilience. I’ve navigated many life transitions myself—including marriage, parenting, relocating, and losses. I understand how overwhelming it can be. My goal is to create a space where you feel seen, heard, and empowered to reconnect with your authentic self and your strengths. Together, we’ll explore what’s not working, build on what is, and move at a pace that honors your needs and values.
My clients seek a supportive, empathetic space to share their story and value the insights and tools gained in sessions to create meaningful, positive change.
DBT is an evidence based method that is fast and effective in helping individuals to change thoughts and behaviors that are hurting their functioning and relationships. DBT gives clients information and easy to understand strategies to gain awareness of current thoughts and behaviors that aren't working and teaches new, effective thoughts and behaviors for better functioning. Tools learned through DBT will result in better managing of emotions, more clarity in thinking, better problem-solving, effectively communicating, and more self-control.
In narrative therapy, we explore your stories and together we work to shift the focus from “What’s wrong with me?” to “What has shaped me, and how do I want to move forward?” This approach is empowering, collaborative, and deeply respectful of your lived experience. It’s about helping you reconnect with your sense of agency and supporting you in authoring a life that feels more aligned, meaningful, and true to who you really are.
Person-centered therapy is grounded in the belief that every person has the capacity for growth, healing, and change, especially when given the right conditions. You are the expert on your own life. My role as your therapist is to offer a space that is safe, nonjudgmental, and deeply respectful, where you can explore your thoughts and feelings at your own pace.