In our first session together, here's what you can expect

I recognize that taking that step can be very difficult and confusing, but I want you to know you are deserving of a space that will meet you with respect and compassion along with room to explore, learn and heal. You may or may not know what brings you to our first session but leaping into therapy to address your mental health is holistic and can be a building block to improving a relationship with yourself. Our first session will be an opportunity for me to get to know you and create a grounding space where you feel invited to be yourself. We will touch on what to expect in therapy, our responsibilities and give you an opportunity to address any questions that you may have.

The biggest strengths that I bring into our sessions

Earning my master’s degree in social work was instrumental in helping me craft my clinical lens; I will gently make efforts to understand your life through a systems approach while honoring your lived experience at an individual, cultural and/or spiritual level. My practice has included various techniques and modalities that draw from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Emotion-Focused Therapy (EFT), Dialectal Behavioral Therapy (DBT) and Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT); your therapeutic journey can and may incorporate a combination of techniques from these modalities. Other standardized tools may be used to support with measuring and monitoring symptoms but you will be at the driver seat and we will go through this path together. Although evidence-based modalities will be at the core of our work, this will also be an exploratory practice for us to regularly find what is best for you at any given moment. Through our work, you will be held accountable, challenged and empowered to help you achieve your goals.

The clients I'm best positioned to serve

Since earning my degree, my experience has taken me through various paths that have informed my practice. My experience includes a period serving as a medical social worker for people with HIV, running groups in substance use recovery services, co-facilitating youth violence prevention groups in Pittsburgh, PA, serving a Bay Area’s community as a mobile crisis psychiatric social worker, managing an SMI unit in the county’s jail and now with a clinical team dedicated to diverting justice-involved clients from incarceration into treatment. Although these are past and current work experiences, I have supported clients through depression/anxiety, self-esteem, cultural and gender identity, inter-generational trauma, stress and crises that can stem from other issues. My practice is also congruent with social justice values so topics of acculturation/assimilation and systemic traumas can inform and help us address other issues. If my practice resonates with you, let us explore whether we are a good fit.