LCSW, 20 years of experience
Hi! I'm a Licensed Clinical Social Worker from California. I received my Masters Degree from San Diego State University and have been practicing for nineteen years. I help children, adolescents, and young adults who struggle with trauma and anxiety to process feelings about traumatic events and learn to prioritize self-care, be patient with themselves, and find ways to enjoy life again.
In our first session, we'll go over brief introductions, do a mood check in, discuss your expectations about therapy, acquaint you with the therapy modality, then dive into the specific challenges you are facing. We'll go over any assessment tools you completed during the registration process. This will help us to create a tailored plan for us to work through in follow-up sessions.
Having worked with children, adolescents, and adults for the past nineteen years, I've developed a tried-and-true playbook for helping you (a) identify the root cause of your challenges and (b) create a tailored plan that leads to measurable progress.
I love to work with clients that are willing to do the work of therapy and who are open to change. They are motivated and willing to put in the work to make changes in their life. They are committed to the process of therapy. They are honest and open to share their thoughts, feelings, and experiences and are collaborative.
I’ve been using CBT in my practice for the past 15 years. It’s helped dozens of clients challenge reoccurring thoughts and manage their anxiety. We’ll use CBT to recognize how your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors influence each other. We’ll then use that knowledge to change your thinking patterns, which will help you lead a less anxious and stressed life.
I’ve been using DBT in my practice for the past three years. It’s helped dozens of clients learned the skills to manage and regulate difficult emotions. We’ll use mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotion regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness to make positive changes in your life.
I’ve been using Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for the past ten years. While not all people that are exposed to trauma experience long-term consequences, we know that experiencing a traumatic event can affect someone’s psychological, social, and physical well-being. We’ll use TF-CBT to reduce fear and avoidance, improve cooing skills, build trust, and challenge problematic beliefs.
1 rating with written reviews
May 2, 2025
Norma has been so helpful with my case. I came in with trauma from childhood, lots of anxiety and she has helped me manage my anxiety so much and has also helped me with my childhood trauma tremendously. I love how she manages to help me with my situation without making my problems feel small but at the same time she makes a quick joke to make me smile or laugh. She balances it all so well and it makes me very happy to know that she is my therapist. She has helped me more than she knows.