Licensed to practice in California and accepts 23 insurances. Specializes in Couples Counseling, Domestic Violence, Military/Veterans and 5 more.
(she/her)
New to Grow
I am a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist with over 10 years of experience specializing in domestic violence and substance abuse treatment. I came to the field of therapy later in life, and I believe my own life experiences help me connect with others in a genuine, empathetic, and nonjudgmental way. I live in the San Diego area with my husband on a small farm filled with animals. When I’m not working, I enjoy traveling, gardening, and creating art—activities that help me stay grounded, creative, and connected to the world around me.
The first session is primarily a “getting to know you” session. During this time, we will discuss your background, personal history, current concerns, and the goals you hope to achieve through therapy. We will also explore what you would like your life and relationships to look like as you make progress and move toward healing and growth. This initial session helps us begin building a comfortable and supportive therapeutic relationship while creating a foundation for our work together.
My therapeutic approach is primarily grounded in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). I believe that our life experiences shape the beliefs we develop about ourselves, others, and the world around us. Over time, some of these beliefs and thought patterns can begin to negatively impact our relationships, work, family life, and overall emotional well-being. I believe that openly exploring and discussing the challenges we experience can lead to greater self-awareness, insight, and understanding. Through this process, clients are often able to validate their experiences, identify unhelpful patterns in thinking or behavior, and develop healthier strategies that support improved emotional functioning and more fulfilling relationships.
I have worked with the military for most of my career. Most of the time I have worked with domestic violence, and I am currently getting qualifications to be a substance abuse clinician. I work with people with a history of trauma, and who are currently experiencing transitions, such as divorce, being a new parent, engaging in or living with somebody who is engaging in substance use. I work with people with posttraumatic stress disorder, and depression and anxiety as well.
Other specialties
Cash - $120 per session
Aetna
Aetna - Allied Benefits
Aetna - ASR Health Benefits
Aetna - Luminare
Aetna - Moda
Aetna - WebTPA
Aetna – HealthEZ
Amerihealth Administrators
Arlo
Carelon Behavioral Health (Commercial)
Centivo
Cigna
Cigna - HealthEZ
EAP:Cigna
EAP:Evernorth
Evernorth
GTEB
IHSS Healthy Workers
L.A. Care Covered
L.A. Care Covered Direct
L.A. Care PASC-SEIU
Sutter Health Plan
Tufts Health/Cigna
Cognitive Behavioral (CBT)
I believe that self talk is very important. I believe that the thoughts that we tell our ourselves influence our mood, our mood affects our behavior her behavior affects our environment, and our environment affects our thoughts. So, if we help people to have more positive thoughts, using various modalities, their moods will likely improve.
Couples Counseling
I have worked with lots of couples, usually in the space of there being domestic violence. Teaching couples how to communicate, and how to build intimacy creates a relationship where they can both be happy and have their needs met.