Hello, I am a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and Artist based in Southern California. I studied art therapy at Loyola Marymount University and have been a practicing therapist for 5 years. I have primarily worked with children in foster care and families post-adoption. I also have some experience working with individuals dealing with addiction. I would like to facilitate art-making during telehealth sessions whenever a client is willing to do so. Please feel free to reach out with any questions and I look forward to speaking with you.
What can clients expect to take away from sessions with you?
During the first session we would discuss typical structure of therapy (including things like expectations, rules, past experiences in therapy, how often you would like to attend therapy etc.), what brought you into therapy at this time, symptoms that are present, and goals. These goals are something we would focus on and keep in mind throughout therapy to be able to check how things are going, if we are reaching the end of our time together or possibly considering further goals.
What treatment methods and tools do you utilize?
Art Therapy, Narrative Therapy, and Cognitive Behavior Therapy are the main treatment methods that I pull from.
Explain to clients what areas you feel are your biggest strengths.
I have mainly worked with adolescents and children dealing with major disruptions in care (such as dealing with the foster care system.) I have also worked in a few inpatient settings including psychiatric hospitals and substance treatment centers. I have experience working with individuals, couples, families and lead groups.
Describe the client(s) you are best positioned to serve.
I believe some keys to successful outcomes in therapy are being open minded and somewhat excited about therapy. I think an important aspect of therapy is experimenting with new ways of thinking to find out what works for each individual. This requires a lot of work outside of sessions to implement discussed techniques and some enthusiasim about the process is helpful tp jumpstart these changes.