New to Grow
I’m a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in Southern California with over 3 years of experience working in inpatient medical settings, community mental health, and schools. I provide talk therapy for adults and understand the stress and challenges of day-to-day life. I am a caring and compassionate therapist who is passionate about helping clients process emotions, navigate challenges, and foster personal growth. I am bilingual and culturally aware, I strive to create a warm, safe, and inclusive space where clients feel heard, supported, and empowered on their journey toward healing and well-being.
In our first session together, here's what you can expect
Our first session is a chance for us to get to know each other and begin building a comfortable, trusting relationship. We’ll start with introductions and spend time talking about what brought you to therapy. I’ll review intake questions with you, answer any questions you may have, and make sure you feel supported and understood. Together, we’ll begin identifying the goals you’d like to work on during our time together, moving at a pace that feels right for you.
The biggest strengths that I bring into our sessions
My greatest strengths lie in my ability to create a warm, trusting therapeutic relationship where clients feel genuinely heard and understood. I am an attentive, active listener who responds with empathy and care, fostering a safe space for clients to explore their experiences openly. My experience working across community mental health settings, schools, and hospitals has shaped me into a well-rounded therapist who can adapt to diverse needs, backgrounds, and levels of care. I integrate Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to help clients identify and challenge negative self-talk, supporting them in healing, personal growth, and living in alignment with their most authentic selves.
The clients I'm best positioned to serve
My ideal clients are adults who are navigating anxiety, depression, grief, or major life transitions and are seeking a supportive space to better understand themselves and their emotions. I am especially passionate about working with members of the LGBTQ+ community and individuals exploring identity, relationships, and self-acceptance. I work well with clients who are open to self-reflection and growth, whether they are feeling stuck, overwhelmed, or simply wanting to live with greater clarity, resilience, and authenticity.
Acceptance and commitment (ACT)
I use Acceptance and Commitment Therapy to help clients develop psychological flexibility rather than focusing solely on symptom reduction. In session, I support clients in noticing how attempts to control or avoid difficult thoughts and emotions may be limiting their lives, and I help them build a more open, accepting relationship with these experiences. I use mindfulness, experiential exercises, and metaphors to promote cognitive defusion and present-moment awareness, while clarifying personal values to guide meaningful behavior change. Treatment is collaborative and values-driven, with an emphasis on committed action and building a life aligned with what matters most to the client, even in the presence of discomfort.
Cognitive Behavioral (CBT)
I use Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to help clients understand the relationship between their thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. In session, I collaborate with clients to identify unhelpful thinking patterns and behavioral responses that contribute to distress, and we work together to evaluate and modify these patterns using evidence-based cognitive and behavioral strategies. Treatment is structured, goal-oriented, and skills-focused, with an emphasis on building practical coping tools, testing new ways of thinking and behaving, and reducing symptoms to improve daily functioning.
Humanistic
I use a humanistic approach that emphasizes the therapeutic relationship as the foundation for growth and change. In session, I strive to provide a safe, empathic, and nonjudgmental space characterized by genuineness, unconditional positive regard, and deep respect for the client’s lived experience. Rather than directing or interpreting, I support clients in exploring their emotions, strengths, and inherent capacity for self-understanding, trusting that insight and growth emerge through authentic connection, self-acceptance, and increased self-awareness.
Compassion Focused
I use a compassion-focused approach to help clients develop a kinder, more supportive relationship with themselves, particularly in response to shame, self-criticism, and emotional distress. In session, I help clients understand how their minds and nervous systems have been shaped by past experiences, and we work to cultivate compassion through psychoeducation, mindfulness, imagery, and compassion-based practices. Treatment emphasizes balancing threat, drive, and soothing systems, strengthening emotional regulation, and fostering self-compassion as a foundation for resilience, healing, and meaningful change.
Motivational Interviewing
I use Motivational Interviewing to support clients in exploring and resolving ambivalence about change in a collaborative, respectful, and nonjudgmental way. In session, I focus on strengthening clients’ intrinsic motivation by eliciting their own reasons for change, using open-ended questions, reflective listening, affirmations, and summaries. Rather than directing or persuading, I work to enhance autonomy, confidence, and readiness for change, helping clients move toward goals that align with their values and sense of self-efficacy.