Licensed to practice in California and accepts 9 insurances. Specializes in Health/Medical Issues, Military/Veterans, Mood Disorders and 10 more.
New to Grow
I went back to college later in life because I wanted to help young people and their families build better futures for themselves. I earned my MA in Counseling Psychology with a specialization in Holistic Studies in 2002. I chose to pursue a degree with a holistic approach, because I wanted to work with the whole person - mind, body, feelings, relationships, history and spirit. Before becoming a therapist, I worked as a dishwasher, fork-lift driver, small business manager, and did an internship with the United Nations. I have lived and worked overseas and in different parts of the United States, and I have had the opportunity to work alongside people from many different backgrounds and walks of life. Like many, I have had cancer and other life challenges. Together, these experiences have shaped how I understand the challenges people face. I have worked in the mental health field for the last 28 years and have been a licensed California LMFT since 2009. I worked with youth experiencing significant emotional and behavioral challenges and their families for 15 years. I also worked with adults in community settings. For the last 13 years, my primary work has been with incarcerated adults. Working with youth and their families, as well as with incarcerated men and women, has taught me about shame, redemption, resilience and dignity. I have seen people at some of the lowest points in their lives, and I have seen their capacity to change, heal, and rebuild. All these experiences have convinced me that people are always more than the labels they carry or the worst things they have experienced. I believe that every person is worthy of being heard and should be treated with dignity and respect. I also believe that change, growth, and transformation is possible for everyone.
Our first session is an opportunity for us to get to know one another and begin understanding what brings you to therapy. We'll spend some time discussing confidentiality, safety, and other important aspects of the therapy process. I'll also ask questions about your history, current circumstances, and the challenges that led you to seek therapy. This helps me understand the broader context of your situation and begin seeing the whole picture. Just as importantly, I want to hear from you. What is happening in your life? What concerns you most? What would you like to see change? We will take all this information and set some initial goals for your therapy. Goals are kind of like road signs, that help us know where we are going and what you want at the end of therapy. AND goals are not a fixed thing that can't be changed or developed over time. Our first session will be more structured than future sessions because there is a lot of information to cover. As we continue working together, our conversations will become more flexible and focused on the goals that matter most to you. If time permits, and you're interested, we may identify a few small experiments or practices to try between sessions. These can help us begin learning what works best for you and what might move you closer to the changes you want to make. I also want you to know that if you feel nervous, uncomfortable, or unsure at any point during our session, I encourage you to let me know so we can talk about it. These feelings are common, especially during the first appointment. Sometimes they can tell us something important and exploring them together can be a valuable part of the therapy process.
Clients often tell me they appreciate that I am patient, calm, and easy to talk to. I tend to take things step by step. I use everyday language, and sometimes use visual diagrams or sketches, to explain concepts and ideas. If something doesn't make sense to you, the first time, I will try adjusting my explanations to help you understand it better. I try to avoid unnecessary psychological jargon because I believe you don't need a degree in psychology to benefit from therapy. I also view each person as more than a collection of symptoms or problems to solve. Therefore, I am more interested in understanding how you experience the challenges that bring you to therapy, than simply applying labels or assumptions. Perhaps most importantly, I don't assume that your experience is the same as anyone else's. Every person is shaped by thousands upon thousands of experiences, relationships, opportunities, challenges, and choices. While insurance may require us to use labels such as depression or anxiety, your experience of those struggles is unique to you. The work we do together will be based on understanding your lived experience and finding solutions that fit your life.
My ideal client is coming to therapy for a reason. Maybe life has become difficult. Anxiety is stealing your peace. Your relationships have become distant or conflicted. Grief, trauma, addiction, health problems, or major life transitions is leaving you feeling lost. Maybe, the problem isn’t a crisis at all – it is simply the quiet realization that life no longer feels meaningful or authentic. While my ideal client may feel stuck, frustrated, or uncertain about what to do next, they are open to exploring new perspectives and experimenting with new ways of approaching familiar challenges. Therapy works best as a collaborative process, and I appreciate clients who are willing to share honest feedback about what's helping and what isn't, so we can continually adjust our work together.
Other specialties
Acceptance and commitment (ACT)
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT): at its core, ACT focuses on awareness, and acceptance, of our painful and difficult feelings and then taking committed action towards our values. Values are the people, qualities, and commitments that matter most to you. Action is what we actually do day to day. For example, you may value being present with your family but find yourself spending much of your evening scrolling on your phone. Most of us have experienced moments when our actions don't fully reflect what matters most to us. ACT teaches us to become more aware of our thoughts, feelings, physical sensations, and behaviors. By paying attention to these moments, we can begin to recognize the choice points in our lives—those moments when we can move toward our values or away from them. The goal isn't perfection. The goal is learning how to make more choices that reflect the life you want to live and the person you want to become.
Mind-body approach
One of the foundations of my holistic approach is the belief that we are whole people and that our minds and bodies are interconnected. Most of us have experienced this. Anxiety can show up as a tight stomach. Stress can create headaches or muscle tension. Grief and sadness feel heavy in the body. Sometimes our bodies recognize something is wrong before we have fully put it into words. By slowing down and learning to recognize these body signals, we can increase our awareness of what is happening inside our hearts and minds, and this can help us handle life's challenges with greater clarity and intention.
Strength-Based
Our minds naturally focus on threats or problems. To explain this to clients, I ask them: “If you were walking through a jungle and saw both a mango and a tiger, which would you focus on first?” Most people say the tiger. Why? Because the tiger could be dangerous. While this tendency helped our ancestors survive, but it can also cause us to focus only on the negative and not notice our strengths, successes, positive things happening in our lives, and sources of support. A strength-based approach helps us see a more complete picture of who you are. Instead of focusing only on problems, we also look at what is already working—your resilience, relationships, values, skills, and past successes—and use those strengths as a foundation for change.
Faith based therapy
Faith, spirituality, and our deeply held beliefs often play an important role in how we understand ourselves, our relationships, our suffering, and our sense of purpose. Whether you identify with a particular faith tradition, consider yourself spiritual, agnostic, atheist, or are still exploring these questions, your beliefs can influence how you navigate life's challenges and opportunities. Because I work from a holistic perspective, I am curious about how your beliefs, faith and spiritual practices, or lack of them, inform your life. For clients who wish to explore spiritual or faith-related concerns and interventions as part of therapy, I welcome those conversations. For clients who prefer not to include spirituality in therapy, I fully respect that choice as well. My role is not to tell you what to believe, but to help you explore how your beliefs, values, and life experiences shape the way you understand yourself and the changes you hope to make.