Licensed to practice in California and accepts 10 insurances. Specializes in Parenting, Peer Relationships, Child or Adolescent and 10 more.
(she/her)
New to Grow
Sometimes life can be a lot and we weren't meant to navigate it alone. Seeking support is an act of self love and an investment in your wellbeing. I offer someone to walk with you as we work through whatever life challenges have brought you to therapy at this time. I will meet you where you are at and together we will unravel and explore what comes up in session. We will identify your goals and work towards resourcing you so that you can reach them. I feel a strong ethical obligation to the people I serve and support and will always treat you with the utmost respect and dignity, acknowledging that talking to a therapist can be vulnerable. I am almost 20 years into my career in social work and have practiced primarily in urban settings, but also in Latin America and I have seen, heard and helped navigate many of life's greatest and most painful challenges. This is a dynamic relationship between us and together we will figure out a path forward for you, so that you may live your most fulfilled life.
For our first session you can expect an open space for us to build rapport. My goal in this session is to learn what is important to you, what has brought you to therapy at this time and what goals you have for our work together. I will ask some questions and will provide a non-judgmental safe space for you to share as much or as little as you feel comfortable sharing and we will build from there. I will meet you where you are.
I am a helper by nature and my deep care comes out with all living things, including plants an animals. You will often see me watering dying plants even out in public when I see them! Or I will pull over if I see a stray animal in need of care and try to usher it to safety. Some of my earliest memories included me advocating for kids being mistreated on the playground as an elementary school child. All this is to say, that this work of supporting others matters deeply to me and is at the core of who I am as a person. It is an honor to support people on their healing journey. In terms of my style as a therapist, I have learned that when people come to therapy, they want to know that their therapist is a real person. I bring that real person vibe and you won't find me sitting back nodding in silence. I will bear witness to your most difficult, painful moments with respect for you, and your experience. We will share laughs and your tears are always welcome. I am authentic and transparent, which I feel is essential to building trusting relationships with clients.
My ideal client is someone who genuinely is seeking to deepen their knowledge and awareness of themselves and what drives and motivates them. An ideal client is someone who is open and curious with a genuine desire to learn and grow. I am open to working with clients facing any number of challenges, from navigating grief and loss, to supporting teens in managing peer and family dynamics and developing their own identities, to people struggling with self love and acceptance. The path does not have to be direct, or clear or without obstacles, the client just needs to be willing to go along for the ride even if its bumpy with lots of twists and turns, and I will be right there with them.
Other specialties
I identify as
Compassion Focused
The focus here is on developing self compassion, being able to receive compassion and offer compassion to others. Together we will identify areas of imbalance in your emotional world and work to soothe your nervous system by learning self soothing and regulation techniques. We will also practice offering and receiving compassion, starting right in session and eventually learning to transfer this practice into your daily life.
Attachment-based
I will help you understand how your early childhood experiences with those who cared for and raised you is impacting your adult life. We will identify your attachment style and the ways in which this shows up in your relationships and interactions with others. By first developing your own self awareness, we will then work together to re-wire your brain so that you can build more secure and healthy relationships. This work often involves working through past traumas.
Trauma Informed Care
Trauma informed care is a general approach to treatment that considers trauma and it's impact on our brains and bodies. By practicing trauma informed care, I always consider trauma and will be attentive to signs for example of emotional dysregulation such as flooding, or shutting down in session. I will help you to identify and work with these trauma responses in order to begin to develop an improved sense of awareness and safety to move forward.
Relational
Relational therapy focuses on the dynamics between people, whether that be couples, parents and children, colleagues or friends. This work focuses on improving communication with the people in our lives.
Strength-Based
Strength based therapy builds on what is already going well, your strengths and your inherent capacity as a human to overcome hard things. We avoid the deficit model and build off of your resilience while addressing your challenges. I will support you with learning to reframe or refocus your thoughts and the stories you tell yourself, while maintaining a realistic stance.