Licensed to practice in California and accepts 14 insurances. Specializes in ADHD, Life Transitions, Men's Issues and 7 more.
(he/him)
New to Grow
With over a decade of clinical experience, I provide a grounded, client-centered approach to navigating complex life transitions. I earned my Master’s in Counseling Psychology from Cal-Poly Humboldt and have since dedicated my practice to helping individuals and families resolve deep-seated conflict. My work is focused on empowering you to master anxiety, improve communication, and navigate the specific nuances of men’s issues and relational dynamics. Beyond the therapy room, I serve as Associate Faculty in Psychology. This role ensures that our work remains rooted in the latest developmental research and psychological science. I don’t view therapy as a passive process, but as a deliberate partnership designed to foster resilience and clarity. I believe that every individual holds the expertise over their own life. My job isn't to rewrite your history, but to help you glean insights from it. Together, we move past the surface to uncover genuine passions and confront the challenges that stand in your way, transforming your personal trials into the foundation of your growth.
The hardest part is simply walking through the door, as discussing the internal world often feels like learning a second language late in life—unfamiliar and exposed. Our first session honors that courage by moving past clinical formalities to establish a direct, human-to-human dialogue where your struggles are viewed not as obstacles, but as the opening chapters of your most important story. As the undisputed expert on your own life, you hold the wheel while I serve as the navigator in the passenger seat, offering the map and compass to survey your landscape and chart a course toward your true goals. We aren't here to simply vent, but to ensure you are understood deeply enough to finally start understanding yourself, shifting the focus from what happened to you to what we are going to do about it. By the end of our first meeting, you will gain more than just relief; you will leave with a clear sense of direction and the practical tools needed for the journey ahead.
My core strengths are rooted in dignity, transparency, and a strictly nonjudgmental approach that favors honest partnership over unnecessary clinical distance. In our work together, your experiences are met with genuine compassion to ensure every step is grounded in mutual respect and the preservation of your dignity. While I am committed to accompanying you on your hero’s journey, the role I play is dictated by your specific needs; I maintain the clinical range to follow your lead during exploration or provide firm guidance when you need a way out of the woods. My approach is never "one size fits all," as I utilize a diverse array of modalities to support your unique path to recovery. Ultimately, I believe therapy is more than symptom management—it is about facilitating a profound return to yourself, uncovering the passions and strengths obscured by conflict, and helping you move from simply surviving your narrative to mastering it.
I am best positioned to serve those ready to move beyond "talking about" problems to actively changing them. My ideal client seeks deeper self-awareness and practical tools to navigate life transitions, career shifts, or family overhauls. I serve those motivated to own their narrative and begin a new chapter. I specialize in family and relational stressors, including first-generation challenges and the unique nuances of men’s issues. If you are caught in cycles of anxiety, anger, or poor communication, we will work to break those patterns by strengthening the relationship you have with yourself. I work best with clients ready to process past traumas as a foundation for resilience rather than a permanent definition of self. If you want an active partner who honors your dignity while challenging you to grow, we are well-aligned for the journey ahead.
Our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are deeply interwoven, and emotional distress often stems from "automatic" negative patterns that have become hardwired over time. My role is to help you slow down this process to identify and challenge these cognitive distortions. Rather than focusing on "positive thinking," we work as a team to examine the present mechanics of your mind and establish realistic, evidence-based thoughts that serve your goals instead of sabotaging them. As a skill-building modality, CBT is designed for use far beyond the therapy room; by utilizing behavioral activation and cognitive restructuring, we ensure your growth is sustainable, moving you from being a passenger to your emotions to becoming the architect of your own cognitive habits.
My approach to DBT centers on the "dialectical" balance between acceptance and change, working to accept your current reality while simultaneously building the skills to alter the behaviors that cause distress. This practical, skills-based modality focuses on four core pillars: mindfulness to remain grounded, distress tolerance to survive crises, emotion regulation to manage painful feelings, and interpersonal effectiveness to strengthen relationships through clear boundaries. The ultimate goal is to move beyond mere symptom reduction to construct a fulfilling life. By mastering these techniques, you transition from being overwhelmed by your emotions to being in control of your reactions—effectively transforming volatility into the emotional intelligence needed to pursue your genuine passions.
I prioritize where you are going over where you have been, operating on the firm belief that you already possess the resources necessary for change. We move quickly from discussing problems to identifying the practical solutions and desired outcomes that define your future, focusing on concrete, manageable steps rather than abstract theory. By identifying your existing strengths and "what works," we build a strategic plan to facilitate immediate, positive change. As your partner in transforming aspirations into reality, I lead a collaborative and empowering process to ensure you leave each session with a clear vision and the practical tools needed to reach your objectives.