A Little About Me

Funny enough, I’ve always known I was bound to be a therapist. When I was 5, my family saw a therapist for a time and I was intrigued. At 11, I “owned” a therapy business in my classroom’s mock town. Surprisingly, it was a hit. I loved the feeling of being trusted by others with their secrets. I loved the service of helping other kids get through hard situations (as much as I was able to at 11!). I guess sometimes people just need to be heard.

I naturally gravitated toward psychology in college and decided to go into a graduate school program with an emphasis in marriage and family therapy. Growing up, my family life was difficult and I had a passion for this particular sector of the psychology field. I yearned to understand the dynamics that are created in relationships, and how I can help people to create harmony within them.

My graduate program in counseling psychology also focused on mental health, diagnosis, and treatment. This area of study is crucial to practicing as a marriage and family therapist. The human psyche is a passion for me, and it was an incredible experience to become educated on its complexity and depth.

I graduated from Cal Lutheran University with my Masters degree in Psychology, and began practicing in Los Angeles in 2011. I was fortunate enough to start out working with diverse populations racially, culturally, and economically. Most of this work was with individuals, youth, and families experiencing high conflict, legal trouble, emotional problems, all forms of abuse, the foster care system, trauma, and mental illness. My compassion for the human condition and my belief in the power of human resilience were profoundly elevated as a result.

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In being transparent, another reason why I am passionate about mental health is because of my own struggles with depression, trauma, and anxiety. I hesitate to mention this, and I didn’t used to early in my career. Then I realized that I was actually perpetuating the stigma of mental health myself by not being authentic. Through time it has become apparent that my personal experience has only made me a more compassionate, in-tune, and relatable therapist. I am human, and I have to keep my mental health in-check as well! And I do. Every good therapist has a therapist of their own in my opinion.

My Perspective on Therapy

I come from a humanistic theoretical orientation. From this perspective, the client is the expert when it comes to their own being and experiences. In other words, no one knows you better than you do. As the therapist, I see myself as an equal partner with my clients, and collaborate to help the client achieve their highest potential or goal. I view my clients as autonomous, free to make their own choices, and treat them with unconditional positive regard.

I am educated and experienced in many modalities of therapy including CBT, TFCBT, DBT, DIR, and psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy. Using these modalities among others, here are some of my specializations:

  • trauma

  • depression

  • anxiety

  • Sexuality and identity including lgbtq issues

  • Psychedelic assisted psychotherapy and integration

  • High conflict family crisis

  • Divorce and blended families

  • Parenting

  • finding passion in life

Let Me Be Real

I pride myself in being authentic as a therapist. No matter what my education and experience may be, I am first and foremost a human being and am challenged like everyone else in my life. I use my natural instincts in therapy. I go into every session with fresh eyes, without agenda, and always with genuine curiosity about whoever is on my couch and what they are bringing into the room. I am a gentle and caring witness to my clients’ experiences, while knowing when to be gently direct and challenging when I see an opportunity for growth. Every client is completely and beautifully unique in my opinion, and I feel my treatment reflects that.