Hello and welcome!
I am a licensed therapist who has a passion for helping people who feel anxious and insecure to feel more calm and confident. I love helping people live in alignment with their true and authentic self, which tends to open the door to living with more happiness, love, meaning and satisfying relationships. In my work as a therapist I draw upon my many years of studies in psychology, meditation practice and spiritual inquiry to find a path towards healing that is tailored to where you are and where you want to be. Together, we will look at what has been blocking you from experiencing more healing, hope and fulfillment.
I am particularly passionate about helping people learn how to have greater self-acceptance, loosening the insidious grip of self-hate and self-judgment. I aim to help clients become more aware of the thoughts and lifelong beliefs that keep them stuck so they can eventually move into their fullest potential. By assisting clients to tap into their own deeper wisdom, my goal is to help guide them forward with greater clarity and a renewed sense of trust in themselves.
I know from my own journey and from helping many other people along the way, that the road can be very dark at times and sometimes we need a compassionate, caring person to help hold the light. Having had a personal history of many significant losses and extensive training in working with grief, I offer an exceptionally empathic and knowledgeable approach to working with the many aspects of grief and loss. It is a great honor to help people heal and I care deeply about helping clients experience greater contentment, joy, meaning and freedom from suffering in their lives.
Along with my extensive experience in psychoanalysis and my previous work as a behavior therapist, my current approach to therapy utilizes techniques from Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and existential and humanistic theories.
I am California born and raised, and while I sometimes dream of living in Hawaii, my heart has always felt at home in this beautiful state. I absolutely love to travel when possible and before having kids, my husband and I enjoyed taking trips to Costa Rica, Turkey, Mexico, Hawaii, Italy, France and England. There’s so much beauty in the world and I am always looking forward to the next adventure. When I am not in the office, I enjoy spending time with my family, exploring in nature, reading psychology and spirituality books, hiking and yoga.
I have worked for 15 years in the field of mental health in a variety of settings and I am a member of the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists.
I obtained my Bachelors Degree in Psychology from San Francisco State University in 2005 and my Masters Degree in Counseling Psychology from The Institute of Transpersonal Psychology (now called Sofia University) in 2010. I held internships at Fremont Youth and Family Services, working with children and families and at Pathways working with individuals and groups of all ages who had experienced the death of a loved one.
Click here to read a little more about me and what fuels my passion to be a therapist.