MY inspiration
My mother taught me, over the course of her 12-year battle with cancer, that the greatest gift one could give to a person was to be fully present to their joy and suffering. I derive so much passion from this work because it provides an opportunity for me to cultivate this open presence and awareness with others.
With children, this may develop through providing them opportunities to come to know and express themselves through play, art, or dialogue. In work with adults, this frequently develops through facilitating space to speak to things that were previously unspoken, to work through unhelpful patterns, and to heal old wounds. For families, this often comes from speaking their truths and seeking to understand one another.
Regardless of the medium of therapy or the age of my client, a theme inherent in all of the work is a process of building one’s capacity to be with the breadth of emotional experience.
Teaching and Consultation
In addition to my therapeutic work, I am an adjunct professor at the Wright Institute’s Clinical Psychology Doctoral Program, where I teach the Case Conference Series. The Case Conference is a two-year course that supports first and second-year doctoral students in learning and implementing fundamental clinical skills and personal, professional, and cultural identity development.
I also serve as a mental health expert on the Medical Affairs Team for Healthline Media, PsychCentral, and Medical News Today, where I produce original mental-health related videos and written content and review articles for medical accuracy.
TRAINING and Experience
I have a solid foundation of clinical experience from my doctoral training at the Wright Institute and through my work in multiple settings across the Bay Area. For two years, I supported youth and multi-stressed families through therapy and assessment as a clinician at Westcoast Children’s Clinic in Oakland's Fruitvale neighborhood. At Kaiser Permanente Richmond’s Department of Child and Family Psychiatry, I provided individual therapy and group therapy to children across the lifespan being treated for issues related to depression, anxiety, ADHD, Autism Spectrum Disorder, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and many other experiences. At Kaiser, I also provided neuropsychological assessment and personality assessment to children across the lifespan. While at The Berkeley Cognitive Behavioral Therapies (CBT) Clinic, I provided therapy to adults with issues including Bipolar Disorder, personality disorder, marital difficulties, depression, phobias, and anxiety. At Two Chairs, an adult outpatient mental health clinic, I served adults with a wide array of challenges including depression, anxiety work stress, parenting stress, grief, and life purpose.
I am also supported in my work through years of training in science, education, and psychology. My fascination with the brain and behavior was cultivated through my studies of Biology at UC Berkeley. A scientist at heart, I lead with curiosity and am always considering the interplay between nature and nurture, between the brain and the environment. I work to understand the interaction of multiple systems on human experience, including internal systems, family systems, cultural systems, and greater sociopolitical contexts. Through therapy, I help people become curious about their inner experience as opposed to fearing it or avoiding it. This process fosters growth.
