About Me

I am a licensed clinical psychologist (PSY30859) and have spent most of my career working with children, teenagers, young adults, and families. I have advanced training in Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) and trauma interventions including Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) and Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT). I am passionate about helping people overcome the things that are negatively impacting the life they want, including past trauma and intense emotions. I start therapy by collaborating with my clients to set goals and identify a treatment plan. In my work with children and teenagers it is especially important to me that I collaborate with both the youth and parents to set goals. I incorporate elements of art and play into my work with children in addition to DBT and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT).

 

Fun Facts

I believe the most important part of therapy is being able to connect with your therapist- to trust them with your thoughts, feelings, and secrets. Trust requires knowing someone and feeling connection. Therefore, I think that knowing some things about me will help foster connection, trust, and build a strong therapeutic alliance. With that spirit I share some fun things about me.

I love being outdoors. I feel the most calm and connected to the world when I am in nature. I spend my free time hiking or walking along the beach, usually with with my dog, Nala (photo below). I also love baking! A fun fact about this website is that all of the photos used are mine and from beautiful places I have explored.

Meet Nala

Nala is 6 years old and joins me in therapy sessions two days a week to offer additional support to clients. I adopted her when she was a year old from an animal shelter. She is an Australian cattle dog, but she is a little small for her breed. Nala is very sweet and can’t wait to meet new people! She loves to cuddle, get pets, and go for long walks. Nala also enjoys showing off her tricks including jumping through hoops, rolling over, playing dead, and spinning. Nala is not a service animal as defined by the ADA. She offers additional support in session. Animals can be very soothing and regulating. Nala also helps people learn to read nonverbal cues regarding emotions and boundaries. If you are interested in having Nala join our sessions let me know and we can discuss options.