As a licensed marriage and family therapist, I believe we must take into account one’s mental health, physical health, culture, community, family, and recreation, and how this affects quality of life and the ability to live life to its fullest potential. I primarily use a strength-based, solution-focused approach utilizing Cognitive Behavior Therapy techniques to activate change. I have been in the mental health field as a therapist for over 18 years. A focus or passion of mine has been how o...
I have extensive experience working to reduce challenging behaviors related to ADHD, ASD, and other special needs. I believe true healing is an integrative approach that begins at the quantum level and then transcends perceptions, updates belief systems, and aligns more fully with the authentic self. My service in mental health is to challenge an individual to reach their optimal potential but also meet them where they are today. I integrate foundational principles of Behavioral Therapy, Dialect...
Some of the areas I have provided treatment for include substance use/abuse, depression, anxiety, grief/loss, and adjustment disorders due to life transitions. For nearly 20 years, I have worked with adults, families, and couples both individually and in group settings. I am a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) in the state of California and obtained a Doctorate Degree in Clinical Psychology (PsyD) in 2005. I relocated to the Bay Area in 2020 from Los Angeles. I have worked in num...
My focus is to foster healing, spur personal growth, and nurture self-awareness, empowering clients to tap into their innate strengths. With over a decade of clinical experience as a therapist, adjunct professor, and supervisor, I offer a diverse background to my therapy approach. My straightforward yet empathetic and analytical nature allows me to tailor treatment to individuals navigating life's unique challenges. I am a therapist at Octave, a behavioral health practice creating a new stan...
Client-centered, collaborative focus, mind-body connective. My treatment focuses on the connection between your mind and body, emphasizing your culture, identity, relationships, family upbringing, and social development. I incorporate your individualized goals so you will successfully achieve lifestyle changes. I'm a therapist with Octave and Evernorth Behavioral Care Group. Octave is a mental health practice providing high-quality care covered by multiple insurances. Evernorth Behavioral Car...
By gently challenging you to question and shift your mental framework, I want to help you make decisions and take actions that are consistent with your values. I have a compassionate, science-based, and direct approach toward helping people find psychological relief. I am passionate about helping people achieve the most authentic version of themselves. The journey towards change must start with compassion. Only when we feel seen and heard, can we begin the process of transformation. I am a th...
I believe in continual growth and learning within the LGBTQ+ community. I support the healing of those feeling invisible, communities impacted by spiritual abuse, and those with complex traumas. As a therapist, I bring compassion, empathy, and a safe space to explore stress and difficult life events. My approach to therapy is that everyone has a meaningful story that deserves to be heard. I believe everyone deserves a space of non-judgment in their most vulnerable times to make meaning of lif...
I believe that each of us are experts in our lives and my goal in therapy is to support people finding meaning and purpose in their lives by providing safe and non-judgement space. One of my favorite quotes in life is “I am not what happened to me, I am what I choose to become” by Carl G. Jung. I like to work collaboratively with my clients by using strengths-based, attachment focus and the client-centered approach to achieve their individual goals in life. I'm a therapist with Octave and Eve...
My areas of proficiency are in the treatment of trauma, anxiety, and panic. I am EMDR certified, RLT certified (a form of cognitive behavioral therapy), and have extensive success applying the use of cognitive processing therapy, dialectical behavior therapy, acceptance, and commitment therapy, as well as in supporting clients to learn extensive resourcing skills in concert with polyvagal theory for calming a client’s stressed nervous system. I am also an IFS (Internal Family Systems) informed t...
I have over 15 years experience of helping clients develop coping skills, learn problem solving and adaptive skills related to stress management, anxiety, depression, relationships, attachment, life transitions, grief and loss, trauma, domestic violence issues, family, parenting, co-parenting, divorce, separations, self-esteem or self-improvement, and personal growth. I believe in helping people find a mindful balance. My approach to my sessions are to ensure clients feel supported, heard, an...
I listen to what is getting in your way such as distressing symptoms (ex: sleep problems, intrusive thoughts, stress, worry) so that you can fully embrace your whole self. Years of experience have taught me that you already know who you are and what you need. We will work together to bolster and grow that healthy part of you who knows how truly amazing you are. I approach each treatment plan with care. With my special focus in using techniques including Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocess...
I enjoy helping young adults learn more about who they are and what they want out of this life. Setting boundaries, developing more positive self-talk, problem-solving, improving communication skills, and being authentic are all important factors to feeling like your best self. I tend to have more of a conversational, laid-back style and believe a sense of humor and some foul language in sessions can be incredibly therapeutic! I strongly believe that the therapist-client relationship is the numb...
I offer a BIPOC and LGBTQ+ safe place. I am passionate about supporting clients through life difficulties and transitions. I have extensive experience working with individuals and families in public agencies and community-based settings. I approach therapy from a trauma-informed, systems-based, humanistic perspective: focusing on strengths and self-compassion. My therapy style is collaborative and relational. I aim to help clients live the life they truly envision for themselves, integrating ...
A person is complete when the whole self, (emotions, thoughts, and actions) all harmoniously unite. With the guidance of CBT, Narrative, Relational, Couples Counseling, etc. we can make headways into restoring the whole self so that we can be complete and live a life to the full. My goal is to empower you to be the author of your life so that you can have the final say of each chapter. My role will be to be your editor to ensure your desires are accomplished and protected. When we arrive at the ...
Having trained at the University of Notre Dame (Ph.D., M.A.), UC Berkeley (APA-accredited internship) and Stanford (post-doctoral fellowship), I bring rigorous scientific expertise into my clinical work with college students. In fact, I worked at the University Counseling Centers at all three of these schools and have continued to develop a specialized private practice that focuses almost exclusively on college students. I also teach for Pepperdine University in their Graduate School of Educati...
You and your life isn’t one note. You are multifaceted and the demands you face happen to be as well – particularly when you are a student. Currently, the sound-track of your life has moved away from the sounds of a harmonious symphony -or maybe from an upbeat pop song- to something more unnerving and stressful (like the alarm you use to wake up to in the morning or the background music in a horror film—building tension, bracing yourself from some known or unknown threat). It makes sense that li...
My clinical experience specifically includes working with the families of individuals with a severe mental illness diagnosis, bereavement counseling (including situations of violent or traumatic loss), and infertility. I also work with individuals who are anticipating or experiencing stress related to high-conflict divorce. I work with clients who have generally crafted an intentional life, often one marked by good judgment, predictably optimistic outcomes, and plenty of agency. A life that w...
As a first-generation immigrant, I understand the complexities of intersecting cultures firsthand. I specialize in life transitions, women's issues, and trauma. Know you will have a safe space to explore all issues. Helping clients work through traumatic experiences is a passion of mine. I am trained in Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing to help alleviate distress with traumatic memories. I am particularly interested in providing services to marginalized groups, specifically to the Asian ...
I believe that the first step towards change is acceptance; therefore, I strive to create a non-judgmental space, one that views many "symptoms" as coping mechanisms that made sense at some point but have outgrown whatever usefulness they once had. When we can view ourselves with compassion, we can then challenge ourselves to examine thought and behavior patterns that may be keeping us stuck and learn to move beyond them. An important part of this work is getting in touch with our core values an...
I have over 9 years of experience in the mental health field, working with a wide variety of individuals and assisting them in overcoming their struggles. My topics of specialty are depression, anxiety, communication, relationships, and anger. I utilize different modalities depending on the person and situation, including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavioral Informed Therapy (DBT), Solution-Focused Therapy, and Client-Centered Therapy. Making sure that a therapy plan is ind...