Having been on a healing journey myself, I know what it’s like to overcome overwhelm and grow in ways that positively impact relationships. My 20-plus years of education, training and life experience have equipped me to help others in their healing and growth. Read on to learn more about me and my approach.
About My Training
I am dually licensed in California as a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) and as a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor (LPCC). I received my Masters degree in Marriage and Family Therapy from Pacific Oaks College in 2015.
As a trainee and intern, I worked in substance abuse and mental health intensive care units. There I learned a lot about acute and ongoing mental healthcare. My training also included working in community mental health centers and animal-assisted therapy in school and foster care settings.
About My Body Mind Approach
Over the past 11 years, I’ve had extensive training learning about the body mind connection. I also hold three certificates in Transpersonal Energy Healing as well as Level 2 Reiki certification.
Private Practice & Online Therapy
My role in the field of psychology today revolves around my private therapy practice and work in my community. I see patients in my Pasadena office or virtually in online therapy or phone therapy. For telehealth, I use the private, secure platform called SimplePractice.
In my private practice, I work with individuals navigating many challenges. Typically, we address issues related to being a highly sensitive person, a parent, or an individual struggling with depression, anxiety or stress. And, I work with families and couples seeking outside support in facing shared suffering and stress.
Integrative Healing & Community
Beyond my formal counseling, energy work and Reiki practices, I actively serve my many communities in various ways:
Trained to respond to unforeseen circumstances, I am part of the Disaster Mental Health Team for the American Red Cross, the world’s largest volunteer network.
My blog post How to Create a Wellness Room to Relieve Anxiety, Stress and Fear has been published on the private practice therapist website Practice of the Practice.
Specially trained in grief-related group therapy, I am also a certified Bereavement Group Facilitator.
Currently, I lead online support groups for the nonprofit Give an Hour for residents of Ventura and Los Angeles Counties.
I continue to be active in the energy work field. In 2018, I facilitated a body-mind therapy workshop at the annual Healing Beyond Borders conference. The workshop topic was regulating the nervous system when in a reactive state.
More Resources
Here are some of my favorite self-help and wellbeing books, plus more!
Building Resilience to Trauma: The Trauma and Community Resiliency Models by Elaine Miller-Karas
Cancer as a Turning Point: a Handbook for People with Cancer, their Families, and Health Professionals by Lawrence LeShan
Difficult Conversations: How to Discuss What Matters Most by Douglas Stone, Bruce Patton, Sheila Heen
Emotional Currency: A Woman’s Guide to Building a Healthy Relationship With Money by Kate Levinson, PhD
Facing Codependence: What it is, Where it Comes From, How it Sabotages Our Lives by Pia Mellody
Family Healing: Strategies for Hope and Understanding by Salvador Minuchin
Five True Things: A Little Guide to Embracing Life’s Big Challenges by David Richo
Many Lives, Many Masters: The True Story of a Prominent Psychiatrist, His Young Patient, and the Past-Life Therapy That Changed Both Their Lives by Brian Weiss
Seven Thousand Ways to Listen: Staying Close to What is Sacred by Mark Nepo
Staring at the Sun: Overcoming the Terror of Death by Irvin Yalom
The Biology of Desire: Why Addiction is Not a Disease by Marc Lewis
The Wisdom of Menopause: Creating Physical and Emotional Health During the Change by Christiane Northrup, M.D.
Yes, Yes, Hell No!: The Little Book for Making Big Decisions by Brain Whetten, PhD
Books for those of us who are Intuitive, Sensitive, Empathic
Dream Tending: Awakening to the Healing Power of Dreams by Stephen Aizenstat, PhD
Hands of Light: A Guide to Healing Through the Human Energy Field by Barbara Ann Brennan
Light Emerging: The Journey of Personal Healing by Barbara Ann Brennan
Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking by Susan Cain
The Empath Survival Guide: Life Strategies for Sensitive People by Judith Orloff
The 5 Personality Patterns: Your Guide to Understanding Yourself and Others and Developing Emotional Maturity by Steven Kessler
The Undefended Self: Living the Pathwork by Susan Thesenga
Parenting Books
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1, 2, 3… The Toddler Years by Irene Van der Zande
Babyhood by Penelope Leach
Parenting from the Inside Out by Daniel Siegel and Mary Hartzell
The Mask of Motherhood: How Becoming a Mother Changes Our Lives and Why We Never Talk About It by Susan Maushart
The Whole Brain Child by Daniel Siegel and Tina Payne Bryson
Without Spanking or Spoiling: A Practical Approach to Toddler and Preschool Guidance by Elizabeth Crary
Your Child’s Self-Esteem: Step-by-Step Guidelines for Raising Responsible, Productive, Happy Children by Dorothy Corkille Briggs
Relationship Books
Eight Dates: Essential Conversations for a Lifetime of Love by John Gottman, PhD and Julie Schwartz Gottman, PhD
Hold Me Tight: Seven Conversations for a Lifetime of Love by Dr. Sue Johnson
How to be an Adult in Relationships: The Five Keys to Mindful Loving by David Richo