About me and what to expect from therapy.

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I am a clinical social worker who is licensed to practice in both Colorado (where I currently reside) and California.

I earned my master's degree in social work from the University of Southern California, with an emphasis on clinical mental health, psychotherapy practice, and strengths-based systems of recovery from mental illness. I was distinguished with the Order of Arete and the "Welcome to the Profession Award" from the USC School of Social Work for my potential to make significant contributions to the field of social work and mental health.  

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I grew up in the Bay Area and worked with NAMI in 2006. Subsequently, I spent two years with a school-based mental health nonprofit that provides assistance to children and young adults. In 2010 I relocated to Los Angeles to pursue my graduate education. I have since worked in a diverse array of clinical environments for almost 15 years. I have been treating patients in private practice since 2015. ​

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I have experience working with a wide range of individuals, including those of all sexual and gender orientations, and have worked with individuals between the ages of 18 and 55. Everyone is welcome in my office.

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My training as a Therapist is in a modality called Intensive Short-Term Dynamic Psychotherapy (ISTDP). 

I completed four years of ISTDP Core training in Los Angeles, which was followed by several years of advanced group training. I have trained with numerous ISTDP supervisors who are well-established and have completed training that was certified by the International Experiential Dynamic Therapy Association (IEDTA). As part of my ongoing professional and personal development, I participate in weekly supervision to refine my clinical skills. 

 

I love teaching and supervising and have successfully completed 3 years of ISTDP Teacher Training ("Training of Trainers") with Jon Frederickson, MSW (2020-2023). ​

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ISTDP is a trauma-informed, attachment-oriented, experiential, emotion-focused therapy with psychoanalytic roots. Research has shown (see Allan Abbass) ISTDP to effectively treat many common mental health and behavioral difficulties.  ISTDP helps people resolve long-standing difficulties with anxiety, depression, intimacy and closeness, un-resolved grief, sexual conflicts, entrenched forms of self-criticism/sabotage, obsessive thinking, and more. Together, we can help restore or build inner and outer capacities and connections, from wanting to having.  

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Therapy is collaborative and there is no silver bullet.  I will work with you to understand your difficulties and give my full effort to help you resolve them.  It will require your best effort as well; only through working collaboratively together as a team can we heal trauma. 

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Mandated Reporter: I am a mandated reporter, which means only in the following cases I am obligated to break confidentiality and report: suspected/reported child abuse/neglect (CPS), elder abuse/neglect (ADP), concrete report of plan + intent to kill oneself, or concrete plan + intent to kill another (Law Enforcement).