About Me
Ever since I was young, I knew I wanted to help make a difference in people’s lives. This interest led me to work with children, in education, homeless youth, job coaching/rehabilitation/development and with dual diagnosed adults. This extensive work experience combined with my own life experience and education has left me with a deep wealth of helpful information and therapeutic skills to assist others. I graduated from California Institute of Integral Studies with a Masters Degree in Integral Counseling which combines both Western and Eastern philosophies. I am deeply curious and interested in the human experience so am always absorbing as much new information as possible to increase my life's passion for understanding the workings of our brain, our psyche and our overall interpretations of life.
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I have over 35 years of experience working with young people and for the last 7 have been exclusively working as
a School Therapist in K-8th grade schools. This work has included meeting with teachers, parents, attending IEPs, observing and assessing students, leading classes on mindfulness, kindness, peer counseling, coping through transitions and more. When working with children I often include art, music, drama and anything else that helps us access deeper places or awakens their personal interests. I offer a relationship-based Play Therapy approach infused with Narrative Therapy and CBT to enhance emotional, behavioral and social health. We are all unique beings and have specific ways we like to connect so a 'one size fits all' approach is seldom successful and connecting with children and teens is one of my strengths.
I believe that sharing one's story with another is the first step towards creating meaningful and lasting change. In therapy, I respect you and your story first and foremost, and endeavor to listen thoughtfully while supporting your experience. I see therapy as an opportunity to work with people to make sense of situations, help articulate feelings, develop skills and coping mechanisms, create healthier relationships, and improve general well-being. I am primarily a relational therapist, meaning that I hold the relationship between you and I as the most important aspect of therapy. In session I offer a warm and inviting space to safely discuss struggles, fears or future hopes. I truly believe there is nothing too severe, too dark, too weird or too hard to talk about and I am deeply committed to creating a non-judgmental space where all topics are open for exploration.
I am committed to the well-being of all my clients, often going above and beyond to address their needs or advocate for them. I truly care and am forever curious about people.