I am a post-doctoral resident providing services under the supervision of Adrian Larsen Sanchez, PsyD.  I work with adolescents, adults, and couples who are seeking support to become their best selves, free from the often-debilitating effects of trauma, mood disorders, substance abuse, interpersonal difficulties, grief, and self-defeating behaviors and patterns. 

I understand the therapeutic task as creating the space in which people can listen to and learn about themselves in relationship through a stance of compassionate curiosity. Together, we can think about and question the cultural, social, environmental, and individual forces that shape us, and make room for that which does not yet have language. 

I’ve walked with clients through the varieties and experience of trauma and its aftermath and know that healing and integration are possible. I have faith in the process even as I appreciate its difficulties. Together, we can learn what is true for and about you so that the past can inform, not dictate, the present. 

Education and Training

I hold a BA in English Literature from San Francisco State University and usually have several books in progress at any one time. Poetry and fiction allow me to learn about myself and the world and the choices and dilemmas that confront us. 

I have a Master’s in Infant Mental Health from Mills College. This program rooted my thinking in attachment theory and the developmental tasks of our lives. I have since taught and presented on attachment related topics in a variety of settings.

I have a Master’s and a Doctorate in Clinical Psychology from the University of Indianapolis. In my training, I had the opportunity to practice in rural and urban settings, private practices, community agencies, and hospitals. I have worked with individuals and couples with diverse backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives. Together we have worked on the impact of trauma (individual and systemic), unmet developmental needs, and the challenges of being human in this complicated time. Such issues often present as anxiety, depression, PTSD, substance abuse, emotional dysregulation and relational difficulties.

I completed my clinical internship at California Pacific Medical Center. I worked with individuals and couples with a variety of presenting concerns while specializing in perinatal mental health and families in the NICU.

I am trauma-informed, psychodynamic, and relational, all of which basically means that I believe we need to be accompanied as we recognize, deconstruct, and heal the systems and experiences which have hurt us and the ways we have accommodated ourselves to those hurts.