About

Starting therapy is like going on a crazy adventure.

It gives you the opportunity to learn SO MUCH about yourself.

Therapy is more about discovering possibilities than figuring out how to fix problems.

We often forget that we have solutions inside of ourselves. They’re just hidden underneath the fears and anxieties that we carry through our days.

Tapping into your strengths is so massively important.

And, it will organically help you start to address the challenges you’re facing.

So, whether you’re dealing with an extreme amount of self-doubt, an unhappy relationship, a nasty break-up that’s holding you back, or nagging thoughts playing over and over in your head, therapy will help because it gives you the chance to really find yourself.

Getting started involves…

…speaking with me over the phone to see if you feel like we’re a good fit to work together, and then you come into my office for an initial session.

I enjoy being able to bring people into a safe and calming space that often feels like taking a bit of a vacation from the outside world.

There are soothing colors and a long comfortable couch that lets you get comfortable, whether that be sitting or lying down.

And, most importantly, it’s a peaceful place designed to support and nurture you through your adventure.

Therapy helps because it guides you through the process of tuning into who you are, how you feel, and what you want.

It’s so easy to lose sight of hopes and dreams when we’re preoccupied with the fear and worry that tend to be triggered by day-to-day life, and that’s not even to mention how we’re being impacted by the past.

Maybe you’ve been though a traumatic event or experienced multiple traumas. If so, there’s no reason you should have to be alone with that.

Honestly, there’s no reason you should have to be alone with anything.

Therapy turns an isolated struggle into a collaborative exploration.

And that’s one of the biggest reasons I love what I do.

This can be particularly helpful if you’re struggling with things like depression or substance abuse issues.

And, your life can get momentum back as you discover what really matters to you and why it’s so important.

Here’s an example of what the process can look like…

Let’s call her Karen.

Karen comes to therapy hoping to get help figuring out why she feels so hopeless and confused all the time. We start working together, and Karen realizes that many of her decisions are made from a place of fear and are impacted by a lack of self-worth.

So, we start digging into that and Karen develops more of a language to talk about these things. She also gets more comfortable with the process of addressing her thoughts and emotions.

Because therapy is something you do with another person, it’s easier to face things you’ve been uncomfortable with, running away from, or pushing down.

So, Karen and I build that comfort together and start to get more and more specific about what’s bothering her. Karen realizes that she doesn’t really know how to listen to herself and identify her authentic voice.

As that starts happening, we work on developing language for everything going on inside her head, so she can start to speak her truth to others.

Out of our discussions, Karen spontaneously chooses to express to her father why certain things that happened in the past were so hurtful. She can hold onto her truth, which allows her to set healthier boundaries and start to develop better communication with her dad.

When her dad starts making excuses and telling her to get over the past, she can tell him that her feelings are valid, and it doesn’t matter if they make sense or not. She invites her dad to hear and respect them because they are hers.

This enhanced ability to express herself starts to trickle out into other areas of her life.

Karen asks her boss for a raise and challenges her fears by sharing what she’s capable of and what she wants to get out of the work she does. She is careful not to come from a place of self-doubt and inadequacy, as we’ve practiced during sessions, and the result is a promotion.

She talks to her husband about what she needs to be different in their marriage. Again, to her surprise (because she’s had negative responses to trying to express herself in the past), her husband listens to her and they start making changes. She’s no longer afraid to say, “I need your time and I need you to really hear what I’m saying.”

When she has trouble or gets stuck, she brings it back into the therapy room so we can explore the underlying emotions getting in her way. She is then able to reengage in healthy communication and keep reaching her goals.

So, after only a few months in therapy, she went from feeling depressed, hopeless and unmotivated, to feeling more confident, hopeful, and capable of creating positive changes in her life.

We’re going to be spending significant and meaningful time together…

…so, you probably want to know who the heck I am!

I look young (curtesy of genetics and being really short), so sometimes people see me and wonder “What can this young woman do to help me? Can she really understand the things I’ve been through?”

I’m actually approaching 40, and even though I still think of that as young, I’ve packed a lot of turmoil into those years.

I won’t tell you my whole life story because this process is about you and not me. What I will say is that I’ve seen the dark, I’ve felt completely overwhelmed, I’ve had times of feeling no hope, I’ve felt like nothing could change, and I’ve felt misunderstood and completely alone.

That’s the Reader’s Digest version, but I share the gist of it with you to express that my love for helping people came from my own places of pain, followed by triumph over that pain.

I think I’m here to learn to face fear, walk through it, and embrace the possibilities on the other side. And, what I’ve learned along the way is that an ability to be present with others who are struggling is my life’s work.

But, don’t worry, I don’t only focus on the pain and the serious stuff.

Can’t do that 24/7 and not go nuts!

Having a sense of humor has saved me from giving up on numerous occasions, and I use an ability to be playful to find joy (both inside and outside of the therapy room).

I love terrible reality television and The Daily Show helps me to digest our current political climate without completely losing my mind. I love loud music, silent retreats, thoughtful documentaries, and politically incorrect standup comedy specials.

And, despite the fact that it might make me sound like a complete dork, nothing makes me feel more joy than when one of my cats wakes up from a nap, forgets where she is, starts to roll into a deep stretch, unexpectedly falls off the couch, pops her little head back up with a look that says “I have no idea what just happened,” and then comes to snuggle in my lap.

I mean, c’mon? How does that not make life better?!

Ok, here’s the boring stuff.

You had to know it was coming, right? 😉

I started volunteering in organizations like the Children’s Crisis Center in high school. I came to LA to study theater only to realize that what I actually had was an intense curiosity about human nature that was masquerading as an actor’s study of character development.

Sometimes you start out going one way, and then realize it’s taking you in a completely different direction!

I have a Master’s degree in Clinical Psychology from Antioch University Los Angeles. I began working as a therapist in 2006 while I was still in school. I’ve since worked in non-profit agencies, school-based treatment programs, private substance abuse treatment facilities, and the private practice I’ve been running since becoming a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (#53171) in 2013.

I now devote all my time to work in private practice because it gives me the greatest flexibility to follow the lead of each person I work with. No cookie-cutters here!

Some of the things I’m trained in include suicide prevention/intervention skills, trauma focused cognitive behavioral therapy, mindfulness practices, somatic therapy, existential therapy (an exploration of personal meaning and purpose), CBT, substance abuse and recovery treatment, utilizing therapy to address issues related to domestic violence, and couples therapy.

I specialize in treating depression/suicidality, substance abuse and recovery, creative empaths and HSPs, relationship problems, and women’s issues.

I equally enjoy working with individuals (probably the most time-efficient way to do a deep dive), couples (love, love, love!) and families (i.e.: it’s pretty freaking fantastic to help a parent and child really see and hear each other).

Here’s the more exciting stuff!

You can feel better.
You can find more joy in life.
You can reconnect to your hopes and dreams.
You can have better relationships.

And you can start today by giving me a call. Change can happen faster than you might think.

Movement, empowerment, and growth are inevitable.

If you’re ready, let’s go!!