My Journey To Becoming A Therapist

I am passionate about therapy and in particular, couples therapy. I have seen how it can transform a person’s life, both in my own work with my partner and in my work with others. I feel fortunate to be able to do something in life that I love and find so fulfilling.

My philosophy is based on attachment theory and the theory of differentiation. I believe our first relationships with parents or other caregivers set the stage for how we think and feel about ourselves and interact with others in our life. As we go through the stages of development, we begin to construct a mental picture of what relationships look like and what we can expect from our partners. Fast forward-when we find that special someone with whom we fall in love, things are often very easy, we can look past their faults and might even find them attractive. However, after the state of limerence passes we can find ourselves stuck in relationships with someone we love but does or says things that hurt us and our effort to course correct leads to an argument, or we may not say anything because we are afraid it won’t make a difference, but ultimately we are afraid of jeopardizing the relationship.

Helping people is what I look forward to every day!

Being a Therapist is an honor. I love seeing how happy and fulfilled partners are as their relationships transform and seeing the changes that permeate ALL their relationships, including first and foremost their relationship with themselves. The most rewarding thing about being a Therapist is seeing couples and individuals feel inspired to be their best selves regardless of what life throws at them.

I have a genuine interest in others and bring supportive and encouraging energy to sessions.

I have a natural ability to:

• Collaborate with people to set goals and help reach them.

• Inspire hope for things to get better.

• Accept people for who they are in their current life circumstances.

• Help people express what they are truly wanting for themselves and/or their relationship.

• Many tools to help you reach YOUR stated goals.

People who know me often say that I am a good listener who can help people feel heard and understood which helps them want to be that person in their relationships.

Our sessions are focused on YOU.

Sessions will provide you with the space to explore your thoughts, feelings, and goals. In feeling safe and comfortable, you'll be able to gain clarity and figure things out about yourself, your partner and relationship.

It's important to me to check in on your progress as we go along and focus on setting goals and working on reaching them together. There isn't a "one size fits all" approach to therapy, so your sessions will fit your specific needs and concerns.

As a therapist, I embrace the following philosophies:

• Hurt feelings can heal when they are witnessed and validated.

• Marriages/partnerships become stronger when the parties learn to turn to each other for love and support instead of turning away in anger.

• If we continue working and believing in ourselves and each other, we can be in a completely different space sooner than we think.

• Our brains have an amazing capacity and desire to learn new ways of being, no matter our age or stage of the relationship.

• Conflict is a healthy and natural part of a relationship. When couples learn to navigate conflicts in healthy ways they will grow personally and interpersonally.

My professional background

I received my Bachelor’s from UC Santa Barbara and my Masters from USC School of Social Work, then I went on to work for the Los Angeles County Dept. of Mental Health for six years. Most of those years were spent working with people who suffered from severe mental illness, substance abuse disorders, and were unhoused. During that time, I also spent just under a year working at the LA County Jail. I went on to work for LAUSD for a couple of years where I had the opportunity to do individual and group therapy with students and their families. After taking some time off to start a family, I pursued my dream to start my own private practice.

A handful of the trainings I have attended:

• Couples Institute Advanced Level Training I and II

• Couples Intensives Using the Developmental Model Certificate

• Assessing and Treating Sexual Issues in Psychotherapy-Level I - ATSIP

• Certified Sex and Couples Therapist through AACAST

• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder - Level I -The International OCD Foundation

• Co-occuring Disorders - 2 year course - UCLA Extension

• In addition, I have taken courses offered by The Relational Life Institute and The Gottman Institute.