I’m a licensed therapist with a master’s degree in Social Work from San Diego State University. I received my Bachelor of Psychology from UC Berkeley, and prior to attending graduate school, I lived and worked as a chef at two Buddhist Retreat Centers in Vermont and Northern California. What was intended as a volunteer summer position turned into an unanticipated three and half years of learning about Buddhism and offering service to others on retreat. It remains one of the most life-changing experiences I’ve had and sent me on a new trajectory towards a more holistic study of mental health.

As a social worker, I worked in hospice and inpatient hospitals, later transitioning to working primarily as an outpatient therapist. Initially trained in Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, I have since moved towards a more eclectic approach informed by Internal Family Systems Therapy, Coherence Therapy, and the work of personal development experts such as Dr. Joe Dispenza. I am Coherence Therapy trained, intermediate level, and have completed Joe Dispenza’s health care practitioner program.

My interest in psychology and the mind began in high school while taking AP Psychology – it was the only textbook I ever read completely (and eagerly) cover to cover and it prompted me to major in this field during undergrad. The drive to understand both how the mind works as well as how to use it better was partly motivated by my own suffering – like many people, I dealt with anxiety and depression and felt completely burdened by my own mind. I also had the opportunity to intimately witness how poor mental health created a lot of challenges in family members’ lives.