Welcome
If you are here, you are likely searching for some combination of assistance, hope, insight, healing and growth. Let's begin!
It can be hard to find a good fit with a therapist. The process of therapy can be incredibly vulnerable and challenging. But we do it because we want to experience the “rewards”. Feeling better in our bodies. Developing stronger boundaries with those around us. Summoning energy to make a change. Feeling settled and healed from wounds of childhood. Integrating fragments of our lives into a coherent story of self. I am here to help you experience these rewards.
I am a seasoned clinician who sees adult individuals and couples in my South Pasadena office. Over my near decade of experience as a therapist, I work with clients presenting a range of issues: anxiety, neurodivergence, divorce, parenting / co-parenting, 12 step recovery (primarily Al-Anon), acute trauma including child-loss, and attachment trauma with adult children of emotionally immature parents. I love being a therapist and the unique relationships developed from the work.
My prior career involved being a social work researcher and community-based evaluator in New York and Los Angeles. I've also served as an adjunct professor at universities in the Los Angeles area including USC, UCLA and Cal State Los Angeles. I am also a parent, stepparent, a partner, an occasional writer and a long-time yoga practitioner.
About
MY APPROACH
My approach is integrated. In our work together, we will take a holistic approach which considers the many aspects of living as a human being: your thoughts, emotions, behaviors and physical self. As an example, if you have experienced a traumatic event – or many traumatic events – these experiences have a physical (somatic) component, as well as an emotional and rational component. We will pay attention to all these components.
My approach is also pragmatic. The concept of pragmatism is identifying what works. We will collaborate together to identify goals and consider practical tools to fit your current life. A pragmatic approach does not mean we ignore your past. What works for one person may not work for another. I am here to help you find a way forward that takes your specific circumstances and context into account.
I also believe in a relational approach, understanding that our identities and sense of self and safety are developed through our relationships with others. This approach believes that we need strong interpersonal relationships with others to develop and grow fully as individuals. A trusting relationship with an actual person is key -- otherwise, one could go to an AI therapist!
Finally, a narrative/postmodern approach recognizes there are many stories to your life. What is the story that you choose? Has someone else been telling your story? How can we put you at the center of your story?
SPECIALIZATIONS
My practice includes working with difficult life transitions, including career changes, divorce and becoming a new parent. Other areas of specialty include working with neurodivergence, anxiety, phobias, and trauma. I also help individuals coping with abuse, assault, addiction or mental illness of a loved one. These individuals are often referred to as “secondary survivors”. Issues facing secondary survivors often include co-dependency and enmeshment. "Walk and talk" therapy in the South Pasadena community is an additional option with our work together.
I have advanced training and experience with the following approaches:
-
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
-
Brainspotting
-
Internal Family Systems (IFS) for Trauma, Anxiety, Depression and Addiction
-
Intimacy From the Inside Out (IFIO) Couples therapy
-
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy / Schema Therapy
-
Polyvagal Informed Theory
-
Mindful Self Compassion
CONTACT ME
PHONE
626-657-8543
ADDRESS
1000 Fremont Street
Unit D
South Pasadena, CA
91030