I know from personal experience how hard it is to get to therapy when your life is jam-packed with work, school, and family. I’m experienced and certified in telemental health. Not only do I have office hours on Saturday afternoons, I can see you as late as 10:00 pm weeknights using online video therapy. So if you’re scared and overwhelmed by what’s happening in the world these days. If you’re bursting into tears for no reason. If you’re angry everyday and don't know why. If you want to go out with loved ones without feeling nervous. If you’re worried all the time. Feeling lost in the world. If you’re stressed-out, working harder but accomplishing less. If your emotions have hijacked your life. Or, if you want your life to have purpose, contact me for a free phone consult to make sure I’m a good fit for your needs before you spend your money for a session.
Wanting to be of service to others, I started volunteering at a crisis line and learned about the traumatized and overwhelming lives of the callers. I wanted to get the best education and quality supervised experience possible to be able to help people just like the callers get the care they deserve. I obtained my Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in Psychology from California State University, Los Angeles. I then attended Pepperdine University and earned first my Master of Arts (M.A.) in Clinical Psychology and then my Doctor of Psychology (Psy.D.).
During my 6 years of graduate school education, I received supervised psychotherapy and assessment training working with people of color and members of the LGBTQ community in several diverse settings:
- A Rape Counseling Center working with sexual assault survivors who were struggling to come to terms with the violence they suffered.
- A Community Mental Health Clinic providing therapy to clients struggling with depression, anxiety, self-doubt, and conflicted relationships.
- Juvenile Hall working with adolescents helping them to cope with the circumstances of their incarceration and to learn practical strategies to better navigate their often troubled, chaotic lives at home.
- A Residential Substance Abuse Treatment Center providing helping clients understand how their past lead to their addiction, and teaching relapse prevention.
- A VA Medical Center Psychiatric Unit working with newly hospitalized Veterans who were a danger to themselves or others by helping them contain their emotions, understand their feelings, and learn new coping skills.
I received further clinical training in a year-long, full-time internship program at Patton State Hospital, a forensic hospital for persons who had a severe mental disorder that caused them to be in conflict with the legal system.
CLINICAL EXPERIENCE:
Upon graduation I became the Associate Director of Research and Education at the National Center for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in Vermont and provided therapy to Veterans struggling with the aftermath of war, sexual assault, PTSD, depression, anxiety, troubled relationships, sleep problems, and and the effects of Gulf War Illness.
After returning home to California, I became a staff psychologist at the Veteran’s Administration’s (VA) Los Angeles Outpatient Clinic. For more than 20 years, I have been working with Veterans suffering from PTSD, mood disorders, anxiety disorders, severe mental illness, homelessness, and military sexual trauma (MST).
Although I am now in private practice, I also continue to work at the VA with Veterans. I also train and supervise VA internship trainees.
Degrees/Certifications
- Pepperdine University - PsyD - Doctor of Psychology
- Zur Institute - Telemental Health Certification
