About Me

I have been in private practice  as a licensed psychotherapist since 1998. Prior to that, I worked at Anthropos Counseling Center, a community counseling center in Livermore.

Throughout my life, I have wanted to help teens and adults with their adjustments to life’s changes, to find the new path that opens up when another closes.

In my practice, I help clients learn to deal with grief and loss, anxiety and depression, and to cope with the difficult emotions that go along with trauma. I also assist parents with parenting challenges, and with understanding normal development.

How I Work

I have training in Sensorimotor psychotherapy, useful for healing trauma symptoms; training in psychodynamic therapy, useful for healing childhood and relationship issues; training in hypnosis, useful for relaxation, stress reduction, and symptom relief. I also use imagery to support emotional healing.

The methods I use range from supportive therapy, which helps someone develop awareness of what they are feeling and thinking, allowing them to make choices that are more informed, to deeper methods that explore areas of the self that a person is not currently aware of, but are influencing that person’s experience of life.

I approach our therapy session with sensitivity and respect for your concerns, and a sense of compassion for your pain and confusion. Our work together will focus on what is most important to you.

Education

My undergraduate work was done at Temple University, Philadelphia, and San Francisco State University, San Francisco, with a B.S. in Psychology.

My Master’s Degree in Counseling is from California State University, Hayward.

Professional Organizations

• Gaylesta, The LGBTQ Psychotherapy Association