About Me
Psychology has been a long time interest of mine. I was one of those folks who knew what I wanted my college major to be once I took my first psychology class as a high school junior. What drew me then, and still draws me today, is the fact that psychotherapy is such a dynamic and creative process that helps people both understand and actually change how they think, feel, and behave. Thich Naht Hanh says "The true miracle is not walking on water or walking on air, but simply walking on this earth".....psychology and the psychotherapy process help people to be able to "walk on this earth" with less emotional pain and suffering while making real and concrete changes towards a more meaningful and balanced life.
My Background and Training
I have a BA in Psychology from Mills College in Oakland, CA and received my MA in Transpersonal Counseling Psychology from John F. Kennedy University also in the Bay Area, CA. My training in graduate school was holistic/integrative in its approach, studying the mind-body connection and drawing from both Humanistic and Psychodynamic therapy models. Post graduate school I trained for 3 years in Family Systems with the Satir Institute of the Southeast. In addition I trained for 4 years in Clinical Hypnosis with Dr. Michael Yapko, Phd.
The last 15 years my focus has been on Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) and other mindfulness-based psychotherapy models. I completed a 10-Day DBT Intensive in 2011. For the last several years I have been studying Compassion-Focused Therapy (CFT) and Functional Analytic Psychology, and am excited about the additional dimensions these two therapies add to my work. Currently I am a member of Dr. Kelly Koerner's Evidence-Based Practice Learning Community and continue training within the DBT and additional evidence-based behavioral models. Along with seeing clients in my private practice, I facilitate DBT skills groups (soon to be adding a Compassion-Focused skills group) and and participate in a weekly DBT Consultation Team and monthly CFT Consultation group.
In addition to my private practice, I was a co-founder and the first Executive Director of Cornucopia House Cancer Support Center (1995-2002) providing psycho-social support services to people with cancer, their family members, and caregivers.
My Background and Training
I have a BA in Psychology from Mills College in Oakland, CA and received my MA in Transpersonal Counseling Psychology from John F. Kennedy University also in the Bay Area, CA. My training in graduate school was holistic/integrative in its approach, studying the mind-body connection and drawing from both Humanistic and Psychodynamic therapy models. Post graduate school I trained for 3 years in Family Systems with the Satir Institute of the Southeast. In addition I trained for 4 years in Clinical Hypnosis with Dr. Michael Yapko, Phd.
The last 15 years my focus has been on Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) and other mindfulness-based psychotherapy models. I completed a 10-Day DBT Intensive in 2011. For the last several years I have been studying Compassion-Focused Therapy (CFT) and Functional Analytic Psychology, and am excited about the additional dimensions these two therapies add to my work. Currently I am a member of Dr. Kelly Koerner's Evidence-Based Practice Learning Community and continue training within the DBT and additional evidence-based behavioral models. Along with seeing clients in my private practice, I facilitate DBT skills groups (soon to be adding a Compassion-Focused skills group) and and participate in a weekly DBT Consultation Team and monthly CFT Consultation group.
In addition to my private practice, I was a co-founder and the first Executive Director of Cornucopia House Cancer Support Center (1995-2002) providing psycho-social support services to people with cancer, their family members, and caregivers.
What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us...
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Ralph Waldo Emerson