Meet Your Therapist: Gentle Somatic and Integrative Care

Virtual therapy for California adults navigating trauma, anxiety, relationships, and life’s big transitions.

Who am I?

I’m a licensed marriage and family therapist (LMFT) who deeply cares about contributing to a better world for you, myself, our communities, and the earth. I specialize in helping individuals heal from an intersectional-, social-justice-, and trauma- informed lens (I’m happy to explain any of these terms if you aren’t familiar!). I am a somatic, integrative therapist, meaning I use different techniques to include all the mind, body, and soul.

My top priority is creating a safe, collaborative space to support you in meeting your therapy goals! I intuitively pull from different therapy modalities (types) to support you on your unique journey, including but not limited to relational, humanistic/transpersonal, Somatic Experiencing (SE), the Trauma Resiliency Model (TRM), Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), mindfulness, motivational interviewing, and experiential. If all these acronyms mean nothing, that’s totally okay! I’m always happy to talk about what the work is we are doing together and answer any questions. 

Education and Experience

I received my B.A. in Sociology from California State University Long Beach, and my M.A. in Counseling Psychology from National University.

My MFT license is through California’s Board of Behavioral Sciences (License #123087).

Outside of my private practice, I have worked in a variety of settings, including residential facilities, partial hospitalization/intensive outpatient care, community mental health, admissions, and mental health start-ups. All my professional and personal experiences have contributed to my work as a clinician, and I share (appropriately) when I think it will be helpful to my client. 

I continue to pursue additional therapeutic training, including Somatic Experiencing (currently in my advanced year), Trauma Resiliency Model/TRM (somatic therapy; both levels completed), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy/CBT through the Academy of Cognitive and Behavioral Therapies (Diplomate/certified), and other trainings for Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) and Motivational Interviewing.

I am affiliated with the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists (CAMFT), the Long Beach chapter of CAMFT, and Association for Pet Loss and Bereavement.

Specialities

  • Getting in touch with how your body responds to the world around you can be an extremely insightful and healing experience. In furthering my work as a trauma-informed and focused therapist, I began my training through Somatic Experiencing International (SE/SEI); I am currently in the Somatic Experiencing Professional Training Program. As of writing this, I am in my Advanced year. I have additional training in the Trauma Resiliency Model (TRM) through the Trauma Resource Institute (both levels). I've always been intrigued by the senses and sensory experience, and have experience in navigating sensory sensitivity. I was initially drawn to sensory training through dialectical behavioral therapy exercises, and really enjoyed helping clients get in touch with their senses. I have supported many clients in better managing their stress/trauma responses using somatic techniques. I feel my most profound personal healing has been through somatic work. I love to support others to heal, connect, and break unhelpful patterns, and feel somatic work has something more to offer than talk therapy alone.

  • I love to support others who are working through changes. Facing new, complex situations where we don't have a clear answer of how to move forward is even harder when we are alone in it. I've had my own share of difficult decisions to make, and have clinical training in motivational interviewing, cognitive behavioral therapy, and somatic therapies to support my clients working through challenging times in their lives.  

  • I am passionate in supporting those deciding if they'd like to be parents or childfree. While baby deciding is not a milestone choice for everyone, it is one that should be treated with extreme care. We live in a world that is not always supportive of our personal dreams and goals, and I love to "sit on the fence" with my clients while they weigh their options. It's an area of life that I love learning more about, and my clinical background and experience gives me a unique perspective and ability to support.  

  • I have supported many women-identified clients in getting in touch with their relationship with gender and how they want to best live their lives. This includes:

    • Relationship issues (impact of gender roles and expectations, division of finances/labor/parenting, inter-relational trauma, communication issues)

    • Discrimination or trauma in relationship to gender identity

    • Impact of differing personal goals and cultural expectations

    • Reproductive health/issues (fertility/infertility, abnormal/irregular menstruation, abortion/termination, pregnancy, miscarriage/pregnancy loss, postpartum, peri-post menopause)

    • Body image (bullying, identity, changes, body acceptance)

    • Sexuality

    • Impact of motherhood/parenthood on identity

    • Navigating the decision to enter parenthood and choosing to be childfree.

    I draw from professional training on gender/women's studies, academic study of gender/intersectional feminism, and personal experience as a woman-identified person. I work from an intersectional- and trauma-informed lens.

  • Modern dating and relationship dynamics can be extremely overwhelming. I draw from my professional training as a marriage and family therapist to support my clients in navigating this part of life. I draw from personal experience to lend perspective where appropriate. I also support individuals in managing relationships with family members, friends, and colleagues/work-related contacts. I can support you in learning to better communicate, getting a professional perspective, and holding boundaries within your relationships.

  • A lifelong animal lover, I have a deep empathy for the love and impact our non-human companions have on us. We live in a world where not everyone understands this connection, and loss of a loved pet or furry (or feathered or scaly) baby can be misunderstood and feel isolating. Having similar values in this area can deepen a relationship and understanding between humans. I have professional training on grief/loss/ambiguous loss as a psychotherapist, as well as extensive personal experience of having deep connections with and losing beloved animals. I am a member of the Association for Pet Loss and Bereavement. Long before entering the mental health realm, I worked as a shelter intern for Farm Sanctuary, and worked/volunteered with animals in smaller capacities. I have worked with animal lovers and animal workers, and it’s an area of work I really love to support.