Welcome
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I am a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist located in Santa Ana, California and provide individual counseling to adolescents and adults residing within the Orange County area.
Prior to attending graduate school at Pepperdine University in 2009, I spent 20 years working as a college advisor at FIDM (Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising.) This rich experience allowed me to serve as a coach and mentor to students of all ages. As time passed, I was drawn to work with people in a different capacity. I realized that my true passion was to nurture individuals who were facing difficult life challenges. Our world can be a beautiful place but society is full of mixed messages about “who we should be” or “how we should think” and “how we should act.” We are wired to experience uncomfortable emotions including sadness, anxiety, loneliness and embarrassment. However, these outside societal messages can confuse us, resulting in dysfunctional thought patterns, internalized and externalized anger, and low self esteem. At that point we can lose a healthy connection with our honest and authentic self. To find peace and joy in life, we must heal and strengthen this connection. My clinical goal is to educate clients in how this connection can be lost and how to build the skills necessary to thrive. My speciality is working with individuals who suffer from addiction, trauma, depression, anxiety and grief/loss issues. Through modalities including Mindfulness, Attachment, Gestalt and CBT clients experience me as an empathetic and engaged healer as well a mentor and educator. As a certified yoga instructor, somatic healing is a major aspect of my therapy. Yoga literally means a union between our breath, body and mind Did you know that our body is always speaking to us? While our heart rate, muscle tension etc. serve as signals throughout the day, many of us ignore this vital communication. In therapy, I teach my clients a variety of skills necessary to encourage a healthy body and stronger mind. I am also trained in EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing.) This method has been empirically proven to decrease symptoms associated with many mental health issues including PTSD and addiction cravings. Please check out the tab here to learn more about this technique. |
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My professional counseling experience includes working for three years (2015-2018) with inpatient dual diagnosis substance addiction. These clients are some of the most intelligent and resourceful individuals I have ever met. They fight for their lives every day. What many addicts are missing is self compassion, forgiveness and connection. If you or a family member is struggling with addiction I can help you understand the disease and obtain resources within your community.
I look forward to meeting you. |