Education & Background
I'm a licensed psychotherapist in the San Francisco East Bay Area with over 15 years of therapy and social work experience. I've worked with individuals, couples, teens, and families in private practice as well as a variety of clinical and social service settings.
My orientation in therapy is goal-oriented, which means we work together collaboratively to decide what success would look like and what you want to achieve in therapy with me. My own background and early career in social justice and client centered social work practice has never left me, and I learned in graduate school that we are at our best when we utilize and recognize our unique gifts and strengths. Even when you can't see your own strengths, my goal is to appreciate them and find ways to use them to our benefit in our work together.
My training as a therapist includes values-based living approaches, such as Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. That means I help you discover your core essence - your positive values - that help guide your committed action towards hope and healing. See more information below on other methods and tools for which I have advanced clinical training and use in therapy.
Read more about getting started in therapy and answers to questions you might have about working with me here: Getting Started (Frequently Asked Questions).
My orientation in therapy is goal-oriented, which means we work together collaboratively to decide what success would look like and what you want to achieve in therapy with me. My own background and early career in social justice and client centered social work practice has never left me, and I learned in graduate school that we are at our best when we utilize and recognize our unique gifts and strengths. Even when you can't see your own strengths, my goal is to appreciate them and find ways to use them to our benefit in our work together.
My training as a therapist includes values-based living approaches, such as Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. That means I help you discover your core essence - your positive values - that help guide your committed action towards hope and healing. See more information below on other methods and tools for which I have advanced clinical training and use in therapy.
Read more about getting started in therapy and answers to questions you might have about working with me here: Getting Started (Frequently Asked Questions).
Areas of Specialty
I have specialized skills and interest in the following areas:
I attended the University of Michigan, where I began work with LGBTQ teens as a graduate student in the 1990's. There were very few programs and services for the newly growing population of young people who were coming out to peers and adults, and I started the first art-based support and identity development group for LGBTQ teens that was not school-based in the area. I continue to work with gender expansive, transgender, lesbian, gay, bisexual people as well as a variety of non-traditional relationships and families.
In graduate school, I taught a Women's Health course, and I have been developing a specialty in body image and healthy goal setting ever since. I work with both men and women, and I provide loving-kindness and size/body acceptance. I enjoy helping people through the process of setting and reaching health-related goals based on a value and desire for health and wellness.
I have specialized skills and interest in the following areas:
- anxiety, stress, depression, and insomnia
- relationships
- health and body image
- adolescent development
- sexual orientation and gender identity
- life transitions and values-based living, especially for young adults and couples
- financial wellbeing and concerns about money
I attended the University of Michigan, where I began work with LGBTQ teens as a graduate student in the 1990's. There were very few programs and services for the newly growing population of young people who were coming out to peers and adults, and I started the first art-based support and identity development group for LGBTQ teens that was not school-based in the area. I continue to work with gender expansive, transgender, lesbian, gay, bisexual people as well as a variety of non-traditional relationships and families.
In graduate school, I taught a Women's Health course, and I have been developing a specialty in body image and healthy goal setting ever since. I work with both men and women, and I provide loving-kindness and size/body acceptance. I enjoy helping people through the process of setting and reaching health-related goals based on a value and desire for health and wellness.
Professional Memberships
Education & Advanced Clinical Training
I have a strong belief in the benefit of lifelong learning, and I'm always seeking new opportunities to learn and grow as a therapist. I also work as a supervisor, and I've found that I learn a lot from teaching and coaching others. I have participated in advanced clinical training over the years in a variety of evidence based, research informed practice methods, including Cognitive Behavior Therapy and mindfulness based approaches.
My training over the years has been based on behavioral, goal-oriented and client-centered models of therapy. Please see below for a sample of my advanced clinical training:
I have had a personal meditation practice for over 10 years, and my work often includes a mindfulness and awareness practice. I have participated in meditation practice, silent retreats, and workshops locally at SF Zen Center, Zen Monastery Peace Center, and Spirit Rock. Additionally, I have participated in many trainings over the years on mindfulness based therapeutic approaches to treating depression, anxiety, stress, and emotion regulation.
To learn more about these approaches, and for reading suggestions, please see my Reading Suggestions & Resources page.
- Financial Therapy Association
- Association for Size Diversity and Health
- Association for Contextual Behavioral Science (ACBS)
- Open Minds: Psychotherapists Affirming Sexual & Gender Diversity
- Gaylesta LGBT Psychotherapy Association
- International OCD Foundation
- Northern California Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Network (NCCBT)
Education & Advanced Clinical Training
- Master's in Social Work (MSW) University of Michigan, 1999
- Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCS22837), 2005 (you can verify my license with the California Board of Behavioral Sciences)
I have a strong belief in the benefit of lifelong learning, and I'm always seeking new opportunities to learn and grow as a therapist. I also work as a supervisor, and I've found that I learn a lot from teaching and coaching others. I have participated in advanced clinical training over the years in a variety of evidence based, research informed practice methods, including Cognitive Behavior Therapy and mindfulness based approaches.
My training over the years has been based on behavioral, goal-oriented and client-centered models of therapy. Please see below for a sample of my advanced clinical training:
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy from the Beck Institute
- TEAM Therapy Approach of Cognitive Therapy
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
- Gottman Method Couples Therapy, Level II
- Imago Relationship & Couples Therapy
- Non Violent Communication and Mediation - authentic and compassionate connection
- Mindfulness and Meditation Training
I have had a personal meditation practice for over 10 years, and my work often includes a mindfulness and awareness practice. I have participated in meditation practice, silent retreats, and workshops locally at SF Zen Center, Zen Monastery Peace Center, and Spirit Rock. Additionally, I have participated in many trainings over the years on mindfulness based therapeutic approaches to treating depression, anxiety, stress, and emotion regulation.
To learn more about these approaches, and for reading suggestions, please see my Reading Suggestions & Resources page.
East Bay Wellness & Counseling Associates
I do not currently supervise interns in private practice or contract with other associates. If you're interested, I can provide referrals to providers in the community who provide wellness services such as massage, acupuncture, and mindfulness or meditation classes.
If you're interested in free or low cost services, refer to the Reading Suggestions & Resources page.
