Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist, MA, LMFT #129635
My style is a bit more laid back, but clients often describe me as warm, relatable, direct, and funny. I wholeheartedly believe the past influences the present. I am passionate about helping families explore the attachments that developed early on in life, so they are able to pinpoint their struggles, and make different choices today.
Supporting mothers throughout the stages of motherhood is something I hold close to my heart. I also work with couples, children, adolescents, and teens. My specialty includes depression, anxiety, self-esteem, postpartum depression, life transitions, mindful parenting, co-parenting, interpersonal relationships, and grief.
It has become my life’s work to help clients become the best versions of themselves, and to remind them, it is never too late to get unstuck….
My Experience
I have had the opportunity to work at both public and private schools, a nonprofit community counseling agency, a maternal health and parenting center, and now in private practice in Hermosa Beach. These experiences have allowed me to work with a wide range of populations and mental health issues.
I began my clinical work at Pepperdine Community Counseling Center by providing therapy to individuals, couples, and families. During my time at Pepperdine, I was awarded the prestigious honor of presenting my work at the California Association of Marriage Family Therapists (CAMFT) conference in Pasadena. I presented my therapeutic sessions on families and the impact of divorce on children. I continued my clinical work by becoming the on-site school therapist at Whitaker Elementary School in Orange County, as well as Holy Trinity School in San Pedro. I provided therapy to children, adolescents, and teens, and worked alongside parents, teachers, and school administration.
After staying home and raising a family for 12 years, I had the opportunity to again, begin my clinical work at the Well Baby Center in Mar Vista by providing psychotherapy to individuals, couples, children, and families. Since becoming a mother, I have found a passion for helping families strengthen their bond with their children. At the center, I facilitated weekly mindful parenting groups for mothers and their babies. These groups provided an approach to promote sensitivity, flexibility, and mindful communication between parents and their children in order to enhance the attachment relationship. I was also lead facilitator for parenting classes teaching couples how to set limits effectively by using empathy, love, and understanding in order to encourage cooperations and strengthen their parent-child relationship. Some of the topics I taught included: discipline strategies and behavior techniques, school and childcare transitions, parental burnout, parenting styles, reflective capacity, and the importance of children’s play.
I also run both a Middle and High School Girls’ Therapy Group each week. Common goals include learning relaxation skills, improving communication with peers and family, dealing with peer pressure, academic stress and support, cultivating decision-making skills, reducing stress, navigating sexuality and dating, addressing body image, increasing coping skills, boosting self-esteem and forming a healthy and unique identity.
I love helping people explore and understand the patterns they develop early on in relationships, so they are able to make different choices today. I am currently taking on new clients in private practice serving couples, adult individuals, children, adolescents, and teens.
Qualifications
Years in Practice: 6 Years
School: Pepperdine University
Year Graduated: 2005
License and State: 129635 California
My Credentials
I am a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT #129635). I received my Masters Degree in Clinical Psychology with an Emphasis in Marriage Family Therapy from Pepperdine University, and my Bachelors of Arts in Psychology from University of Nevada Las Vegas. I am a member of the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists (CAMFT). I am a member of the International Centre for Excellence in Emotionally Focused Therapy (ICEEFT).
