I graduated with my bachelor’s in Psychology from UC Berkeley in 2011 and my master’s in Social Work from San Diego State University in 2017. In between my two degrees, I spent 4 years living and working as a chef at Buddhist retreat centers in Vermont and Northern California. During that time, in addition to practicing the skill of vegetarian cooking, I was exposed to Eastern philosophy and gained experience with meditation and cultivating mindful awareness. I came to believe that there is an indestructible part of us that is fundamentally good, wants to be happy, and feels compassion for self and others. This motivated me to seek a career based in healing and personal growth.

As a social worker and therapist, I have worked in both inpatient and outpatient settings and with individuals, teens, couples, and families. I have been trained in Dialectical-Behavioral Therapy and draw on techniques from Internal Family Systems Therapy and Emotionally Focused Therapy. I view the development of mindful awareness and self-compassion as key components of accessing more balanced emotion regulation and more satisfying relationships, and I integrate Attachment Theory into my conceptual understanding of the origin of present-day symptoms.

My goal is to provide a space for others to clarify their goals and explore inner and outer barriers to achieving them. My approach to therapy is grounded in the understanding that oftentimes our distress cannot simply be “thought through” by use of intellect alone. Our bodies are wise and faithful carriers of our traumas, fears, and hopes, and oftentimes we are reacting to the habitual emotions and beliefs we carry rather than the external situation.

I enjoy working with people who wish to reduce experiences of anxiety, depression, unresolved trauma, self-esteem issues, or would like to have more fulfilling relationships. I welcome working with individuals of all backgrounds, races, ethnicities, faiths, and gender and sexual orientations.