How I Work

My primary hope is to bring more joy, peace, trust, and meaning into your life and relationships. As a clinician, I am here to support you through the entire gamut of your human experience - both the light and dark. I bring my natural gentleness, warmth, and humor to session.

My goal is to help my clients, whether individuals or couples, shine a light onto unknown parts. I offer education and vocabulary to help you make sense of your experience, empowering you to better understand your inner world. When we have experienced difficult childhoods, relationships, and trauma, our internal experience can seem mysterious, confusing, out of control, or even frightening. We can react impulsively in relationships, and later feel ashamed. Often times this can lead to hyper-vigilance, expecting the worse, or “fawning,” also known as “people pleasing.” When unmanaged for too long, this leads to physical health issues and a loss of self. Therefore, I offer education and tools to regulate your nervous system as a crucial first step. When we are calm and regulated, we can see things more clearly, set boundaries without fear, and heal from mental and physical distress becomes much more accessible.

Our work will support a healthier connection to yourself, your loved ones, your body, and the present moment. In addition, I often employ the use of metaphor, guided visualizations, “parts work,” and somatic interventions to help you understand your thoughts, emotions, and physical sensations. Awareness and regulation are the first steps towards healing.

Clinically, I incorporate psychodynamic, relational, somatic, and transpersonal orientations, as well as parts work and psychedelic assisted psychotherapy. To me, this blend of orientations encourages holistic wellness across all systems.

About Me

As a child, I longed to understand my rich inner world, which drew me towards psychology at a young age. Throughout my own powerful healing experience from chronic illness, my interest in this work strengthened.

I received a my Bachelor’s degree in Sociology from UCLA. Trained with a sociological background, I understand the therapeutic relationship in the context of the oppressive systems we occupy. This lens was emphasized by my years working in community mental health at a residential treatment center, helping facilitate reparative relationships between homeless and runaway youth and their families.

I received my master’s in Integral Counseling Psychology from the California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS) in San Francisco. This informs my clinical approach as holistic - attending to mind, body, and spirit. CIIS, known for the world’s first psychedelic assisted therapy program, is where I began deepening my understanding of psychedelic assisted psychotherapy. I hold a Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy certification from Journey Clinical and use ketamine in my psychotherapy practice. After graduate school, I trained at the Southern California Counseling Center (SCCC), a low-fee community clinic in Los Angeles.

In addition to my work as a therapist, I have assisted with research on neuroplasticity and brain retraining for chronic illness at the Chronic Conditions Research Fund. The connection between neuroplasticity, psychedelics, and the healing of physical and emotional illness is what inspires me as a clinician.

  • I see clients in-person in Pasadena, CA. I also see clients virtually who reside anywhere in California.

  • My individual therapy sessions are $175. Couples sessions are $200. Ketamine session pricing depends on our agreed treatment plan. I also offer a number of sliding scale spots. Preference is given to people who identify as queer or BIPOC, and immigrants and single moms. Please reach out for a free consultation if you want more information regarding pricing for ketamine therapy, or to inquire about sliding scale.

  • Yes! I offer a free 30 minute consultation. If you are looking for a therapist, finding the right fit is the most important first step. If you think we may be a fit, I would love to connect for a free consultation to get to know each other. Click here to schedule a consult.

  • I am an both a APCC (Associate Professional Clinical Counselor) and an AMFT (Associate Marriage and Family Therapist). I also am a certified Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapist through Journey Clinical, a partner of the Integrative Psychiatry Institute (IPI).

  • I use imagery from nature, particularly the ocean, to represent the healing and cleansing process of therapy - akin to swimming in ocean waters. I believe healing involves realignment with our true nature and the natural world. Photos are my own or come from the following sources: Pexel, UnSlpash, Squarespace.

FAQs