Education and Experience
I am a licensed clinical psychologist (PSY29665) offering psychotherapy for adult and adolescent individuals, couples, and families in the Rockridge neighborhood of Oakland, CA. I am bilingual and have done much of my work with clients in Spanish.
Most of my clinical work thus far has been with children, adolescents and families. I have always been fascinated with young people’s minds and curious about their inner lives. Children and adolescents have an amazing ability to speak the truth and express their feelings and thoughts without a filter. This can be very helpful for the therapeutic process and while a filter becomes necessary to function within society as adults, I appreciate the authenticity and rawness that young people have. Through my work with youth, I have also come to see and appreciate the “child” that lives within all adults. I find it is helpful to be compassionate and welcoming of the younger parts we all carry within us in order to better understand the ways we behave, think and feel when we are grown.
I have worked in various settings with youth and families including a middle school in East Oakland, at Alameda Family Services, with adolescent girls in a juvenile hall and I received specialized training in perinatal, early childhood and infant mental health at the UCSF Infant-Parent Program at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital. Through my training and work at the Infant-Parent Program, I became well versed in working with very young children (0-3) and their parents in dyadic therapy. By using a psychodynamic, developmental, and attachment based approach, I supported families to process prior trauma, become aware of parenting patterns they were repeating from their childhood. and assisted families to interrupt the intergenerational transmission of trauma and abuse.
Additionally, I had the opportunity to work in the high-risk obstetric psychiatric clinic in the Zuckerberg Hospital where I provided psychotherapy to pregnant women who had high-risk pregnancies either because of medical complications or because of mental health struggles. I was humbled and amazed by the resiliency and fortitude my clients demonstrated during one of the more challenging and transformative processes in life – pregnancy and the transition to parenthood. I supported my clients throughout pregnancy, labor and delivery, and postpartum.
In addition to my training and experience in working with youth and families, I also have a passion for working with the lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer and transgender/non-binary (LGBTQ) populations. I wrote my dissertation on partnerships involving non-binary gender identity and am both professionally and personally knowledgeable about and connected to the LGBTQ community. I am committed to working with and providing care for queer and trans youth and parents, and folks who are creating non-traditional families.
Underlying my work as a psychotherapist is a deep commitment to interrupting the intergenerational transmission of trauma and oppression. I work with my clients collaboratively and approach my work with curiosity and compassion. I strongly believe in the healing power of the therapeutic relationship and feel honored to be part of my clients' journeys toward healing and vitality.