Services
About My Clients
I have noticed that often times creative, sensitive, intelligent people will have very unique problems in this world. They will carry around more anxiety from overthinking. They can become easily distracted and bored when they are not stimulated. And sometimes, intense emotional reactions can cycle into feelings of depression that can be difficult to navigate. I use creative interventions and positive coping strategies to help individuals find ways to be the best version of themselves.
My Background and Approach
I am a licensed marriage family therapist and board certified art therapist with over 22 years worth of experience. I use a cognitive behavioral model of therapy called DBT - dialectical behavior therapy. It consists of four modules - mindfulness, emotion regulation, distress tolerance, and interpersonal effectiveness. I believe that learning more about how our brains operate and noticing the early stages of distress can help us to use positive coping strategies to deal with overwhelming emotions. I also use art therapy with those clients who are open to exploring their challenges through self expression. I also have training in EMDR therapy. I am also drawn to narrative approaches in therapy. This is the belief that often we carry around a very negative problem saturated story about our lives. My job as a therapist is often to help my clients find hope through understanding their resources and strengths.
My Personal Beliefs and Interests
As a therapist, my job is to listen, ask good questions, make connections, and give feedback - but it only works when my client feels safe and understands that I am not going to judge them. I also feel that it is important as a therapist to understand how issues of oppression can play a role in those issues a client presents in therapy. I taught for over a decade in a Masters level program around helping therapists understand their biases so that they might be more effective and competent therapists. I am a fierce advocate for the LGBTQ community and have worked with many LGBTQ people in both couples and individual therapy. I am Latinx of indigenous descent who is also understanding of acculturative stress and how racism can impact our day to day lives. After 24 years as a therapist, I have sat with hundreds of people who have shared parts of their lives with me. It would be impossible for those stories to not make me a stronger more knowledgeable therapist.