How It All Started:

 

As a San Diego native, I love our community, and I am interested in helping, as many people as I can reach - to heal, thrive and succeed.  I spent my youth growing up between San Diego and Tijuana, B.C. Mexico and am fluent in English and Spanish. At the age of 12, I decided that I wanted to become a therapist; a lifelong passion that I pursued and absolutely love.

 

As I worked my way through my undergraduate degree, I somehow ended up working at a juvenile correctional facility, and I loved it.  Being able to have contact with these high-risk youth, counseling them and coming to understand that their behavior was a reflection of the trauma they were exposed to, was truly a gift.  Upon graduating with a B.A. in Psychology, I returned to do the work that I loved; with a graduate education in mind and an application at home, I decided to give myself a year to work before applying to grad school.

 

One workday I learned of a crisis that was not in plain sight.  Because I knew all of my kids so well, I realized there was an imminent safety issue.  I was not considered a mental health professional at the time, so my concern and instinct fell on deaf ears.  Trusting my intuition, I took precautions to avert the safety issue, and it became clear to me at that moment, what I was meant to do.  That evening, I completed my graduate school application for the University of San Diego. This situation had a major impact on my life, and it propelled me to where I am now. 

 

My Approach:

 

My philosophy is to maintain an entirely human-focused practice rather than only addressing the symptoms. I truly believe each person inherently owns the resources to achieve their greatest good, and those resources lie inside of every human being just waiting to be discovered and developed.  I am determined to guide you in finding this treasure so that you may experience a joyful and fulfilling life.

 

My treatment objectives are to alleviate the presenting symptoms that limit and keep one from enjoying peace, joy, balance and harmony in one’s life. Once the presenting symptoms have subsided and balance is achieved, the root issue can then be addressed by guiding the client in identifying old patterns, beliefs and emotions that have caused their limitations and have created the undesired symptoms.

 

As self-awareness grows, clients are able to discard thoughts, feelings, and beliefs that are no longer useful and replace them with healthy thoughts, feelings, and beliefs to develop new patterns by which to operate.

 

I support clients in utilizing this expanding awareness and incorporating new insights into their everyday life, which leads to improved interpersonal relationships, and a deeper understanding and connection of body, mind and soul - leading to sound emotional health and overall well-being.

 

The mind, the body and the soul are one. They are eternally connected, and that which affects one impacts the others.

 

My Education And Training:

 

I am a California Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist with over 16 years of experience working with children, adolescents, adults, families and couples.  I have extensive experience working with at-risk youth involved in the juvenile justice system, both while in custody and out, as well as educating and supporting their parents through the difficult times incarceration can bring to a family.

 

I served as an Adjunct Professor and Clinical Supervisor at the University of San Diego, charged with providing Individual and Group supervision to trainees from its Master in Mental Health Clinical Counseling Program at the School of Leadership and Education Sciences.

 

I hold a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from the University of Washington – Seattle and a Master of Arts degree in Marriage and Family Therapy from the University of San Diego.  I also hold a second Master’s Degree in Clinical Hypnotherapy from the Professional College of Psychotherapy and Clinical Hypnosis along with a Certificate of Doctorate Level Training in Clinical Hypnotherapy from the World Association of Eclectic Hypnotherapists.

 

My Certifications:

 

I am a Certified Clinical Hypnotherapist by the National Board of Certified Clinical Hypnotherapists, with 9 years of experience incorporating hypnotherapy in my practice, in order to assist clients to achieve more rapid results. 

 

I am a Certified Rapid Resolution Therapy (RRT) by the Institute for Rapid Resolution Therapy, Inc. with more than 300 hours of training in this modality.  I feel that Clinical Hypnosis gives me the ability to assist clients in achieving results quicker and with deeper healing.  Now, I am very excited to add RRT to my practice, a cutting-edge approach to healing and positive change, that utilizes precise multi-level hypnotic communication. Unlike other approaches to trauma treatment which require the client to experience painful emotions while re-living the traumatic event, Clinical Hypnosis with Rapid Trauma Resolution clear the effects of trauma gently and painlessly.

 

My Commitment To Learning:

 

I continually participate in educational opportunities to enhance my growth and knowledge. Currently, I am an active member of the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists, a member of the American Association of Marriage and Family Therapists, and a member of the National Board of Certified Clinical Hypnotherapists.