Therapists in Mission Hills, San Diego, CA

My goal as a therapist is to help individuals and couples realize their full potential in a safe, caring, nurturing and challenging environment.

Are you feeling stuck, experiencing burnout, overwhelmed or struggling to deal with the day to day stressors of life? Perhaps you are feeling challenged by anxiety, depression or a relationship? Are you struggling to make the changes you have been hoping to achieve in your life? Are you a member of a BIPOC community or other resilient community who is feeling isolated, overwhelmed and desiring a safe space to heal?

Please check out my website by clicking the link to the left. I have expertise helping clients with depression, anxiety, self esteem issues, relationship difficulties, trauma/PTSD, sexual compulsivity and sexual difficulties, addictive behaviors/substance abuse, and providing LGBTQ affirmative therapy. I have worked within the Naval Hospital Medical System and have experience treating Veterans and Active Duty Service Members.

Grief is a journey that can be unfamiliar, uncertain, and unpredictable. However, it is a path that you don't have to travel alone, and it can be helpful to have a guide.

Our relationships can provide us feelings of connection and safety, and give our lives meaning and purpose. They can also bring us pain and disappointment. Is your relationship in trouble? I specialize with issues that can result within relationships, from premarital to divorce, as well as blended family concerns. Whether communication issues, unresolvable conflict, infidelity/affair, addiction, abuse or mental health issues have affected your connection and attunement, I can give you the tools to turn things around in the present and the techniques to provide consistent connection in the future.

If you desire change and healing in areas of your life, I would love to walk alongside you in the counseling room to unpack your story and help you explore what that healing could look like. My aim is to provide a safe, compassionate, and authentic space for you to feel seen and known as you process your present and past. If you're hoping to address traumatic memories and PTSD symptoms, I also provide EMDR therapy as a specialized option for working through trauma and distressing experiences.

I am a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in California and Colorado. I specialize in working with individuals with anxiety and Body-Focused-Repetitive Behaviors (BFRBs), such as hair-pulling and skin-picking. I help individuals and families through a variety of life transitions, depression, work/school stress, and relationships. I have experience providing psychotherapy to children, utilizing play therapy approaches as well as parent skills training.

I believe in helping people change from the inside out - not just addressing their day-to-day struggles but the feelings, beliefs and expectations that underlie them to bring about lasting change. By exploring these core issues and learning new tools to deal with them, you can break free from the obstacles that interfere with satisfaction and fulfillment in your life and relationships.

I help individuals work on life issues tied to anxiety and depression, relationship difficulties, stress symptoms tied to childhood trauma, and families struggling with behavioral challenges. I teach communication skills that help with difficult relationships. These skills include helping my clients improve their power, voice, and contact with significant others. I lead groups that provide a safe environment to help heal emotional pain and teach new ways of relating to others. I employ many approaches in psychotherapy, including psychodynamic, gestalt, somatic experiencing, EMDR, Pesso-Boyden and cognitive behavioral. I offer testing and assessment for ADHD, PTSD and relational attachment issues.

I am a licensed clinical psychologist specializing in the treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and related disorders, as well as helping partners reconnect through couple therapy. I specialize in making effective, evidence-based therapies for PTSD and related disorders and relationship distress available to the community. These short-term therapies exist but are rarely available outside of large institutions. I am trained, certified, and have expertise in numerous therapies to help you live a full life.

Are you experiencing low self-esteem, anxiety, feeling stuck in a dark place of depression or addiction? Maybe you are experiencing challenges with feeling too needy in relationships or having difficulty connecting emotionally. Perhaps, you are wanting to be more assertive, have less stress in social situations, and have more confidence at work. Past experiences can strongly influence the way you feel about yourself and the world. Past events can be anything from experiencing emotional/physical/sexual abuse, bullying, emotional neglect, experiencing racial trauma, or not feeling accepted for being LGBTQ+.

Change begins with one. Often we want that change to come from our partner, a friend, or maybe a family member. Life is a complicated web of relationships, all of which have an influence on how we react. You are here because something in your life isn't working. I am here to assist you in thinking about your situation in a different way. I work with individuals and couples who are struggling in their relationships with each other as well as in their personal relationship with self. I serve as a calm and empathic space for the process.

In hopes of meeting your needs, and providing you and your family an unhurried therapeutic experience, I maintain an intentionally small private practice in a comfortable San Diego neighborhood.