I was born and raised in Southern California. I attended Vanguard University where I completed both my bachelor's in psychology and my master's in clinical psychology.

I personally suffered from alcoholism, which further inspired me to pursue this work. As a result of my personal experience, I’ve spent a fair amount of my career working in addiction treatment. Another job I've done was to help teenagers and adults with mental health issues at non-profit social service agencies.

My professional experience has provided me with expertise in the areas of addictions, anxiety, depression, trauma, couple conflict, family issues, and codependency.I was trained from a psychodynamic perspective in graduate school, focusing on unconscious conflict, transference, and attachment. My experience has led to developing the use of motivational interviewing to help clients identify their own reasons for wanting to change. I utilize, when appropriate and helpful, behavior-based approaches such as CBT and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, along with Mindfulness interventions.

I seek to provide an intentional and purposeful relationship that may lead to the desired change. I want to help others learn to respond to their personal difficulties instead of reacting to them in unhelpful ways. I believe there’s nothing more moving than being allowed into another’s private world, especially when that world is filled with suffering. If I’m a good fit, I’d love to play a role in helping others forward.