Hey, mama! I’m so glad you’re here. Get to know me a bit to see if we might be a good fit for each other as you embark upon your healing journey!
My specialty has first & foremost evolved through personal experiences & life stages, which have helped me understand trauma & perinatal issues at a deeper level than education & training can bring. I am a wife & mama first, & then a therapist.
I have two beautiful daughters, one of which was a 29+0 weeker, spending 61 days in the NICU at the height of the second wave of the pandemic. I know what it’s like to grieve the loss of your 3rd trimester. No baby shower. No maternity photos. For any crumb of a birth plan to be completely thrown out the window. To heal from an unexpected C-Section. To know a breast pump better than your own baby. To have your heart torn in two by wanting to be by your baby’s side in the hospital & wanting to be with your older child at home - & literally having to choose between the 2. This gives me an even greater tenderness for NICU mamas.
And I’m sure you want to know about my official qualifications besides just my own personal experiences (that’s fair). I am a Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist (LMFT) & have been in practice for seven years. I hold a BA in Psychology from UCLA, & an MA in Clinical Psychology with an emphasis in Marriage & Family Therapy from Azusa Pacific University. I have specialized training in maternal mental health & am a certified perinatal mental health therapist (PMH-C). I am a Somatic Experiencing Practitioner (SEP) & trained in EMDR to help renegotiate & reprocess through experiences of birth trauma, perinatal mood & anxiety disorders, grief & loss, incomplete self-protective responses, early attachment issues, intergenerational trauma, etc.
My travels & international experiences doing clinical work in East Africa have given me a passion for cross-cultural counseling. I have extensive experience (here in Orange County as well as cross-cultural counseling experience in Kenya) working with those who have walked through traumatic life experiences, those living with HIV/AIDS, those struggling with addiction/substance abuse, & college students struggling with identity issues & self-harm behaviors. In addition to being a LMFT, I am a former Certified Addiction Treatment Counselor (CATC).
My husband & I created the group Baby Bumps & Brushes during our own pregnancy, an expressive arts therapeutic group to help process through a variety of perinatal stages. We work together as Couple for Couples Counseling & see couples together as a couple offering weekly therapy & intensive therapy, retreats, groups & workshops. We are Level I & II trained in the Gottman Method for Couples Therapy, & are educators for the Gottman Institute’s programs: Bringing Baby Home & the 7 Principles for Making Marriage Work.
I emphasize a holistic approach focusing on mind, body, spirit, soul & community as interactive forces. If you know anything about psychological orientations, I fall under a humanistic/existential/experiential approach. What this means is I generally perceive you as the expert of your life & I take on the role of a supportive consultant. I am an open, genuine & real person, coming from the belief that humans are fundamentally good. I believe trauma & past experiences discolor & taint our perceptions & ultimately our lives, & I work to dig deep into the root of the problems for long-term benefits rather than just addressing the symptoms for short-term relief. I walk alongside you on your journey towards healing as a fellow human being, & facilitate growth through uncovering your authentic goodness & true self that has been muddled by the “ick” (the actual clinical term).
I know sometimes you desperately want to find healing, but just can’t seem to talk about it. I’ve been there too & I want to encourage you with this - YOU DON’T HAVE TO TALK ABOUT IT. Using Somatic Experiencing I gently guide you through a body led process to access body memory to find long-term healing, rather than just discussing the story behind it. I aim to keep therapy light & my goal is that you feel a little better after each meeting with me.
Other than that - I utilize a variety of expressive arts therapies including visual arts, music, journaling/writing, movement, etc.. I’m a dancer - currently hula - and I love bringing a creative approach to my therapy sessions. I look forward to connecting with you and walking with you on this path of healing.