About Me
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I am a licensed clinical psychologist (CA license #23837) and registered yoga teacher with a private therapy practice in Berkeley. I am committed to providing culturally sensitive mental health services to the community. For over 10 years, I have been providing psychotherapy services to a diverse range of individuals. My clients report that they have benefited from the information and skills they learned in our sessions. My specialty areas include the treatment of trauma / PTSD, grief & loss, anxiety, depression, body image, life transitions, substance abuse and codependency, stress management, relationship concerns, and coping with chronic pain and illnesses. I earned my doctorate in Clinical Psychology with an emphasis on Multicultural Competency at John F. Kennedy University.
Beyond my academic coursework, I completed year long clinical training programs where I provided psychological services for children, adolescents, adults, and older adults at the following agencies: Kaiser Permanente Mental Health & Chemical Dependency Services Nassau University Medical Center San Francisco VA Medical Center |
Along with maintaining a private psychotherapy practice, I work as an integrated behavioral health therapist for Axis Community Health, a nonprofit agency based in Pleasanton which serves marginalized children and adults with medical, mental health, and substance abuse issues. Besides my clinical duties, I have also supervised student interns and pre-licensed staff members. Having provided psychological services in skilled nursing, hospital, residential, and outpatient treatment facilities, I am experienced with long-term and brief interventions for individuals with co-occurring physical health issues. I am a member of the Alameda County Psychological Association. As a volunteer with the American Red Cross, I currently serve on the Disaster Mental Health Team for Alameda County. We provide psychological first aid, triage, critical incident stress management, and other types of emotional support during disaster relief efforts and community events. Additionally, I educate and train other disaster relief volunteers on self-care and managing stress while on deployments.
The decision to bring mindfulness skills into my therapy practice stems from my own personal experience. I have been practicing yoga since 1992. I have directly experienced its beneficial effects on my mood and ability to manage stress. In 1998, I began training in Vipassana meditation and have been on several silent retreats. After much encouragement from my teachers, I became certified as a yoga instructor. Becoming a teacher has helped me deepen my own mindfulness practice. I teach Kripalu yoga because I have found that its focus on developing witness consciousness so closely resembles the mindfulness skills I teach my clients in therapy. Witness consciousness means observing what is happening without reactivity or judgment. By allowing things to unfold as they are, we open the heart to find the authentic self, and regain our ability to live life more fully.
The decision to bring mindfulness skills into my therapy practice stems from my own personal experience. I have been practicing yoga since 1992. I have directly experienced its beneficial effects on my mood and ability to manage stress. In 1998, I began training in Vipassana meditation and have been on several silent retreats. After much encouragement from my teachers, I became certified as a yoga instructor. Becoming a teacher has helped me deepen my own mindfulness practice. I teach Kripalu yoga because I have found that its focus on developing witness consciousness so closely resembles the mindfulness skills I teach my clients in therapy. Witness consciousness means observing what is happening without reactivity or judgment. By allowing things to unfold as they are, we open the heart to find the authentic self, and regain our ability to live life more fully.