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MY TRAINING AND EXPERIENCE
I completed an undergraduate degree in psychology at the University of Waterloo in Canada, and I obtained my doctoral degree in clinical psychology from California Institute of Integral Studies in 2005. I am licensed in the state of California as a clinical psychologist (PSY22569). I began providing psychotherapy as a trainee in 1999, and I feel fortunate to have had a variety of enriching training experiences in hospitals, community mental health agencies, college counseling centers, and low-fee therapy clinics. In the decade preceding my full-time private practice, I both treated clients and supervised staff and interns at an agency providing behavioral health services for San Francisco’s welfare-to-work program. This RAMS, Inc. program supports those struggling with serious mental health disorders, substance misuse concerns, traumatic backgrounds, and other vocational barriers. This setting provided me with valuable experience in addressing career and employment issues, as well as expertise in evaluating for disabilities. Additionally, I developed a passion for advocating for those who often fall through the cracks of traditional services, and became well-versed in harm reduction approaches to substance misuse. |
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I completed a 39-hour Somatic Attachment Therapy training, and am part of an ongoing practice group. I completed advanced training in therapeutic ketamine at KRIYA Institute and co-founded a Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy practice, Healing Realms, in 2017. [NOTE: I have retired from this practice as of 2021.] I continue to offer lectures based on my article about rapid depression remission and The Therapeutic Bends during ketamine treatment.
My supervision experience includes supporting trainees at Haight-Ashbury Psychological Services, a sliding scale psychotherapy clinic (and also the site of my very first practicum in the field), as well as Queer LifeSpace, which serves the LGBTQQI community. I provided a year of consultation and supervision for the case management team at the Navigation Center, the city's newest homeless shelter pilot program. I have also volunteered at the Well Clinic's Refugee Mental Health Consultation Group, where I assessed refugees for trauma, wrote evaluations for asylum applications, and testified as an expert witness in immigration court.
My supervision experience includes supporting trainees at Haight-Ashbury Psychological Services, a sliding scale psychotherapy clinic (and also the site of my very first practicum in the field), as well as Queer LifeSpace, which serves the LGBTQQI community. I provided a year of consultation and supervision for the case management team at the Navigation Center, the city's newest homeless shelter pilot program. I have also volunteered at the Well Clinic's Refugee Mental Health Consultation Group, where I assessed refugees for trauma, wrote evaluations for asylum applications, and testified as an expert witness in immigration court.
A current list of my continuing education and additional trainings and certifications is posted here.
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You may view my resume here:
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MY STYLE
I am approachable and compassionate, and it is important to me to blend authentic warmth with thoughtful professionalism. I adapt my responses and methods to the person and the moment. Most of all, I'm interested in having meaningful conversations with people that convey respect and curiosity. I have found that it is much easier for us to challenge troubling habits or bring difficult feelings into awareness together once we develop a trusting, safe relationship.
Additionally, my work with trauma survivors has helped me to appreciate the importance of healthy boundaries and clear communication in the therapeutic relationship. Learning and practicing these skills in therapy leads to more fulfilling relationships with ourselves and others.
Visit my Psychotherapy page to get a better feel for how I might approach your specific concern.
MY THEORETICAL ORIENTATION
I prefer to work from an integrative perspective, as no one single theory can account for the infinite variety of human presentations. I generally come to understand people psychodynamically and relationally, which means that I think about how our past experiences create templates for us, and how these often play out in our present relationships. I also consider a family systems approach important in exploring your history.
While the past may inform who we are today, I will approach your current concerns collaboratively and pragmatically, with a focus on the present. I use cognitive-behavioral techniques to help you manage your less desired patterns of thinking and feeling. I use harm reduction and motivational interviewing principles to help us move toward your goals for change, and to overcome the common roadblocks that often arise when we look at our most entrenched habits and behaviors.
I have been well-grounded in narrative, existential, Jungian, and transpersonal theories, and enjoy weaving these type of inquiries into our conversation. I incorporate mindfulness practices and other wisdom traditions where appropriate, and have been influenced by Buddhist and contemplative psychology. I have some recent training and interest in both Hakomi and Internal Family Systems methods that are useful in addressing deeper layers of experience, and I have completed extra training in Somatic Attachment Therapy that informs my therapeutic presence. I also attempt to hold my all of my work within a broader social justice perspective.
In the same way that I believe good therapy to be a balance between looking at the past and focusing on the present moment, I also stress the importance of the tension between acceptance and change. Paradoxically, it’s hard to make change in our lives when we do not feel safe to just be ourselves.
I am approachable and compassionate, and it is important to me to blend authentic warmth with thoughtful professionalism. I adapt my responses and methods to the person and the moment. Most of all, I'm interested in having meaningful conversations with people that convey respect and curiosity. I have found that it is much easier for us to challenge troubling habits or bring difficult feelings into awareness together once we develop a trusting, safe relationship.
Additionally, my work with trauma survivors has helped me to appreciate the importance of healthy boundaries and clear communication in the therapeutic relationship. Learning and practicing these skills in therapy leads to more fulfilling relationships with ourselves and others.
Visit my Psychotherapy page to get a better feel for how I might approach your specific concern.
MY THEORETICAL ORIENTATION
I prefer to work from an integrative perspective, as no one single theory can account for the infinite variety of human presentations. I generally come to understand people psychodynamically and relationally, which means that I think about how our past experiences create templates for us, and how these often play out in our present relationships. I also consider a family systems approach important in exploring your history.
While the past may inform who we are today, I will approach your current concerns collaboratively and pragmatically, with a focus on the present. I use cognitive-behavioral techniques to help you manage your less desired patterns of thinking and feeling. I use harm reduction and motivational interviewing principles to help us move toward your goals for change, and to overcome the common roadblocks that often arise when we look at our most entrenched habits and behaviors.
I have been well-grounded in narrative, existential, Jungian, and transpersonal theories, and enjoy weaving these type of inquiries into our conversation. I incorporate mindfulness practices and other wisdom traditions where appropriate, and have been influenced by Buddhist and contemplative psychology. I have some recent training and interest in both Hakomi and Internal Family Systems methods that are useful in addressing deeper layers of experience, and I have completed extra training in Somatic Attachment Therapy that informs my therapeutic presence. I also attempt to hold my all of my work within a broader social justice perspective.
In the same way that I believe good therapy to be a balance between looking at the past and focusing on the present moment, I also stress the importance of the tension between acceptance and change. Paradoxically, it’s hard to make change in our lives when we do not feel safe to just be ourselves.
Next: Contact Me for your free phone consultation.
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Photo credit: Tristan Crane Photography.