…to reach out for support and guidance when we feel lost, distressed, confused or uncertain. You have already taken a brave step forward just by considering counseling for yourself or your relationship (either for the first time or again). My goal is to meet you - in whatever state you find yourself - with empathy and acceptance, and provide a safe, caring, consistent therapeutic relationship in which we collaborate on identifying and moving toward the changes and growth opportunities that matter most to you.

I have worked with individuals and couples since 2010, tailoring the counseling experience to each client’s unique circumstances. My approach is practical and flexible, and frequently incorporates humor, profanity as well as mindfulness and self-compassion practices. I draw from a wide range of psychological theories and healing modalities, including: Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Psychobiological Approach to Couples Therapy (PACT), cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), Trauma Resiliency Model (TRM), internal family systems (IFS), mindfulness and mindful self-compassion, somatic experiencing, psychodynamic/depth psychology, attachment, emotionally focused therapy (EFT), relational gestalt, and LGBTQIA+ affirmative therapy.

In our sessions, I will work with you to recognize and capitalize on your strengths while also introducing you to tools that support you in coping better with your vulnerabilities. Our work will focus largely on your present experiences, feelings and relationships along with your vision for the future. We will likely also explore your childhood experiences and past traumas to the extent that this helps increase your capacity for self-compassion and your ability to modify self-defeating behavior and relationship patterns in the present. 

I have special training in pregnancy, prenatal and postpartum mental health issues including: fertility and family planning; depression, anxiety, OCD and psychosis during pregnancy and/or postpartum; miscarriage and infant loss; birth trauma; NICU stays; developmental concerns; and navigating early parenting with a partner or as a single parent. I work with women, men and LGBTQIA+ individuals and couples needing support around any such perinatal issues.

I also have interest and expertise in supporting anyone struggling with *severe depression, *high-achieving women, *LGBTQIA+ individuals and couples and *first- and second-generation Asian American individuals and couples.

All of my work with clients is strongly informed by my personal experience being treated for major depression and anxiety at various points in my life, including during pregnancy and postpartum. I’ve had extensive counseling (both individual and group), taken psychotropic medications, used alternative medicine treatments and experienced psychiatric hospitalization as well as electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). I share these details with you in service of removing the stigma associated with admitting to having mental illness and seeking the necessary treatment.

No emotional challenge is too big to work on, and it would be my privilege to accompany you on your journey toward a healthier, more satisfying life.

education

• Antioch University Los Angeles (MA Clinical Psychology)

• UCLA School of Law (JD)

• UC Berkeley (BA)

• Harvard-Westlake School

Training & experience

• Private Practice Since 2013

• Psychobiological Approach to Couples Therapy (PACT)® - Level 1

• Trauma Resiliency Model (TRM)® - Level 1 and Level II

• Postpartum Support International - Maternal/Perinatal Mental Health Certificate

• UCLA Maternal Mental Health Program

• Providence St. John's Child and Family Development Center

• Southern California Counseling Center

• Antioch University Counseling Center

• Insight LA - Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) Program