Relational & Embodied Psychotherapy
for Individuals, Couples, Families and Groups in California
Address an issue
Make a change
Feel resourced
Reduce conflict
Increase warmth
Feel forgiven
Express pain
Ask for help
Make a request
Assert a clarity
Experience relaxation
Form a boundary
Improve communication
Increase trust
Build intimacy
Find ease
Resolve a problem
Improve mental health
Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist
As a Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist in California (MFC 44203) with over 20 years of experience, I help individuals, couples, and families recognize and transform unconscious patterns of emotion, behavior, and thought that shape relationships. My approach, grounded in embodied awareness, somatic psychology, attachment theory, psychodynamic theory, and family systems, focuses on how behavior emerges from a complex interplay of genetics, relationships, and environment. In my private practice, I specialize in working with healthcare professionals—particularly physicians and nurses—addressing burnout, emotional exhaustion, and workplace dynamics. I also support individuals in finding personal freedom and alignment, and help couples deepen intimacy and autonomy. My relational, engaged style draws on my training in human development, interpersonal dynamics, and embodied spirituality. Clients describe me as pragmatic, empathic, and clear, and I am committed to helping them cultivate more meaningful and intentional experiences.
My specializations include:
Unique Background And Highly Relational Therapeutic Style
1
I’ve worked in management consulting, integrated healthcare delivery and community clinics
2
I talk and interact like a real person, to best perform my therapeutic role
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“Everything everyone does makes sense to them” is a foundational principle in my work
I offer my services to individuals, couples and families of all cultures, political orientations, ethnicities and formations
My personal and therapeutic philosophy strongly affirms a pro-humanist, pro-freedom-of-personal-choice, anti-racist, anti-scapegoating, and pro-diversity framework. I’ve had the privilege to speak with hundreds of BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and other marginalized peoples about their pain and relationships. I have also taken many personal and professional steps to deepen my compassion and understanding of their context, wisdom and stories. At the same time, I recognize and respect the beliefs and perspectives of those from conservative backgrounds, shaped by my own upbringing in central Texas and my Christian-influenced education. My personal and professional experiences allow me to connect easily and well with people from a wide range of viewpoints.
As a psychotherapist, I embrace and affirm the perspectives of neurodivergence, drawing from personal experience and extensive work with neurodivergent clients. I also recognize that growth and change may involve exploring the patterns and identities people create around their neurodivergent tendencies.
Over 20 years in the field: EAP, hospitals & healthcare, community clinics and residential treatment
I have over 20 years of experience providing psychotherapy, with a focus on helping clients become aware of the embodied patterns of emotion, behavior, and thought that often operate unconsciously and influence their relationships. I work with individuals, couples, families, and groups to slow down these automatic patterns, fostering greater self-awareness and personal influence.
My career includes 15 years at Kaiser Permanente’s Employee & Physician Assistance Program, where I provided therapeutic support to thousands of people, including hundreds of doctors, nurses, and healthcare leaders. I also played a leadership role in responding to over 300 critical incidents, including major tragedies like wildfires, floods, and the COVID-19 pandemic.
Earlier in my career, I led a therapeutic team in a group home for abused and traumatized children in Marin County, California, offering play therapy and family therapy to support emotional healing and stability. I also worked in a residential treatment facility for adults with serious mental illnesses, such as schizophrenia, where I gained valuable experience in managing complex psychological conditions.
My ongoing professional development is enriched by a lifetime of experiential practice in various forms of movement and body awareness. My therapeutic approach is grounded in a framework that draws from Gestalt Psychotherapy, Formative Psychology®, family systems theory, play therapy, psychodynamic theory, and attachment theory. My educational background is rooted in a comprehensive understanding of psychological theory and practice, with a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and a Master’s degree from the California Institute of Integral Studies in San Francisco, where I specialized in Body-Mind Psychotherapy, Group Dynamics, Family and Couples Psychotherapy, and Eastern Spirituality.