Licensed Clinical Social Worker #18256

I completed my undergraduate degree in Sociology and Social Welfare from California State University Northridge.  I went on to obtain my Master’s Degree in Clinical Social Work from the University of Southern California.  Upon accreditation as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker from the Board of Behavioral Sciences, I then obtained a certification in non-profit management.

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My early clinical experiences included working with adults with severe mental illness as part of a multi-disciplinary team in a community mental health setting. Next, I moved onto working with children, teens, and families dealing with trauma and abuse providing individual, family, and group therapy.  During and after graduate school, I focused on working in family service and medical settings providing individual and family therapy along the continuum of care to children, teens, adults with mental health concerns, medical conditions, grief and loss, and end of life issues. 

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I have worked with older adults and their caregivers, targeting caregiving issues, aging in place, dementia, depression, and anxiety. This included both working as a clinician and as the Director of Professional Training and Development with the Alzheimer’s Association of Los Angeles teaching locally, state-wide, and nationally to professionals providing direct care in acute and long-term care settings.  I was a Vice President at Villa Esperanza Services providing clinical supervision to staff working directly with children, teens, and adults with developmental disabilities.  I also worked at Antioch University as an adjunct professor teaching graduate students about aging, medical conditions, dementia care, and family dynamics, as well as a clinical field supervisor for graduate students at USC, UCLA, and Cal-State Long Beach Schools of Social Work and Public Health.  Simultaneously, I worked in private practice in Pasadena providing psychotherapy to adults, couples, and families juggling the demands of caregiving both children and parents.

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Most recently I have been working with adolescents / teens / young adults, who may be facing challenges with their development of social, communication, and coping skills, as well as difficulties with processing emotions and interpersonal relationships. In private practice, I work with children, adolescents, and adults with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), cognitive, mood, physical health, grief/trauma, and adjustment issues. I also work with parents, family members, and teachers to help them understand and support their child at home and school. In addition to individual and family psychotherapy, I lead the majority of our group therapy sessions. Group therapy runs for 6-8 weeks and the topics range from neurodiversity and social skills to Twice Exceptional (2e) process groups. 

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My style of therapy is to start where the patient is by understanding who they are as a person including the impact of their gender, identity, culture, ethnicity, socio-economic status, education, family, and community on who they are today. I use cognitive and behavioral approaches to form a respectful and collaborative relationship to identify issues and create individualized treatment plans.

 

I am a member of the National Association of Social Workers and certified as a Telehealth Professional.