About Me

I come from a multidisciplinary background and utilize a variety of therapeutic modalities to assist clients.  My style tends to be empathic, insight oriented, interactive, and empowering. Typically I tend to use Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy, Psychodynamic Therapy, and Solution Focused Therapy; however, therapy is not limited to a particular type or technique. I am trained in several different approaches. I tend to combine techniques from these various approaches that fit my own style and personality and meet the needs of my clients.

Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

CBT is a relatively short-term, focused therapy for a wide range of psychological issues including depression, anxiety, anger, marital conflict, loneliness, panic, fear, dependence, and personality issues. The focus of therapy is on how you are thinking, behaving, and communicating today rather than on your early childhood experiences. The therapist assists the patient in identifying specific distortions and biases in thinking and provides guidance on how to change this thinking.

Cognitive-behavioral therapy helps the patient learn effective self-help skills that are used in homework assignments that help you change the way you think, feel and behave now. Cognitive-behavioral therapy is action-oriented, practical, rational, and helps the patient gain independence and effectiveness in dealing with real-life issues.

Psychodynamic Therapy

Psychodynamic therapy, also known as insight-oriented therapy, focuses on unconscious processes as they are manifested in a person’s present behavior. The goals of psychodynamic therapy are a client’s self-awareness and understanding of the influence of the past on present behavior. In its brief form, a psychodynamic approach enables the client to examine unresolved conflicts and symptoms that arise from past dysfunctional relationships and manifest themselves in current patterns of thinking and behavior.

Solution Focused Therapy

Solution focused therapy is a type of talking therapy that is based upon social construction philosophy. It focuses on what clients want to achieve through therapy rather than on the problem(s) that made them seek help. The approach does not focus on the past, but instead, focuses on the present and future. The therapist uses respectful curiosity to invite the client to envision their preferred future and then therapist and client start attending to any moves towards it whether these are small increments or large changes. To support this, questions are asked about the client’s story, strengths and resources, and about exceptions to the problem.

Education

University of California, Los Angeles                                 
Bachelor of Arts Degree in Psychology

California State University, Hayward                                                        
Master’s of Science Degree in Counseling Psychology