About
My Approach
Each of us is unique, so I carefully tailor therapy to you, drawing from a number of effective, research-based modes of psychotherapy (including some you may or may not have heard of: psychodynamic therapy, person-centered therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy or CBT, mindfulness, and others. See Therapies I use below).
I work as a guide and assistant to you in tapping into your inner wisdom and finding your own best answers. As I help you tune into your heart, intuition, and power, I provide safety and support, training, and education in psychological and body-focused skills (such as mindfulness, cognitive therapy, and somatic techniques) that are calming and strengthening.
I am gentle, supportive, respectful, optimistic, and your formidable advocate. I help you find your direction and follow it. Together we build on your strengths, using what you are already doing well. If you have spiritual beliefs and resources, those, too, will be welcomed and utilized in the work.
I have a practical approach, observing and learning what works best for you and breaking difficult challenges into small doable steps. We move at a pace that is set by you. You are the lead explorer on your journey, and I am your trust-worthy guide. We work as a collaborative team.
I follow your lead, but if you are unable to lead effectively, such as in some cases of depression, I assume a more active role temporarily, while I help you find your direction.
I love doing this work. I love listening and getting to know people and feel honored to be part of their work of growing, changing, and healing.
About Me
I was born and raised in California, and most of my family has lived here for generations. I started a business while in my twenties, managed it for over 20 years, and later worked in high tech for twelve years. I’ve lived in the Silicon Valley for the past thirty years.
My many years of prior experience taught me to work well under pressure as I gained skill designing, building, analyzing, and problem-solving complex systems. During that process, I had the good fortune to work with a broad range of people in different types of relationships: from coworkers and bosses, to clients, to teams I managed, to those I mentored and taught.
I’ve studied psychology, practiced meditation, and pursued personal growth for most of my life. Ten years ago, I had the opportunity to go back to school to continue my study of psychology, and discovered my deep passion for doing psychotherapy.
My experience solving problems of complex systems has proven invaluable in exploring and understanding the complexity each unique person brings to the therapy process. My personal and professional experiences also enable me to relate to a wide range of people from diverse backgrounds, ethnicities, and cultures.
Education and Training
I have a Master of Arts degree in Counseling Psychology from Santa Clara University and have been providing psychotherapy for the past seven years.
I completed a three-year internship at Community Health Awareness Council (CHAC) in Mountain View, providing psychotherapy at local elementary, middle, and high schools, in addition to treating adults and adolescents in an outpatient clinic. I also worked three years at the Santa Clara County Hospital Services: Suicide and Crisis Services telephone hotline.
I received my license in Marriage and Family Therapy in 2016 and started my private practice in Los Altos. In 2018, I added an office in San Jose and now split my time between the two offices.
I have experience in a number of areas including:
Abuse (Adults and Children) | Low Motivation |
ADHD | Low Self-Esteem |
Anxiety, Panic Attacks | Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder |
Childhood Abuse | Relationship Issues |
Codependency | School Stress |
Communication | Sexuality |
Coping Skills | Sibling Conflict |
Debilitating Illness | Sleep Problems |
Depression | Social Anxiety |
Divorce | Spirituality |
Existential Crisis | Stress Management |
Extra-Marital Affairs | Suicidal Ideation |
Family Conflict | Trauma, PTSD, Complex PTSD |
Finding Meaning and Direction | Work Conflicts |
Gender Identity | Work Stress |
Grief and Loss | Work/Life balance |
Life Transitions |
Modes of therapy
Therapy can proceed at a range of speeds, usually dictated by the type of problem and the client’s goals, motivation, and ability to make positive changes. For some clients and some problems, a brief solution-focused approach that doesn’t look at the past, but focuses on the present circumstances, tools, and solutions can be appropriate and recommended. Other problems that are based on longstanding issues and traumatic events may take more time and require incorporating therapies that make sense of the past and help discover new solutions.
I draw from many effective therapies, including:
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) | Internal Family Systems (IFS) |
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) | Mindfulness |
Dialectical behavior Therapy (DBT) | Motivational Interviewing |
Existential Therapy | Person Centered Therapy |
Exposure Response Prevention (ERP) | Solution Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT) |
Specialties
I love working with adults of all ages, teens, and preteens, as well as couples and families.
I work well with children age eleven and up. I use primarily play therapy and person centered therapy with younger kids and add mindfulness, somatic, existential, and cognitive therapy as age and development permit. By teen years, I include all the therapies listed.
I enjoy working with late teens and young adults dealing with school, family issues, work, and finding direction, independence, and meaning. While I enjoy working with all ages, this is a particularly rewarding age group for me.
My work with adults often tends to be around issues concerning direction in life, finding meaning, regaining or maintaining a degree of independence and good communication in long-term relationships, work issues, work relationships, children and parenting, financial responsibilities, health concerns, caring for aging parents, and the changes that come as we age and go through the stages of life.
In working with couples and families, improving communication is usually a key element. Often we tend to assume that others think like we do, look at the world the way we do, find the same things important that we do, and interpret things the way we do. Very often that’s not the case. Improving relationships requires learning who the other person really is, while working toward accepting the differences, or making it okay not to, and dealing with what that brings. Good communication goes a long way toward making it possible to relate to others on a deeper level and make desired changes.
I have extra experience and particular skill in working with depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and complex PTSD – especially stemming from childhood trauma.
Next
Contact me, and let’s talk about your situation and how we can work together to get you on the way to the changes you seek.
Good Faith Estimate Notice
You have the right to receive a “Good Faith Estimate” explaining how much your medical and mental health care will cost.
Under the law, health care providers need to give patients who don’t have insurance or who are not using insurance an estimate of the expected charges for medical services, including psychotherapy services.
You have the right to receive a Good Faith Estimate for the total expected cost of any non-emergency healthcare services, including psychotherapy services.
You can ask your health care provider, and any other provider you choose, for a Good Faith Estimate before you schedule a service.
If you receive a bill that is at least $400 more than your Good Faith Estimate, you can dispute the bill. Make sure to save a copy or picture of your Good Faith Estimate.
For questions or more information about your right to a Good Faith Estimate, visit www.cms.gov/nosurprises.