After graduating from New York University with a BFA in drama, I moved to Los Angeles and taught drama and English literature at an L.A. public high school for nearly 20 years. My experience working with teenagers and their families taught me that, all too often, kids' barriers to learning are not academic in nature, but rather emotional challenges stemming from adversity and trauma. I became more and more interested in learning how to help teenagers and adults alike navigate these obstacles and come out stronger in the long run.
My Education & Experience
In 2018, I went back to graduate school at California State University at Northridge to become a marriage and family therapist. I spent my practicum experience at Road Ahead Family Services where I worked primarily with people whose children had been detained by the Department of Child and Family Services. This gave me an up close and personal view of the impact that trauma can have on families. Once out of graduate school, I interned at Coldwater Counseling Center, a Jungian depth psychotherapy center in Studio City, as well as with Family Time Centers in Valley Village. Upon full licensure, I started my private practice, while also taking on a small caseload at NOCD, a Telehealth platform that uses ERP therapy to treat OCD and anxiety disorders.
At NOCD, I have also been trained to treat hoarding disorder, tic disorder, excoriation and trichotillomania. Thanks to advancements in neuroscience, we can see what therapies tend to help change the brain for the better, and I have sought these therapies out. I am EMDR Certified, and I have trained in IFS therapy both at the IFS Institute here in the U.S. and at the Canadian Institute. I have extensive training and experience in ERP therapy, which is the gold standard for treating OCD and anxiety disorders. For couples, I have trained in the Gottman Couples Therapy method, and I also pull strategies from Terry Real and EFT, strategies which I have seen help couples reset and reconnect.