Offices in Berkeley and Orinda
COVID-19 update. Please note that I am working remotely via video at this time to help curb the spread of the corona virus. I am also offering late night video sessions in order to assist families in need of couples counseling whom are also struggling with daytime child care. Please inquire if I can be of service to you at this time.
About Me
Style
My approach is collaborative, warm, compassionate, honest, and intuitive. I focus as much on your strengths as I might your struggles. I value both long term therapy as well as short-term therapy directed towards accomplishing immediate goals in your personal and professional life. As research has proven the therapeutic relationship is the foundation for any successful therapy. I aim to have an honest and caring realtionship with you as we endeavor into accomplishing your goals.
Training
I have taken my training seriously over the years. The bulk of my initial training has taken place at both Pierce Street Integral Counseling Center and the Marina Counseling Center. I have continued Post Masters training specifically in AEDP (Accelerated Experiential Dynamic Psychotherapy) as well as EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing). These trainings have included a one week intensive as well as a nine month ongoing commitment. AEDP is an attachment based and affect focused psychotherapy model. It informes my proactive approach to helping with relationship issues. AEDP addresses issues for individuals, couples, and specifically relationally based trauma. EMDR is an APA approved modality for working with trauma yet it can also help with other issues such as addiction and phobias. The process accesses neural networks similar to what occurs naturally during dreaming or REM (rapid eye movement) sleep. Therefore, EMDR can be thought of as a physiologically based therapy that helps a person see disturbing material in a new more coherent and less distressing way. You can not change the past but you can change the way you feel about it. EMDR specifically helps in this way. I continue my training through ongoing individual consultation, group consultation, as well as peer led consultation groups.
Education and Additional Training
My Bachelor’s degree is in Therapeutic Use of Wilderness from Prescott College and my Master’s degree is in Counseling Psychology from California Institute of Integral Studies. I work from a multitude of modalities including but not limited to: attachment (AEDP), trauma (EMDR), ecopsychology, R-CS (Hakomi), somatic inquiry, spiritual inquiry, metaphor, imagery, cognitive behavioral, psychosynthesis, voice dialogue, Internal Family Systems, and mindfulness. In working with couples I primarily work from an approach called Emotion Focused Therapy (EFT) that supports healthy adult attachment. I also incorporate Stan Tatkin's psychobiological apprach as well as Dick Schwartz's (IFS) Internal Family Systems into couples treatment.
Previous experience
I weave into my work, 20 years of experience in wilderness adventure therapy, rock/mountain guiding, leadership, counseling, and family services. I have worked at two major therapeutic wilderness and therapeutic residential programs. Between 2007 and 2011 I was the director of services at Crossroads Residential Care, a home for transition aged youth coping with major mental health issues. From 2011-2014 I was the lead in-school counselor at Orinda Academy. I have been a part of the team at Coyote Coast since 2011 serving teens and families and receiving in depth family training. I currently provide trainings for new interns at Coyote Coast and facilitate consultation for therapists working with families and individuals. Having navigated the difficult waters of adolescence with supportive mentors and adulthood with my own therapy, I understand how helpful and productive the right support can be.