Mindful Growth Psychology, APC

I graduated from the Counseling Psychology program at Virginia Commonwealth University, and completed my doctoral internship at Penn State University. Earlier in my career, I worked at several different university counseling centers. I developed an APA accredited doctoral internship in professional psychology at the University of San Diego Counseling Center, and spent over twenty years supervising psychologists in training. I was honored to receive national awards for this work. During my career I cowrote and presented on training and supervision from a feminist-multicultural perspective, therapy with trauma survivors, group therapy, and other topics. 

With a specialty in applying mindfulness in therapy, I love helping clients struggling with anxiety, adjustment/life transitions, grief and loss, relationship concerns and trauma.  I work with adults 18 and older. 

My work combines strategies from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, EMDR Therapy, Interpersonal/Psychodynamic Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, and Mindfulness-based strategies. I am an EMDR Certified Therapist and I also have training in other evidence based therapies for trauma. What all that means practically is in my work I'm trying to find a balance between insight and change. Insight helps clients understand themselves better--how they got where they are, what's keeping them there and more positively, what's really important to them. Insight also tends to promote increased self-compassion, which has been associated with improvements in mood and stress. At the same time, I'm always trying to nudge clients toward taking some helpful risks, moving out of stuckness, and finding strategies for making life better while bringing back a sense of meaning and empowerment. I'm careful to explore cultural and contextual factors that affect a client's life. More information about my approaches can be found on the FAQ page. 

In my time away from work, I enjoy running, meditation and yoga, baking, gardening, reading, and spending time with family, friends, and my big goofy dogs.