Approach

The relationship between therapist and patient is such a key aspect of therapy. I deeply believe in the value of healing in relationship and in creating a different type of experience relationally. My goal in therapy is to collaboratively make space for your feelings, wants, and needs.

In the room, I am genuine, relational, warm, and weave in humor and lightness. I strive to bring my full self into the room which hopefully allows you to bring your full self into the room.

In my work as a psychologist, I look at how broader contexts and early experiences/relationships impact the present. Additionally, I work with individuals on looking at the parts of themselves that they feel frustrated with, and approaching those parts with curiosity, sensitivity, and compassion. And typically my work with my patients involves looking at what they want to leave behind (that they learned along the way) and what they want to take with them moving forward. I integrate different evidence based treatment modalities, such as:

  • Acceptance and Commitment Therapy 

  • Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

  • Psychodynamic Therapy

  • Narrative Therapy

  • Internal Family Systems

In my work I am also very much grounded in liberation psychology. Liberation psychology names that it is essential to recognize the sociopolitical contexts that individuals are embedded in and how those contexts impact the individual/collective wellbeing. I am constantly tethered to Ignacio Martín-Baró’s (the creator of liberation of psychology) words that people are often having “normal reaction[s] to an abnormal situation[s].”

I look forward to creating a space with you, in which you feel supported and empowered as you navigate this period of your life. I'm honored that you're considering entering this relationship with me.

Experience

I earned my Masters of Science and my Doctorate of Clinical Psychology at PGSP-Stanford Psy.D. Consortium. My research focused on burnout and stress within psychology graduate students and stress within the general population. I completed my postdoctoral fellowship at a group private practice in the Bay Area. Before that, I completed my predoctoral internship at University of Texas Health Science, San Antonio, during which I worked at different sites including an outpatient clinic and an inpatient unit for a state hospital. I also ate a lot of BBQ.

I was trained in other settings including a university counseling center, Stanford's Division of Child and Adolescents, and a community mental health clinic centered on providing bilingual/bicultural care to Latinos. Working with Latinos feels especially close to my heart given that my parents are from Central America.

Before graduate school, I studied art and psychology at San Francisco State University (SFSU). I learned by volunteering with Clínica Martín Baró, a free primary health clinic in the Mission, that mental health is not an individual state. My experience at Clínica and as a teacher’s assistant to Felix Kury (one of the founders of Clínica Martín-Baró) were pivotal in cultivating an awareness of structural violence and of healing through community.

After finishing graduate school, I returned to SFSU, but as a lecturer. I have been teaching at SFSU for about 3 years in the Latino Studies Department, teaching the classes that Felix Kury taught and developed, before retiring (Latino Health Perspectives, Latino Community Mental Health and Latino Family Narratives). I most recently worked at University of San Francisco’s Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) as the Latino focused Psychologist for a year and a half. At USF I focused on providing culturally sensitive services to the Latino student population at USF and in providing individual/group supervision to trainees. After my starting at USF, the number of Latino students who came to CAPS increased by 70%.

Continued learning

There is so much to learn and I am constantly trying to learn and grow. Currently, I am diving into a somatic attachment therapy certification course. And starting in October of 2025, I am building on my Internal Family Systems’ (IFS) knowledge by way of the IFS Online Circle 6 month Course.