I am both a licensed psychologist and a licensed marriage and family therapist in California. I am also a licensed psychologist in Arizona. I have been working in the helping professions for over 40 years and specialize working with stress, loss, trauma, addiction, and developing healthy relationships. If you would like more information about places I have worked in the past, please click on the hyperlinks that follow.
I currently am in private practice specializing in complex trauma and PTSD. I primarily provide services to first responders (firefighters, law enforcement, dispatchers) working on these issues. I primarily offer telehealth (confidential zoom sessions online.) I serve on staff with two EMDR training programs: www.sonomatpti.com and emdreducationandtrainingcenter.com I am also a Certified EMDR therapist as well as an EMDRIA Approved Consultant. I do provide individual and group consultation for therapists trained in EMDR working towards certification.
After receiving a bachelor's degree, I was a paramedic for 10 years. During that time I was a director of a crisis emergency unit in Phoenix. I then graduated with a Masters degree in counseling from Northern Arizona University in 1988. I then was a clinical supervisor for a county clinic where I had the opportunity to create an inpatient chemical dependency program and two outpatient addiction programs for both adults and adolescents.
I moved to the San Francisco Bay Area in 1993 to work on my doctorate degree in clinical psychology at California Institute of Integral Studies. As I was getting my degree, I worked for 5 years at the San Francisco Veteran Medical Center (Fort Miley), specializing in both PTSD and chemical dependency. I did my PhD internship at the Marin County Children Services---working with both children, families, and couples in distress. I then supervised Marin County's psychiatric emergency services for 10 years. I was the first coordinator of their Mental Health Court, as well as being the mental health disaster coordinator for the county. I then worked for 10 years as a clinical psychologist for the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. I retired from public service in 2018 and shifted to working in private practice. I also am currently a lead clinician with the West Coast Post Trauma Retreat---working with first responders (fire and law enforcement personnel) who have experienced critical incidents at work.
I am passionate about teaching counseling skills to master and PhD level professionals in the field and have been adjunct faculty at 4 different universities in the area for the past 10 years. I teach students basic counseling skills, family therapy, group therapy, assessment and diagnosis, psychopharmacology. and trauma treatment. I also developed a prelicensure class for JFK in Crisis and Trauma Counseling that is required for licensed professional counselors in California.
I currently offer mindfulness based guided experiences to cultivate resiliency, compassion, and wellbeing. I began my practice of mindfulness meditation over 30 years ago. I am a senior student at Spirit Rock Center (since 1994), was trained in Mindfulness Based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy by UCSD in 2008, graduate of the Eco Buddhist Chaplaincy program in 2021, and graduate of Jack Kornfield and Tara Brach's Mindfulness Teacher Certification Program. I am also part of a dharma leader collective with Prescott Insight Meditation.
I currently am in private practice specializing in complex trauma and PTSD. I primarily provide services to first responders (firefighters, law enforcement, dispatchers) working on these issues. I primarily offer telehealth (confidential zoom sessions online.) I serve on staff with two EMDR training programs: www.sonomatpti.com and emdreducationandtrainingcenter.com I am also a Certified EMDR therapist as well as an EMDRIA Approved Consultant. I do provide individual and group consultation for therapists trained in EMDR working towards certification.
After receiving a bachelor's degree, I was a paramedic for 10 years. During that time I was a director of a crisis emergency unit in Phoenix. I then graduated with a Masters degree in counseling from Northern Arizona University in 1988. I then was a clinical supervisor for a county clinic where I had the opportunity to create an inpatient chemical dependency program and two outpatient addiction programs for both adults and adolescents.
I moved to the San Francisco Bay Area in 1993 to work on my doctorate degree in clinical psychology at California Institute of Integral Studies. As I was getting my degree, I worked for 5 years at the San Francisco Veteran Medical Center (Fort Miley), specializing in both PTSD and chemical dependency. I did my PhD internship at the Marin County Children Services---working with both children, families, and couples in distress. I then supervised Marin County's psychiatric emergency services for 10 years. I was the first coordinator of their Mental Health Court, as well as being the mental health disaster coordinator for the county. I then worked for 10 years as a clinical psychologist for the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. I retired from public service in 2018 and shifted to working in private practice. I also am currently a lead clinician with the West Coast Post Trauma Retreat---working with first responders (fire and law enforcement personnel) who have experienced critical incidents at work.
I am passionate about teaching counseling skills to master and PhD level professionals in the field and have been adjunct faculty at 4 different universities in the area for the past 10 years. I teach students basic counseling skills, family therapy, group therapy, assessment and diagnosis, psychopharmacology. and trauma treatment. I also developed a prelicensure class for JFK in Crisis and Trauma Counseling that is required for licensed professional counselors in California.
I currently offer mindfulness based guided experiences to cultivate resiliency, compassion, and wellbeing. I began my practice of mindfulness meditation over 30 years ago. I am a senior student at Spirit Rock Center (since 1994), was trained in Mindfulness Based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy by UCSD in 2008, graduate of the Eco Buddhist Chaplaincy program in 2021, and graduate of Jack Kornfield and Tara Brach's Mindfulness Teacher Certification Program. I am also part of a dharma leader collective with Prescott Insight Meditation.