Since 2010, I have provided psychological and therapeutic services to children, adolescents, adults, and their families. In my long career (30+ years), I have worked as an educator in public and private schools from kindergarten through post-graduate in subjects varying from Graduate-level Educational Psychology, Elementary and High School Social Studies, Remedial Reading, Creative and Expository Writing for students K-college. Prior to obtaining my doctorate, I specialized in working with children with learning differences (LD and ADHD), both in assessment and in remediation as a teacher. I have found it invaluable to know how to teach exceptional learners in helping families and schools to better address the needs of neurodiverse children and adolescents with Autism, ADD/ADHD, and learning differences, and to help families and individuals reach their highest potential psychologically.

 

Subsequent to earning a Ph.D. in Cognition and Development from the Graduate School of Education at UC Berkeley in 2000, an APA Accredited program, I have worked in a number of school districts in the area as a School Psychologist providing educational assessment (Alameda USD, Oakland USD, SFUSD, Belmont Redwood Shores, Brisbane School District, Jefferson Union High School District). As the Director of Learning Support Services for two years, I helped Drew College Preparatory School to develop their program to address the needs of students with learning differences. From 2007-2011, for my Post-Doctoral hours I worked at Langley Porter Psychiatric Institute at UCSF as a research associate for the Family Therapy Program, receiving training in Family Systems and Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, and during my last year there conducting assessments for the Hyperactive and Learning Problems Clinic (HALP).

 

From 2011-2015 I worked at Oakland Unified School District as a School Psychologist on special assignment conducting a research project through which I and other psychologists received direct training and supervision from Dr. Ross Greene (author of Lost at School, and Collaborative Proactive Solutions), which led to my certification as a CPS provider. I also served from 2012-15 as Clinical Supervisor for Educationally Related Mental Health Services (ERMHS) at OUSD, and as such oversaw the diagnosis of educationally related mental health disorders and led the panel making decisions regarding educational placement and services for the entire district, awhile also supervising pre-doctoral and pre-LMFT school psychologist interns. From Fall 2015-Spring 2017 I served as the District Psychologist for Brisbane School District as well as Clinical Supervisor for a pre-doctoral internship program for three candidates through the San Mateo County Office of Education. From August 2017 to June 2019, I served as Lead Psychologist and Program Specialist at Jefferson Union High School District. Also beginning in August 2017 and extending to Spring 2021, I served as the Clinical Supervisor for pre-doctoral interns as well as post-doctoral fellows for the Integrated Mental Health Services Internship Program at JUHSD. Additional training included treatment of trauma and supporting trauma-informed practices, supervision of clinical trainees, and certification as a provider for Dialectical Behavioral Therapy. From August 2019-May 2021, I taught as a Faculty Lecturer at University of California Berkeley School Psychology Program in the Graduate School of Education (my alma mater). I supervised and taught pre-doctoral School Psychology graduate students in school-based intervention, ethics, and school psychology practices, as well as clinical individual and group therapy approaches for children, adolescents, and their families. I recently  served as a consultant to West Contra Costa County Unified School District supporting a more wholistic approach to behavior support and intervention via school psychology consultation with administration and staff and Berkeley Unified School District supporting their provision of mental health services and supervising medical necessity decision-making and diagnoses, as well as providing some assessments focusing on students with mental health needs.

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In January 2022, I began training with the Integrative Psychiatry Institute to learn how to provide psychedelic assisted therapy and completed the 10-month program in October 2022. I have been trained in providing support at all levels (intake, preparation and goal setting, integration of the psychedelic experience, and follow-up), for use of ketamine, MDMA, and psilocybin. Additionally, I have focused on applying prior training regarding trauma (including Internal Family Systems work and a somatic informed approach) to develop my skills. I am currently an Affiliated Therapist with Be The Change Clinic in Santa Rosa providing the therapeutic portion of treatment using Ketamine to address Depression, Anxiety, and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Ultimately, I see myself as providing intensive deep work to support individuals with trauma, and in the future hope to include in my practice adolescents, families and couples, as well as those facing terminal diagnoses.

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As a family therapist, I work to support families in addressing their children’s needs at home, providing counseling to individuals and whole families. I use trauma-informed practices to support increased self-regulation, emotion tolerance and relational problem solving to provide intensive therapy to children, youth, and adults. Using Collaborative Proactive Solutions, as well as Dialectical Behavioral Therapy informed practice, I help parents and teachers navigate the challenges of learning more about children’s strengths and weaknesses and how to more effectively address emotional and academic needs. I also provide therapy to individuals of all ages, with a focus on healing and improving life experiences. I have a particular expertise in supporting adolescents and young adults as they transition to lives of more independence. Along with my background in advocacy, I use my decades of expertise supporting families as they work to provide their children access to the best possible education no matter where they are enrolled (public or private school) and at any grade from kindergarten through college. As a consultant, I provide training and staff development to school districts seeking to provide a more effective and equitable approach to improving behavior, academic performance, and emotional well-being for students of all ages.

 

I practice only within my expertise and when/if issues arise beyond my scope of practice, I can seek consultation and/or make referrals to resources more suited to a client’s needs. Using connections with therapeutic, legal, and educational resources throughout the Bay Area, I support individuals and families as they navigate the process of psychological mental health treatment, educational assessment, and (if warranted) obtaining accommodations and remediation in educational and therapeutic settings to address academic, career, and social-emotional needs.