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Where are you from originally, and where did you go to school?
I'm from El Paso, Texas. I moved to Los Angeles in 1991, so I'm more of a California native at this point, but I still carry around some of that excessive "Texas Forever" pride.

I attended UCLA and completed a Bachelor's in English literature and a Master's degree in education. I taught high school English for five very long years. While I loved the relationships with the kids and teaching literature, I did not love disciplining 200 kids a day and grading papers into the wee hours of the night... I left teaching and spent several years working in the construction management field (long story, but it satisfied my love for structure and spreadsheets). After much soul searching, though, I eventually returned to school to pursue a Marriage and Family Therapy degree at Fuller Theological Seminary with the desire to work with adolescents and their families.

I earned my license in 2016 and have a private practice in Burbank. I continue to enjoy working with adolescents, but I've learned I'm most passionate about working with individual adults and couples.

What sparked your interest in psychoanalysis?
As an MFT trainee, I gained some of my hours and supervision at an Intersubjectivity Theory training site. I very much appreciated the depth and challenge of the work. While I remain a fan of structure and spreadsheets, I'm also drawn to the mystery of the unconscious and what can be revealed and healed through the therapeutic relationship. Pretty sacred stuff.

Why did you choose NCP for your psychoanalytic training?
I researched institutes in the area and was impressed by NCP's comprehensive curriculum. I attended other institutes' open houses but unfortunately had to miss NCP's. When I called to see if I could obtain any additional info that may have been presented at the open house, I was connected with Dr. Lynn Kuttnauer, who kindly agreed to meet with me. I walked out of our meeting confident that NCP was the choice for me.

What would you like the NCP community to know about you?
I live with my husband, Daniel, and my two very cool stepchildren/teenagers, Isabella and Nicholas. We enjoy anthropomorphizing our dog and cat, Henry and Olive, respectively. We've recently started our first family Dungeons & Dragons campaign, with Henry and Olive standing nearby to provide moral support. I'm currently struggling with my new identity as a half-orc, half-human wizard.