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I was born and raised in La Canada-Flintridge, a city at the base of the San Gabriel mountains. My husband, Raul, and I live at the base of the Sierras in a small community called Bear Valley Springs.

I graduated with a bachelors in Public Health in 1985, and proceeded to work for the YMCA for ten years. In 1995, I went to work for the Weingart Foundation as a program analyst, providing technical assistance to agencies with grants of $10-million or more. I left there to attend a graduate program in Marriage and Family Therapy, and went on to earn a PsyD in Clinical Psychology. My dissertation was on therapist self-care, an issue I am passionate about.

I worked in private practice from 2003-2015, specializing in treating adults with trauma history, and children with an array of presenting issues. In 2015, I left private practice to work at a university counseling center (Biola University) as the coordinator of child and adolescent programs. In that position, I primarily train doctoral students who are interested in learning how to work with children, adolescents, and their parents. I also carry a small caseload of about 15 patients. In addition, I lead a two-hour self-care workshop for our doctoral interns. We meet twice a month and activities include walking a labyrinth, painting to music, and an introduction to Tai Chi.

I have always worked from a psychodynamic tradition, probably influenced by my own therapist. After researching many of the adult psychotherapy programs offered at the several psychoanalytic institutes in Southern California, I decided to enroll in NCP’s Adult Psychotherapy Program and attended from 2013 to 2015. My certificate from NCP was a key factor in my being offered my current position.

I have been married 25 years and together, in our blended family, we have five grown children. Our youngest, AnneMarie, and her husband are expecting their first child, and our first grandchild. Emilia is due any day! I love living in the mountains, enjoying all four seasons. We have two spoiled dogs. My hobbies include reading, sewing, painting, paper crafts, and binge-watching Netflix.

I am thrilled to be learning at NCP again in the Child and Adolescent Psychotherapy Program. The first eight weeks have been full, and I am already able to bring some of what I’ve learned back to my students and clients.