If there was one thing you wish people knew about the therapy experience who might be hesitant to try it, what would that be?
Working with a therapist can get you out of your head and back into life. Therapy in its most basic sense can provide individuals with a better understanding of their emotions, behaviors, and unhealthy thought processes. This transitions into an increased ability to cope with problems or events. Ultimately, allowing individuals to regain a sense of control and pleasure in life.
What do you view as a key component of the therapeutic relationship?
Trust is vital to a therapeutic relationship. It is the main ingredient in creating the most valuable medium for any change to occur. An honest therapeutic relationship opens up individuals minds thus allowing them to be able to learn and develop the skills designed to foster healing from whichever challenge they are facing. Therapy is where people should feel safe to open up and share their innermost fears, desires, needs, and wants.
In what ways have your personal experiences influenced your work with your clients?
I have always been interested in the human mind and perception. From early on I realized that our culture has a significant impact on how we perceive situations and express our emotions. I was raised in a multicultural home with parents who had differing beliefs about emotional expression, mental health, and treatment. It is because of this understanding and experience that I feel a strong desire to work with individuals to build their own personal awareness.
Specialties
Depression
Depression often causes people to feel sad, empty, or hopeless, and can cause a lack of interest in life. It can also affect a person's thinking patterns and physical health.
Anxiety
Anxiety can mean nervousness, worry, or self-doubt. Anxiety disorder is a mental health disorder that entails excessive, repeated bouts of worry, anxiety, and/or fear.
Work Stress
Workplace issues are a common source of stress and can include interpersonal conflict, communication problems, gossip, harassment, discrimination, low motivation and job satisfaction, performance issues, and poor job fit.
Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia is diagnosed on a spectrum dependent upon the type, number, and severity of symptoms. Primary symptoms include delusions and hallucinations, disorganized behavior and speech, and negative symptoms. Individuals struggle to behave, feel, and think clearly. The condition is treatable but not curable.
Trauma
Trauma is the result of experiencing a perceived, extremely distressful event. Although the stress threshold for each person differs, meaning that each person considers and experiences trauma differently, it is an event that tops one’s threshold. It exceeds one’s ability to cope or emotionally process. Symptoms may include shock, anxiety, confusion, hopelessness, feeling disconnected, mood swings, nightmares, and intrusive thoughts.
General Expertise
Loss/Grief
Grief is a reaction to an emotionally significant loss and often comes with symptoms of depression or anxiety. These symptoms can remain intense and last for a long time after a loss, making it difficult to move forward with a healthy lifestyle.
Chronic pain
Any kind of pain that lasts three months or more. Can range from mild to severely debilitating and affect a person’s quality of life, sometimes leading to depression, anxiety, isolation, and insomnia.
Sleep & insomnia issues
Difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep, or waking frequently. While it can be a normal response to stress, it can also lead to feelings of dissatisfaction and distress, as well as behavioral difficulties.
Life transitions
Positive and negative change can be difficult, including things like moving, breaking up, adjusting to parenthood, or changing careers. It’s normal to feel stressed, however, life transitions can inhibit people from living healthy lifestyles.
Fees
$125
First Session
$125
Individual Therapy
Types of Therapy
Individual Session
Clientele
Young Adults (18-24)
Adults (25-65)
Seniors (65+)
Treatment Approaches / Modalities
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy
Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavior Therapy
Hypnotherapy
Training / Certifications
The Chicago School of Professional Psychology Hypnosis Training January 2017
Licensure
CA, Psychologist, 32146
Education
Psy.D., Clinical Forensic Psychology, The Chicago School of Professional Psychology
Bachelor of Science in Psychology, The University of Dubuque
Work History
Throughout my career I have worked with an array of psychological and psychiatric disorders in both private practice and inpatient hospital settings. During my years spent treating inpatient clients I focused predominantly on crisis management, mental health awareness, coping skills development, and relapse prevention. My work then shifted to private practice. It was in this position that I developed and refined my current approach, combining Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and hypnotherapy/relaxation techniques. Within private practice I have been able to focus my practice on working with people experiencing depression, anxiety, work related stress, life transition issues, loss and grief related issues, panic attacks, insomnia, coping with medical illnesses, chronic pain, and trauma while continuously educating myself and evolving my practice in these areas.
Location
Central ave, Chino, 91710, CA