Education

My Path to Psychotherapy

I earned my Master’s degree in Counseling Psychology from the California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS) in 2024. My training emphasized experiential and relational approaches to therapy, particularly drawing from Drama Therapy and other embodied techniques that go beyond traditional talk therapy.

Alongside this foundation, I trained in Diane Gehart’s 4-Level Conceptualization framework, which distills the most effective elements from various therapeutic models into a flexible, practical approach. This framework is sometimes described as the "greatest hits" of psychotherapy, equipping me with tools from CBT, EFT, psychodynamic therapy, solution-focused approaches, and more. While experiential methods remain my central focus, this breadth of training allows me to integrate the best of different modalities to meet each client’s needs.

Clinical Experience

  • Ohlhoff Recovery Programs, San Francisco – My internship took place in this renowned sober-living environment, where I worked with individuals in recovery. Addiction treatment became a major passion of mine, not only because of the direct work with substance use but because addiction intersects with nearly every other area of therapy—trauma, anxiety, relationships, identity, self-worth, and meaning.

  • School-Based Therapy in San Francisco – I also worked as a therapist in San Francisco schools, sitting with students in pivotal, life-changing moments. This experience shaped my belief that many of us are learning how to be human without ever being taught how our own minds and bodies work.

My Perspective on Learning & Growth

I often compare self-understanding to learning how to drive a car without ever being taught what the dashboard signals mean. Many of us are steering through life without knowing what our emotions, thoughts, and bodily sensations are trying to tell us. Of course things feel confusing. But when we develop the ability to:

  • Recognize what our needs actually are

  • Interpret the signals from our minds and bodies

  • Sustain attention, but also let go of thoughts when needed

  • Work with our emotions rather than against them

…life becomes more manageable, more meaningful, and more deeply connected. My work as a therapist is about helping clients uncover these natural capacities—not to change who they are, but to help them pilot their own experience with greater awareness and ease.