My education, training, clinical experience, and first career as an anthropologist provide a unique orientation to how I work as a psychotherapist. As a California Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, with a Masters Degree in Counseling Psychology, I am trained to work with all aspects of interpersonal relationships. My clinical training includes the assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of major mental health issues from the perspective of family and relationship systems. My knowledge of several theoretical frameworks and experience in using various psychotherapeutic techniques equips me to serve a diverse range of people. With a Ph.D. and career in social, cultural, and linguistic anthropology, I incorporate my expertise in finding subtle cues to discover underlying themes and patterns of thought and communication in doing psychotherapy. The integration of my anthropological and linguistic perspectives with my extensive training and work as a therapist gives me an especially deep understanding of the forces that shape personal and relational experience.
Education and Professional Training:
- B.A. , Anthropology, University of Chicago
- Ph.D., Anthropology, University of California, Berkeley
- National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, Postdoctoral Training Program, Alcohol Research Group and UC Berkeley School of Public Health (www.arg.org)
- M.A., Counseling Psychology, John F. Kennedy University
- Women’s Therapy Center (womenstherapy.org), Two-Year Intensive Training Program. Clinical training focused on theory and technique of psychodynamic relational therapy within a social and cultural context
- Women’s Therapy Center, One-Year Advanced Training Program. Specialized clinical training focused on therapy with couples and adolescent girls, additional relational work with individuals, and professional development
- The Couples Institute (www.couplesinstitute.com), Couples Therapy Training in the Developmental Model of Couples Therapy. This approach integrates attachment theory, differentiation theory, and neuroscience
- Clinical Case Seminar with Michael Gray (michaelgrayphd.com) integrates attachment theory and object relations theory into a relational mode of working (ongoing)
Professional Affiliations:
- CAMFT (California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists) – Member
- Women’s Therapy Center – Member
- California Board of Behavioral Sciences: Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist – License # LMFT 94345