I am a first generation Chicana psychologist (she/her/ella) that believes in the importance of the mind-body-spirit connection and the transformative power of emotions. I find purpose in working with BIPOC communities and am dedicated to inclusive practice. I welcome people of all identities, particularly those that have felt estranged and like they don’t belong. My intention is to create a safe and welcoming space so that we can uncover your authentic self and help you live life in a way that connects with you. I take a collaborative approach and my therapeutic style is direct, genuine, and warm. I’m curious to find out the real you and help you discover your own innate wisdom to help you live a full life. The process may bring tears or be light with laughter. It’s a journey! And ultimately it’s your journey; I’m just a helpful companion along the way.
I am an integrative psychologist, which means that I use different evidence based therapeutic approaches to best fit the needs of my clients. See below to learn more about therapeutic approaches I use in my work:
- Emotion focused therapy is an empirically-supported humanistic treatment that views emotions as centrally important in human functioning and therapeutic change.
- Mindfulness is a method of increasing awareness of yourself and your environment by observing your thoughts, feelings, and physical sensations in a nonjudgmental way and cultivating attitudes such as acceptance, letting go, and gratitude.
- Insight Oriented therapy focuses on deepening our understanding to our emotions, motivations, fears and desires and making the unconscious conscious so that we can live a life that is aligned with our current goals and priorities.
- Cognitive behavioral therapy is a short-term, goal-oriented psychotherapy treatment that focuses on changing patterns of thinking and behavior that are unhelpful.
- Acceptance and commitment therapy focuses on helping patients to behave more consistently with their own values and apply mindfulness and acceptance skills to their responses to uncontrollable experiences.
- Humanistic Therapy focuses on a person’s individual nature and their personal instincts to find wisdom, growth, and fulfillment within themselves.
- Legacy Therapy is a growing form of palliative care that encourages aging or terminally ill patients to share their stories in a way that can be captured for their friends and families.
TRAINING
I’m a licensed psychologist with a PhD in Clinical-Health from the University of Miami, FL and have over a decade of experience as a clinician. I completed my internship and post-doctoral fellowship at the Long Beach VA Medical Center. I also have extensive experience in mindfulness, and began my training in Vipassana meditation during my undergraduate studies at UCLA as a research assistant in mindfulness based stress reduction (MBSR) studies. Currently, I am exploring and learning about curanderismo, and indigenous and spiritual practices.