I have been helping people create meaning & connection in their lives since 2009 when I began my full-time coaching practice. Healing & overcoming challenges from my own early childhood were instrumental in leading me into the field of coaching & counseling. After spending a nearly a decade living abroad, I found a home in California and earned a Master’s Degree in Psychology, with an emphasis in Marriage and Family Therapy. Working in the college town of Davis, California, I am proud to stand alongside other dedicated mental health professionals at Life Compass Coaching and Counseling.

Approach to Psychotherapy

I draw on science-backed tools such as Interpersonal Neurobiology, Attachment Theory, Rational Emotive and Mindfulness-based interventions. My integral approach emphasizes building positive connections, living up to one’s full potential, taking responsibility, coping with life’s stressors, exploring personal/family relationships, and overcoming anxiety, depression, and PTSD. Clients learn to problem solve, to experience their feelings, to listen to their bodies, and to trust themselves.

Counseling Integrity and the Art of Therapy

My life philosophy is simple. I approach work with dedication, integrity and a sense of humor. The latter comes in handy. I’ve been lucky enough to have traveled a bit and have learned that regardless of the land or language, people are waiting to tell their story, be heard, and accepted. People need and want to be met in their map of the world. Learning, following, and holding a client’s inner map is the work of counseling. Creating integrity of the client’s “mapping” while simultaneously pushing the boundaries of

The Interpersonal Neurobiology of Healing, Change, and Growth in Psychotherapy

Traditional counseling psychology includes the understanding the brain is “plastic” — in other words, the mind can be altered and changed. We see this most often in children and the elderly as a biological function of growth and aging. Neuroplasticity, however, occurs and is possible throughout our lifetimes, with both positive and negative outcomes. Trauma, anxiety, and depression, for example, are instances where neuroplasticity can result in negative changes in the brain that make moving out of those conditions difficult. Using what we know about the brain and its ability to change, the concept of interpersonal neurobiology (relationship and attachment) has become central to our mental health and psychological healing. The integrity of psychotherapy includes creating and maintaining a relationship where this can occur– a relationship where the individual can be held with compassion, free from judgment, and unconditional positive regard.

Credentials and Professional Memberships:

1. Master’s of Psychology, Marriage & Family Therapy
2. Certified – Clinical Hypnotherapist & Trainer
3. Certified – Emotionally Focused Therapy Externship
4. Member of the International Coach Federation (ICF)
5. Member of Northern California Association of Emotionally Focused Therapists (NCEFT)
6. Member of California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists (CAMFT)