About

and i said to my body. softly. ‘i want to be your friend.’
it took a long breath.
and replied ‘i have been waiting my whole life for this.’
― Nayyirah Waheed

My work integrates embodied awareness and relational therapy within a social justice framework that honors cultural values, spiritual or religious beliefs, and each person’s unique identity and inherent dignity.

I am also a Certified Hypnotherapist and trained clinician in EMDR and The Flash Technique.

Fees
Individual therapy: $220 for 50 minutes
Couples/dyadic therapy: $300 for 75 minutes

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Education
Master of Arts (MA) in Counseling Psychology. Concentration: Somatic Psychotherapy. California Institute for Integral Studies (CIIS).

Master of Business (MBA). Concentration: Organizational Behavior, Finance, Marketing. Madrid Business School/The University of Houston.

Certification
EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) and The Flash Technique (FT): with Dr. Philip Manfield, approved by the EMDR International Association (EMDRIA).

Advanced Hypnotherapy Certification: Hypnosis Training Institute (HTI), with Randal Churchill & Cheryl Canfield. HTI is a clinical hypnotism school founded in 1978, approved by the U.S. Department of Labor, and approved for certification by the American Council of Hypnotist Examiners.

Experience
2024 School Counselor (DIS Provider), SFUSD, providing therapy services & resources as outlined within Individual Education Program (IEP) goals for elementary & high school students; coordinating with IEP teams & parents.

2021-2024 Associate MFT, Blackbird Institute/Porter Thompson LLC (Oakland), specializing in somatic psychotherapy & trauma treatment from an organismic, systemic, strength-based, inclusive, creative perspective; & extensive psychodynamic, somatic, humanistic, & transpersonal training.

2020-2021 Associate MFT, Center for Somatic Psychotherapy (CSP), the only Bay Area mental health clinic specializing in body-oriented/somatic psychotherapy: breath work, movement exercises, & explorations of feeling, sensation, & expression. Offers affordable, sliding-fee services.

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Recent Training
High-Impact CBT Strategies for Successful Exposure Therapy with Mike Christensen, MACP, by the Feeling Good Institute. (2026)

Healing Chronic Symptoms with Nervous System Medicine, with Karden Rabin at Integrate: Mind-Body Practice for Working Through Trauma. (2026)

Rapid Recovery From Anxiety & Shame with CBT Legend Dr. David Burns & Dr. Jill Levitt, by the Feeling Good Institute. (2025)

ADHD: What It Is,…Isn’t, and What to Do About It by the California Department of Education & Diagnostic Center of Northern California. (2024)

Flash Technique (FT) with Dr. Philip Manfield, creator of FT and a psychotherapist with over forty years clinical experience. (2023)

EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) with Dr. Philip Manfield, approved by the EMDR International Association (EMDRIA). (2022)

Parent-Child Conflict: Practical Interventions with Alejandra Trujillo. Emphasizing parental regulation and the mind-body relationship. (2021)

Somatic Practice Lab: Exploration, Integration, & Application of Soma into Psychological Practice. Breema: the Art of Relationship, Hypnotherapy, Experiential Anatomy, Creative Movement. (2021)

Free the Vital Energy and Illuminating Presence of Your Spine with Bonnie Bainbridge Cohen: Explorations in Movement and Cellular Consciousness. A Body-Mind Centering® Approach. (2021)

Embodied Awareness for Trauma Release with Licia Sky. Techniques and strategies for healing trauma drawn from theater, guided focusing, dance, meditation, yoga, bodywork, and Embodied Voice. (2020)

Somatic Experiencing: A Workshop with Peter Levine. SE is a body-oriented approach to the healing of trauma and other stress disorders. (2019)

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Professional Affiliations
California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists (CAMPFT), San Francisco CAMPFT, Bay Area Therapists Specializing in Adolescents (BATSA)

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