About Me

Education, Training and Membership

CA License PSY15827, 1998

PhD, University of Colorado, Boulder, 1996

Post-Doctoral Fellowship, Kaiser Permanente, 1996

Predoctoral Internship, VA Palo Alto Health Care System, 1994

Bachelor's Degree, UCLA, 1987

EMDRIA trained in EMDR

Certified in Cognitive Processing Therapy for PTSD

CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy) for Anger Management, Depression, Anxiety

Skills Training in Affect and Interpersonal Regulation for PTSD [STAIR]

Relaxation

Attachment Theory

American Psychological Association Member

Santa Clara Psychological Association Member

Cultural Diversity: While working at Kaiser Permanente, I had the privilege of serving on the Regional Best Practices Cultural Competency Committee with a stellar group of colleagues. Here I was able to continue to hone my skills in cultural diversity and work on my own issues of white privilege which I had begun in graduate school. We hosted annual regional conferences on numerous cultural topics such as white privilege, transgender best practices, Japanese-American oppression and the experience of being interned in the internment camps, best practices for treating the LGBTQ community and the effects of homophobia. We also created a Best Practices Cultural Competency Manual and guidelines for clinical practice for the region.

Trauma and PTSD: I began my work in the study of trauma in graduate school and have continued throughout my career. I loved working halftime at the VA in the outpatient specialty clinic for PTSD for Veterans for nine years. I have a deep understanding of trauma, including complex trauma and how it affects development when experienced in childhood. I have extensively studied the theories of relational development and how trauma can impact our relationships when experienced during our development in childhood and adolescence and also in adulthood. My experience working with people who have experienced trauma and studying PTSD has also given me a profound understanding of the effects of PTSD on relationships and individuals' functioning in their lives.

Depth of Experience: In providing psychotherapy to Veterans at the VA and non-Veterans at Kaiser in very busy outpatient clinics over the course of 29 years, I have worked with hundreds of individuals. In addition, having worked in two emergency departments addressing psychiatric emergencies, as an attending psychologist on locked psychiatric units, and as a consultant to attending physicians on medical units, I am a seasoned psychologist. All of these experiences give me a very broad background within mental health and enable me to quickly and accurately assess the needs of my clients.

Other treatment modalities: I have conducted numerous groups in outpatient clinics and inpatient settings and currently conduct groups at the VA PTSD clinic. The groups I have facilitated or co-facilitated have focused on treating PTSD, depression, Panic Disorder, anger management and PTSD, assertiveness, and communication skills. I have also worked with family members and couples in outpatient and inpatient settings.

Administrative Work: In addition to providing administrative leadership on the locked psychiatric units, I served as the Quality and Risk Management Chief at the Kaiser Permanente Psychiatry Department in Fremont for several years.