This is Essential to Know….
Occasionally people I work with in therapy will ask questions about me personally. I understand this. After all, it’s strange to share feelings and secrets you may not have ever told another person with a stranger whom you know little about and don’t trust. In reality, are these details what you need to know in order to trust? How do we come to have a trust in another?
Trust occurs in a relationship where we feel that our cares and concerns are important to another. What may be the most helpful for you to know at the very beginning, is that I hope to help you have a therapy experience in which you will come to see our relationship as one in which your concerns and feelings are important to me. I hope you will feel safe, supported, understood and hopeful in our work together.
The Path to Therapy
After leaving college with one semester left to graduate, I set out to find out more about what I wanted to be when I grew up. I decided to work in the “real world” and find my areas of interest. I held many jobs, and continued to attend classees of many types to learn and discover more about me. I had a variety or work experiences which gave me a broad experience of people, their frustrations and problems, both in the workplace and in their personal lives. I also volunteered at many mental health clinics and nonprofit helplines, where I learned how to listen. One of the classes I attended was ” Interviewing and Counseling Techniques “. I soon realized I enjoyed this area and that listening was a skill that I felt at ease with and enjoyed. My instructor encouraged me to consider this as a career choice. I was fortunate to have had my own positive therapy experience, which contributed to greater understanding of myself, my decision to return to school and become a therapist myself.
I returned to California State University, San Bernardino, in 1984 and completed my Bachelor of Arts in Psychology in 1985. In 1987 I completed my Masters of Science in Clinical/Counseling Psychology also at CSUSB. I was licensed as a marriage and family counselor in 1989.
Some early professional therapy experiences
In the agencies where I accumulated hours for licensure, I worked with abused children and their parents, foster children and individuals. I specialized in helping children and adults recover from abuse and trauma. Most importantly, I learned about how we are healed in a relationship which we are respected and guided. I have been in private practice since 1989 and have been working with individuals, children, adolescents, couples and familie3651s since then.
I have received most recently, extensive training, supervision and experience in conducting marital therapy, which is a current area of interest and specialization for that past decade. I have received training in the area of Eating Disorders, ADHD, Asperger’s, Anger Management, Relaxation and Guided Imagery, Hypnosis, Cognitive Interventions, Marital Therapy, PreMarital Therapy, Blended Families, and continued Legal and Ethical training. My hundreds of hours of continuing education are available if you would like to review them. I continue to feel touched as I watch individuals reach higher potential and greater levels of hope and delight in their lives.
I became a Board member of my local chapter of CAMFT and eventually the president elect and president of the Inland Empire chapter , which doubled its membership. Several years later, I also obtained , through the CAMFT certification program, certification as a clinical supervisor and I have supervised over a dozen therapists in training. I continue to be energized and excited by the work I do and am grateful for the opportunity to help others live more successfully and happily.