I am passionate about helping my clients to find new ways to make sense of and take action around their experiences so that they can access more joy and self-acceptance, and channel their energy to make high-impact changes where desired. And though therapy does require hard work and honesty, it works best when there’s also a lot of warmth and humor, so I have a passion for providing those as well!
My professional background
- Ph.D. — Clinical Psychology and Women’s Studies, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor (2004)
- Postdoctoral fellowship — PTSD and Substance Abuse Treatment, San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center (2005)
- Postdoctoral fellowship — Substance Abuse Treatment Research, University of California, San Francisco (2007)
From 2007-2020, I served as a Health Sciences Clinical Professor in the UCSF Department of Psychiatry and as a clinical psychologist on the PTSD Clinical Team at the San Francisco VA. I also oversaw psychology and psychiatry training for the SFVA PTSD Clinical Team from 2013-2020 and served as Assistant Director of the SFVA Psychology Doctoral Internship program from 2016-2020.
My treatment philosophy
Throughout my professional experiences, I have been in awe of my colleagues’, trainees’, and clients’ dedication, skill, and grit, but have also witnessed the toll that work can take. I have seen too many gifted clinicians leave the field of healthcare because they feel depleted and demoralized. And to add insult to injury, they are often beset by shame and self-blame, because they’ve been led to believe that burnout is caused by a failure of self-care, that compassion fatigue is caused by a failure of empathy, that vicarious trauma is caused by a failure of personal professional boundaries. But the truth is that work-related stress syndromes are much more complicated than that, especially for people who are neurodivergent and those with intersectional identities that have been underrepresented or undervalued in their fields. I have found that resolving burnout and related problems requires attention not only to the self of the professional, but also to the institutions and systems in which they have lived and worked.
In terms of theory and modality, I use neurodiversity-affirming and culturally responsive principles to inform my application of treatment approaches including CBT, family/group systems, attachment/relational, trauma processing (CPT, PE, and narrative exposure), compassion-focused, ACT, DBT, and psychodynamic therapy. I am committed to providing care that is antiracist, intersectionally feminist, non-ableist, LGBTQ-affirming, and polyamory-friendly.
Where I’m located
In 2020, after living and working in San Francisco for 16 years, I moved to Madison, Wisconsin in order to be closer to my husband’s family, to have a better work-life balance, and to once again experience snowy winters (which I’ve missed ever since leaving Ann Arbor, Michigan upon finishing grad school). I am loving the easy access to lakes and cheese curds, but do miss that misty SF marine layer and those breathtaking bay and ocean views. I also miss sharing physical space with my clients, but since COVID-19 forced all of us to become more adept at using technology to connect with others, I’ve come to realize there are important benefits to teletherapy. I’ve found that my clients enjoy the convenience of being seen virtually, without having to worry about commute times and parking, and that I’m gaining a richer view of their lives in the “real world” outside of the therapy room. And as I maintain an active network with colleagues throughout California and elsewhere, I am able to make referrals to and collaborate with other providers as needed.