Add Joy Counseling

I came to this profession to help others navigate and resolve the kinds of trauma that I experienced as a child and young adult. Of course this is a path of continuous learning, and there are many ways to approach and explore how you are affected by it. Empirical studies show that the relationship you have with your therapist is more important than what method or therapeutic technique they use. It is also important that your therapist believe that you can change. You are invited to seek change, even if all you have is a tiny amount of hope. 

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I graduated from California State University Northridge, school of Educational Psychology. My training prepared me to do marriage and family therapy and  to provide counseling to people in the community. I have experience working with people mandated to complete a domestic violence intervention program, groups of individuals seeking help for depression, stress, anxiety, anger management, couples trying to improve their marital relationships, people parenting children with ADHD, and prison inmates in a drug and alcohol treatment program. I also see individuals with childhood trauma, depression, anxiety, grief, and existential crisis. Because I also worked as a registered nurse in the community, I have considerable experience with elderly people, those with dementia, and people with co-occurring medical and mental health disorders.

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My primary therapeutic orientation is CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy), but I incorporate aspects of DBT (dialectical behavioral therapy), mindfulness, sensorimotor therapy, inner child work, and gestalt techniques when I think they will be helpful.