HELLO! I am a Licensed Therapist & Somatic Experiencing Practitioner who compassionately works with adults who have experienced of difficult interactions in their childhood and current daily living. My goal is to help you stop emotions running the show and start helping you get back to really living life.
I’m no different from the clients I see. Like everyone else, I'm human. I've been been through both wonderful and difficult experiences that have shaped who I am and how I help. After numerous significant losses in my life, I began to see how my difficult childhood experiences were affecting my present life. I sought help through EMDR, IFS, and Somatic Experiencing and resolved my traumas which in turn allowed me to change my patterns (especially the ones I wasn't aware I was doing) and have deeper trust within myself and with others. Therapy changed my life and it's my life's passion to bring the tools and extensive trainings I've learned to others so they can have profound change in their lives. My life experiences are what lead me to become the Compassion Warrior I am today!
COMPASSIONATE WARRIOR PHILOSOPHY
- I believe that you are worthy of love and care.
- I believe that there is no shame in asking for help.
- I believe that therapy should address the person as a whole - their mind, body, and spirit.
- I believe that sometimes small steps in the right direction end up being the biggest steps in the end.
- I believe that we can stop feeling shame when we share our story with someone who can hear it with empathy and understanding.
EXPERIENCE AND EDUCATION
I have worked with little ones, adolescents, long-lived folks, and plenty in between. The beginning of my therapist journey was serving young children and teens in schools and community programs to help students with mood/anxiety disorders, suicidal thoughts, exposure to sex trafficking, unmanageable emotions, trauma, and life transitions. I have extensive experience working with diverse populations of adolescents, active and retired military, and adults who have eating disorders and mental health issues in both residential facilities and private practices.
I earned my Master of Counseling in Marriage and Family Therapy with honors from the University of Phoenix after completing my Bachelor of Arts in Fine Arts from San Diego State University. Along the way, I’ve completed numerous advanced certifications and trainings in EMDR, Somatic Experiencing, Internal Family Systems, Ego State Therapy, Emotionally Focused Therapy and whatever catches my eye to help my clients achieve their goals. Most importantly, I am a lifelong learner and will ALWAYS seek out the best and most effective methods for helping others.
Certifications and Trainings
- IFS Foundations (2023)
- Evolutionary Playground (2023)
- Body Intelligence Advance (2023)
- EMDR with Ad de Jongh & Suzy Matthijssen (2022)
- Somatic Resilience & Regulation (2022)
- EMDR & IFS (2022)
- Sexual Trauma Somatic Experiencing (2022)
- Kathy Kain Somatic of Emotions (2022)
- SEP Certification (2022)
- Somatic Experiencing ADV l & ll (2022)
- Somatic Experiencing Int I, II & III (2021)
- Somatic Interventions Complex Trauma (2021)
- Certified Grief and Loss Counselor (2021)
- Embodying The Unspoken Self (2021)
- Certified Trauma Clinical Counselor (2021)
- Somatic Experiencing Beg I, II & III (2020)
- Ego State & EMDR By Robin Shapiro (2020)
- EMDR & Dissociation Dolores Mosquera (2019)
- EMDR, Positive Psychology & Coaching (2019)
- Energy Psychology (2019)
- EMDR & Somatic Interventions (2019)
- BreathWork Meditation Level 1,2, & 3 (2019)
- EMDR Consultation in-training (2019)
- Polyvagal Theory & Reconsolidation (2018)
- EMDR Ego State Work Advanced (2018)
- Internal Family Systems (2018)
- EMDR and Spiritual Trauma (2018)
- Emotionally Focused Therapy Externship (2017)
- Emotionally Focused Therapy Core Skills (2017)
- EMDR Certification (2017)
- EMDR Trained Levels 1 & 2 (2016)
- ACT Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (2016)
- CBT Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (2016)
- DBT Beginning & Advanced (2015)
- Mindfulness & Compassion (2015)
- Motivational Interviewing I & II (2014)
- Seeking Safety (2013)
- Solution Focused Brief Therapy (2013)
- Trauma-Informed CBT (2013)
