My educational background includes earning an M.S. in Couple and Family Therapy from The California State University East Bay, a B.A. in Sociology with a Masters Level Social Research Certificate from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, an advanced Trauma Treatment Certificate from the Insite Counselling Center of Sydney Australia, and a Teaching Yoga Certificate from the Yoga Studio Mill Valley (California).

I am currently undergoing training in another trauma treatment approach called Brainspotting which I find is adding great value to my ongoing and ever growing work as a trauma therapist.

My professional therapy and leadership roles include long stints at the Contra Costa County Department of Chidren’s Mental Health and at Relationships Australia. I have lectured and trained graduate level counselling students at the Australian Institute of Relationships Studies and at Notre Dame University of Australia. My social advocacy work includes helping to develop specialized family law and counselling services for First Nation Aboriginal Australians and I have developed, worked as a therapist for, and supervised programs for separating parents and their children involved in the Family Courts.

And before becoming an LMFT?: I enjoyed spending my 20s as a carpenter and housebuilder, before deciding to go back to school to pursue a richly fulfilling “desk job” in the field of child and family therapy!