FAQ

Welcome! I see a lot of clients who have never been in therapy before. Like with any new relationship, it can feel weird at first, but as we get to know each other, the nerves will settle, and we’ll find our rhythm.

First things first: reach out to schedule a free first session. This is a chance for us to get to know each other. I’ll ask you questions about what’s bringing you to therapy, your goals, and what you’re looking for in a therapist. Then you can ask me anything you want to gauge whether I’m the best therapist for you.

We’ll schedule our next 50-minute session if you want to move forward. Here, we’ll dive deeper into the conversation we already started. Where do you feel stuck? What changes do you want to see in your life? What’s keeping you from making those changes? We’ll start to create the roadmap for our work together.

From there, it’s all about getting to know each other and building trust so that you can touch on the painful experiences you’ve been avoiding for so long (because, so often, that’s where healing lies). We will build a collaborative relationship supporting you on your journey of healing and liberation.

Throughout the whole process, I want you to know that you’re in charge of the therapy – you get to decide what you want to talk about, what works for you in therapy, what doesn’t, how long you stay in therapy, etc. I welcome your feedback so I can adjust my style to best support you.

I offer sessions in person in Oakland, and online throughout California.

I’m available Monday through Thursday, from 9 am to 6 pm.

Sessions last 50 minutes, and I meet with clients once a week. Some clients may want more support, so I’m available for additional sessions.

Once you agree to work with me, your session time is reserved just for you. Therapy is an investment in yourself; consistency is important in creating meaningful change.

Cancellations must be made with a minimum of 24 hours’ notice, and you are allowed four cancellations per year (or once per quarter if less than a year). Please plan to pay for sessions canceled with less than 24-hour notice or beyond four times per year, regardless of the reason.

If I have available space within a business week, I may offer you another time; any reschedules are a courtesy, are made at my discretion, and are not guaranteed.

That’s up to you! Some clients see me for a few months to work through a specific issue or experience. Others stay in therapy for several years to do the deep work needed to shift long-standing patterns and change their experience of life.

Yes! I love working with Spanish-speaking clients and welcome Spanglish, too.

I specialize in working with Latinx individuals, teens, couples, and postpartum people.

My therapeutic approach draws from various schools of psychology; each sparks unique curiosities and avenues of growth. Together, we will discover which areas of exploration feel most alive to you:

• Gestalt Psychotherapy was inspired by Buddhist philosophy and awareness practices. By drawing compassionate awareness to your experience in the present moment – and accepting things as they are – they may begin to change.
• Liberation Psychology recognizes the various systems of oppression that overlay our lived experiences. By exploring the ways you may have internalized harmful societal messages, as well as how you have creatively resisted those narratives, you may begin to rewrite your stories about yourself.
• Existential Theory acknowledges there is no solution to the great questions about the meaning of life or death. You may find more inner peace by identifying your guiding values in life and sitting with the discomfort of death.
• Psychodynamic Psychotherapy suggests that the relationship patterns that show up with your family, partners, or friends will also appear in your relationship with your therapist. By bringing gentle curiosity to our relationship’s unspoken currents, we can shift the ways you feel stuck in relationships outside the therapy office.

•  Education
  ○ Master’s degree in integral counseling psychology from the California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS)
  ○ BA in comparative literature from the University of Chicago
•  Experience
  ○ Experience working with adults in community mental health
  ○ Experience with children and adolescents in elementary and middle school
•  Training & Workshops
  ○ In-depth training in Gestalt psychotherapy
  ○ In-depth training on working with grief and bereaved parents
  ○ Training in child and adolescent therapy
  ○ Workshops on suicidality, gender and sexuality, somatic modalities, and sand tray play therapy 

Schedule a free first session. We’ll get to know each other and find out if we’re a good match.

How could you ask me such a hard question?! Since I was a kid, hiding under the covers with a flashlight to read, I’ve loved being teleported to another world through a good book.

I’m a fiction girl, through and through. “Dune” opened me up to the world of sci-fi in the most delicious way. Anything by J.M. Coetzee, Zadie Smith, or David Mitchell makes the list. Lately, I’ve been on a romance binge (yummy reality escape, anyone?), and “You Made a Fool of Death with Your Beauty” by Akwaeke Emezi is gorgeous (as is everything I’ve read by her).

For YA, “Children of Blood and Bone” by Tomi Adeyemi is a thrilling ride. And I can’t leave out my childhood favorites, memorized from the first page to last: Beatrix Potter and her hilariously adult world of British animals dressed in pinafores and top hats.

I’ll pause here because my wheels are spinning, and I could keep on and on. Please share your recommendations when we meet!