Since 1984, I have been in private practice as a Marriage Family Therapist. I got my start as a high school teacher and soon realized that I preferred assisting my students with their emotional and relationship issues. I began work with adolescent girls in residential treatment. I then decided to return to graduate school for my Master’s in Social Work (MSW). While in graduate school at San Diego State University, I was the president of the National Federation of Student Social Workers and on the boards of both the National Association of Social Workers and The Council on Social Work Education.

I started my social work career by starting the San Diego County Battered Women’s Services. I went on to be the director of the Escondido Youth Encounter (EYE), a youth and family social service agency. Later, I worked as the Assistant Chief of Community Services for San Diego County Mental Health, Division of Children and Adolescents, where I consulted with and trained at numerous organizations and agencies.

During this time, it became clear to me that I preferred clinical work with individuals, groups and couples to agency administration. All the while, I kept my hand in the therapy field, gathering hours and training toward my clinical license. I was licensed as a Marriage Family Therapist in 1985 and have been practicing full time ever since. It has been a very satisfying and fulfilling experience. Over time, my practice has become more focused on emotional and relationship healing. I have found therapy with couple’s to be satisfying and meaningful.

I have combined the training I have received from such experts in the field as John Gottman and Michelle Weiner-Davis with my own extensive experience to develop my personal style with couples. I have seen first hand over 30 years what has and has not been effective, for the many couples I have been privileged to work with.

In the last 10 years, I have been particularly excited by the field of Energy Psychology (EP) which I have found to be very helpful for many of my clients. (You can read more about it here on the web site and via the links I have provided.) I have combined tools from EP with skills and tools from my years of experience in the mental health field. I have been trained in a variety of Energy Psychology techniques including Comprehensive Energy Psychology, The Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT), Thought Field Therapy (TFT), The Tapas Acupuncture Method (TAT), Healing From the Body Level Up 1 and Energy Medicine.

I have additional training and experience in RE-Evaluation Counseling, Hypnosis, Cognitive/Behavioral Therapy, Solution Focused Therapy, Positive Psychology and Creative Visualization.

I am an active member of The California Association of Marriage Family Therapists.