About Me
I am a licensed clinical psychologist (PY8958) who graduated in 2010 with a PsyD from the California School of Professional Psychology in San Francisco, CA. I am a private practitioner and independent provider at the ITM Group in Gainesville, FL. I have provided individual and group counseling in community mental health clinics, college counseling centers, and private practice. I have also provided over thirty workshops and trainings focused on cultural competency/humility to medical and mental health providers.
Individual and Group Therapy Approach
I work with clients with many different presenting concerns (such as anxiety, substance abuse, relationship difficulties, depression, trauma, social skills, and identity). I specialize in gender, sexuality, and working with clients who identify as LGBTQ+. As part of my work with gender diverse clients, I provide mental health evaluations and referral letters for gender-affirming medical treatments.
I value authenticity and strive to bring an approachable and down-to-earth style to therapy. I approach my work with clients with a non-judgmental attitude and strive to create an affirming space for clients to be their authentic selves. I value diversity and approach my work with clients from a multicultural framework, celebrating and respecting client’s intersectional identities, and incorporating discussions about how clients’ identities may impact their life experiences and mental health. I use Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, feminist theory, and Cognitive Processing Therapy in my work.
I take a collaborative approach to treatment, and view clients as the expert of their own experience. I tend to be goal-oriented, and work with clients to identify what changes they would like to see in their lives. I enjoy teaching clients concrete skills that can be practiced and utilized outside of therapy sessions.
Education
I graduated with a BA in Psychology from the University of South Florida in 2002. While at USF I volunteered in a research lab that focused on substance use, and I co-facilitated outpatient social skills groups for children and adolescents with ADD, ADHD, and Autism Spectrum Disorder. In 2005 I was accepted into graduate school at the California School of Professional Psychology in San Francisco, CA. In attending school in San Francisco, I hoped to ensure that I would get experience working with the most diverse clients possible, as well as learn from professors and supervisors who strongly valued diversity and multiculturalism. In addition to the traditional coursework that was required of me, I enrolled in classes that focused on gender studies, LGBT psychology, intercultural awareness development, and Native American Psychology. I also sought out internships that focused on providing culturally competent behavioral health services to underserved and marginalized communities. My dissertation research focused on genderqueer identity.
Throughout graduate school I completed internships focused on case management with HIV positive individuals and residential substance abuse treatment with adolescents. I also provided individual therapy in a community mental health setting to clients who were primarily homeless, Latinx, and/or LGBTQ+. I completed my predoctoral internship and a multicultural postdoctoral fellowship at San Jose State University’s Counseling Center, where I provided individual and group therapy to an extremely diverse student body. It was during this time that I developed a passion for outreach and providing non-traditional therapeutic services to underserved communities, as well as enthusiasm for providing trainings to colleagues about the provision of culturally competent mental health services. While at SJSU I also assisted with an LGBTQ+ student mentorship program.
In 2015 I relocated to
Gainesville, Florida
I began working in private practice at Clinical Psychology Associates of North Central Florida, where I provided individual therapy services to the general community, as well as for the city of Gainesville Employee Assistance Program, the Gainesville Fire Department Employee Assistance Program, the Gainesville Police Department Employee Assistance Program, and vocational rehabilitation counseling.
From 2018 through 2022, I was an independent provider at ITM Group. While at ITM Group, I provided individual and group therapy. I also conducted psychological evaluations for disability and for immigration. Much of my work at ITM Group focused on providing court-mandated substance abuse treatment and individual therapy.
Beginning in 2020 I began working with the multidisciplinary team of providers at the UF Pediatric Endocrinology’s Youth Gender Program. And in January 2022, I opened my own private practice, where I currently provide mostly telemed individual and group therapy services.