Early Years

  I was born in San Rafael, CA but grew up in Madison, Wisconsin. I moved back to the Bay Area when I was 17 and have lived here ever since. From early on I loved caring for animals, so I planned to be a veterinarian or a Medical Doctor, but these ambitions faded when I learned what my day would be like in a clinic or hospital. So much rushing around and so little time to spend with each patient. Doing something in the healing arts was still on my list, but it took me awhile to realize that it would be psychotherapy.

 It all began with OA

  When I was 16 I started going to Overeaters Anonymous meetings. I didn’t realize it fully at the time, but I had anxiety and had been trying to cope with it by eating too much food. In my first OA meeting, I was struck by how open and honest people were with their feelings. They just poured it all out. This was very different than anything I had ever experienced, and I absorbed it like water in a desert. For the next 8 years I made these groups a part of my life wherever I went. I got my first taste of what it would be like to be a counselor or therapist when I started sponsoring others new to the group. My own mental health journey eventually shifted into long term individual therapy, but I will always be grateful for the emotional and spiritual nourishment I got in those groups.

Not a straight path

  I also had a passion for the arts, starting with drawing and painting, then music (lots of violin and voice lessons) and theater. It’s not surprising that I would be pulled in two directions, art and science, since my family is full of artists and scientists. Trying to bridge these two would also be part of my journey. It became clear in college that trying to make a living in the performing arts was going to be extremely difficult, if not impossible, and it the cutthroat business side of the career was not suited to my personality. I felt much more at home in an environment of feelings, with a focus on healing and personal growth. After graduating with honors from UC Davis, I enrolled in a master’s program in clinical psychology with an emphasis in Drama Therapy as well as a marriage and family therapist track. The jobs I got after graduating from that program (in 1991) were primarily activity coordinator positions in hospitals and clinics, where I led and supervised all kinds of expressive art therapy groups, mostly drama, art and music. During that time, I also did a three-year internship in a low fee counseling clinic, where I saw clients in a private practice type of setting. This would help prepare me for my dream job of doing private practice after licensure, where I would be doing more talk therapy and less expressive arts (let’s face it, Drama Therapy isn’t for everyone!)

Learning CBT

   Of all those early experiences, I think my job at Fremont Psychiatric Hospital was where I experienced the most professional growth. For five years, I participated in a weekly Cognitive Behavioral therapy seminar, led by Dr. John White, an author and authority on the subject. I attended weekly seminars and trainings on other subjects as well, primarily Dialectical Behavioral Therapy and Enneagram work. Over those years I led groups and entire programs (such as the chemical dependency evening outpatient program, the chemical dependency outpatient day program, and groups for depression, anxiety, bipolar and other more severe psychiatric symptoms and personality disorders).

What I love about doing therapy

   My dream from the start, however, was to have a private practice. I started this part-time shortly after I was licensed in 1996, and have been gratefully working there full-time for more than 20 years. This is a field with a high burnout rate. This is related to several factors, including: low pay compared to other professions with equivalent education and training requirements, compassion fatigue, and isolation. I’m grateful that I’ve been able to avoid burnout for all these years, mainly because my personality is suited to the job and I believe that the work is valuable. Getting to know and care about people at a deep level, and working collaboratively with them on their journey is spiritually and emotionally rewarding to me. The best situations are when a client’s needs match with what I have to offer. Where there are obstacles to progress, I am challenged to keep learning and growing. Doing my own therapy from time to time and continuing to learn new theories and approaches is also extremely helpful and stimulating. Participating in a weekly Control Mastery (psychodynamic) case study group for many years has also helped to deepen my understanding. Psychology is still a relatively new field, there is always more to learn and be excited about.

   When I’m not at work,

I enjoy spending time with my husband of 15 years, my cat Jade (Kitty) who I call the therapy cat because she always makes an appearance in the video sessions, doing singing gigs from time to time and gardening.