My path to becoming a therapist started when I took a psychology class in high school taught by Jill Calbi.  I was struggling with depression and severe self-esteem issues, but Ms. Calbi was a beacon of light.  All students knew they could turn to her if they needed to, because we could tell she genuinely cared.  It was then that I knew that I wanted to pay this blessing forward - to be someone that people knew they could come to for a safe and non-judgmental ear.

​

I studied psychology at the University of California, San Diego.  There I studied infant and child development at the Cognitive Development Lab (with Dr. Gedeon Deak) and Child Think Lab (with Dr. David Liu).  I also received the honor of becoming a scholar of the Ronald E. McNair program, a research scholarship for first-generation minority college students.  Upon graduation I completed an honors thesis about infant stress and attention to visual stimuli.  

​

I obtained my master's degree in Clinical Psychology at Cal State University, Fullerton.  I worked with Dr. Barbara Cherry and Dr. Angela Minh-Tu Nguyen to complete my master's thesis on the long-term biological consequences of intimate partner abuse (IPA).  The manuscript is currently being prepared for publishing.

​

My passion for research continues to this day, as I continue to read and synthesize information from peer-reviewed journals.  By staying up-to-date on evidence-based research, I can provide my clients with many different tools to help them on their unique journeys.

​

Thought it has been many years since sitting in Ms. Calbi's psychology class, I still haven't forgotten my primary goal - to get to know you, help you find your light, and encourage you to get out there and shine!