My Experience

SKILLS

• Individual psychotherapy
• Play therapy and sandplay therapy for children
• Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing
• Group psychotherapy and psychoeducation
• Collateral work with significant others, lawyers, and providers
• Case management, referrals, and advocacy

POPULATIONS

• Adults
• Children and adolescents
• Elderly people
• People from multiple ethnic and cultural backgrounds, including African American, Latino/a, and Asian
• Substance abusing adults and adolescents, using abstinence-based and harm reduction approaches
• Dually diagnosed, severely mentally ill adults
• People with severe health challenges e.g., HIV/AIDS, Hepatitis C, COPD, asthma
• Children from low-to-moderate-income families
• Gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender adults
• Survivors of physical, sexual and emotional abuse, as well as domestic violence and rape

EDUCATION/LICENSURE

John F. Kennedy University, Orinda, CA
Doctor of Psychology (Psy.D.) degree awarded 3/25/02. Dissertation: African American Women and HIV Prevention: A Qualitative Assessment of Needs. Chair: Dr. Bill Woods, UCSF Center on AIDS Prevention Studies.

University of California, Berkeley Extension Program, Berkeley and San Francisco, CA
July 1993-May 1995
Certificate in Drug and Alcohol Abuse Studies; Awarded with distinction

University of California, Santa Cruz, Stevenson College, Santa Cruz, CA
October 1987-June 1991
Bachelor of Arts, Literature and Legal Studies (Double major)

Licensed by the California Board of Psychology as a Clinical Psychologist (#PSY19046)

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Private Practice, Richmond and Berkeley, CA
February 2004-present
As licensed clinical psychologist, treat adults, children and adolescents for individual and family psychotherapy. Interacface with collateral sources (e.g., lawyers, evaluators, doctors, teachers, psychiatrists) to coordinate treatment and gather information. Use a mixture of solution-focused brief therapy, EMDR, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, And Dialectical Behavior Therapy. Specialize in trauma survivors, chemical dependency recovery, dually diagnosed clients, and codependency. Also work with adjustment disorders, low self-esteem, depression, anxiety, job stress, and relationship problems. Help with both brief EAP cases and ongoing, severe disorders. Serve adults and minors from a broad range of socioeconomic statuses and ethnic backgrounds, including bilingual individuals.

Walden House Dual Diagnosis Medi-Cal Day Treatment/Outpatient Program, San Francisco, CA
August 2003-February 2004
As a Therapist, provided individual and group psychotherapy, psychoeducational groups, and case management to severely mentally ill adult clients with substance disorders. Psychoeducational groups centered on interpersonal communication, wellness, life skills, drug and alcohol recovery, and mind/body interactions. Assessed and screened clients for appropriateness for the programs. Contacted collateral sources for information and treatment collaboration. Provided referrals for other community programs. Participated in case conferences for treatment planning and client support, including relapse prevention strategy development. Received training in chemical dependency treatment as well as Dialectical Behavioral Therapy. integrated skills training concepts into treatment for our clients. Clients were racially and ethnically diverse SSI/SSDI recipients who tended to be low-functioning.

Episcopal Sanctuary, San Francisco, CA
April 2003-August 2003
As Mental Health Specialist, provided case management services to homeless mentally ill clients in a non-profit shelter. Provided mental health linkage, money management, and assistance with housing and employment. Performed supportive, short-term, and crisis counseling. Led a self-esteem support group. Completed paperwork and charting for all clients, including Medi-Cal for mentally and physically ill clients. Covered Officer of the Day shifts. Received training in Harm Reduction and psychotherapy with gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender clients.

OMI Family Center, Clinical Program, San Francisco, CA
March 2002-March 2003
Provided self-psychological and supportive psychotherapy to severely mentally ill adults. Provided play therapy to children, including enrollees in Special Education. Conducted family and couples therapy. Participated in didactic and experiential training, individual and group supervision, and staff and dispositional meetings. Completed paperwork for each client, including charting, requests for public assistance, and billing. Clients ranged in age from four to 60 years old, were low-income, and came from diverse backgrounds.

Kaiser Vallejo Chemical Dependency Recovery Program, Vallejo, CA
September 2000-June 2001; Predoctoral Internship
Facilitated and co-facilitated support recovery groups for adult and adolescent patients in early recovery from chemical dependency and for their family members. Co-facilitated recovery groups for dually diagnosed adults. Led psycho-educational groups on topics related to recovery and coping skills. Performed screening evaluations for clients to ensure appropriate treatment. Provided individual psychotherapy and case management. Conducted psychodiagnostic testing for adults and adolescents. Wrote integrated reports based on testing and provided feedback to clients and their therapists. Performed crisis evaluations and covered Therapist of the Day shifts. Monitored and charted client progress. Received individual and group supervision and didactic training related to both chemical dependency and psychiatric disorders (e.g., Borderline Personality Disorder). Clients ranged in age from 14 years old to elderly individuals; they were from diverse cultural and ethnic backgrounds, and socioeconomic statuses.

Sonoma County Mental Health, Los Guilucos Facility, Santa Rosa, CA
September 1998-August 1999; Third year practicum
Conducted psychodiagnostic testing for adolescents and children in a juvenile hall, a crisis group home, and a residential treatment for abused and neglected children. Wrote integrated testing reports and provided feedback to other clinicians and clients as needed. Provided individual psychotherapy to adolescents in juvenile hall, including art therapy. Conducted crisis screening and assessment for adolescents. Contacted collateral sources (such as parents and probation officers); provided consultation on client care. Received individual and group supervision. Attended didactic training seminars on forensic and adolescent treatment topics. Clients were predominantly low-income children and adolescents from diverse ethnic and cultural backgrounds.

John F. Kennedy University Community Counseling Center, Pleasant Hill, CA
October 1997-June 1998; Second year practicum
Provided individual, couples and family counseling. Conducted intake interviews; screened potential clients for acute crisis states. Provided referrals to outside agencies when necessary. Acted as screening consultant in the Evaluation Committee, which included conducting screening interviews of potential clients whose treatment needs were in question. Participated in individual and group supervision and didactic seminars on topics such as suicidality, domestic violence, and child abuse. The Center serves people from a wide range of cultures and ethnicities, as well as a wide range of ages.

Family Connections, San Francisco, CA
January-June 1997; First year practicum as participant-observer
Provided community outreach for family and parent resource center. Helped plan and implement a recreational fundraising event. Wrote and was awarded a grant for $4,000 for safety equipment. Helped develop economic resources and fundraising for the center’s various programs. Assisted with child care. Co-led preschool classes. tutored school-aged children on homework, included emotionally disturbed students. Led activities in a recreational program for neighborhood children. The organization serves a diverse ethnic and cultural population.

Sigma High School, Pinole, CA
October-December 1996; First year practicum as participant-observer
Acted as an ethnographic participant-observer in an alternative high school. Tutored students in class and helped with homework completion. Helped teachers grade homework and perform administrative tasks. Students were from diverse ethnic and cultural backgrounds.

Bonita House, Berkeley, CA; November 1994-May 1995
Field placement for Alcohol and Drug Abuse Studies Certificate
Created information packets about HIV prevention for both staff and clients at this residential treatment center for dually diagnosed clients. Co-led a recovery group. Provided organizational and office assistance. Clients were low-income and racially diverse adults with widely ranging ages and disorders.

Pinole Senior Center, Pinole, CA ; July 1995-December 1995
Volunteer Art Teacher and Co-leader
Co-instructed arts and crafts class for senior citizens with Alzheimer’s disease, stroke, and other organic brain dysfunctions. Learned how to manage wandering attention, difficult behavior, and staff and client frustration. informally counseled worried caretakers about their loved ones. Clients of this respite program were racially diverse and low-income.

San Francisco AIDS Foundation, San Francisco, CA; September 1993-October 1994
Volunteer Counselor for the Compass Project and AIDS Hotline
Disseminated information about HIV disease in person and over the phone. Counseled clients about HIV risk, antibody testing, and informing partners. Talked to worried well and HIV infected gay and bisexual men about fears of HIV infection. Spoke to parents about their children’s lifestyle preferences; attempted to dispel myths about HIV and homosexuality. Clients were racially diverse adults from various socioeconomic levels.

PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATION AFFILIATIONS/PUBLICATIONS

California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists, East Bay Chapter

Berkeley Psychotherapy Institute

Book Review of Treating Co-Occurring Disorders: A Handbook for Mental Health and Substance Abuse Professionals, in The Therapist, September/October 2004, Vol. 16, Issue 5, pp. 68-69