Ph.D., M.S., B.A., Licensed Psychologist, #PSY30518

Welcome to our practice. I co-founded Psychology Works of California with the mission of offering prompt access to high-quality, individualized psychological care. I have worked in the health and human services fields for over 30 years and deeply understand the importance of building trusted, caring, and collaborative relationships with my clients. I am passionate about psychology and helping people tap into their strengths to reach their wellbeing and performance goals. Some of my clients have described me as genuine, warmly curious, kind, and respectful.

Many of my clients include adults and adolescents seeking help with anxiety, depression, stress, and general mental health concerns. I also specialize in working with high performance athletes, performers, professionals, and teams wanting to enhance mental skills for peak performance, enjoyment, and wellness. I adopt a strength-based, collaborative, and goal-directed approach to quickly identify and overcome barriers to clients’ wellbeing and performance.

Background
I have served as a sport and performance psychology consultant, an executive director of a non-profit for underserved youth and families, and a sport psychologist and clinical instructor at Stanford University. I hold a BA in Psychology and MS in Kinesiology – Sport Psychology from San Francisco State University. I was selected out of all conferring SFSU graduate students to receive the esteemed graduate student Hood Award, based on my distinguished scholarship and outstanding service to the community.

I completed my pre-doctoral clinical training at the Palo Alto VA, where I worked with people experiencing general mental health concerns, serious mental illnesses, PTSD, traumatic brain and body injuries, and substance use disorders. I then received a Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology from the University of Oregon before finishing a post-doctoral clinical and research fellowship at Stanford Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, specializing in treating anxiety and mood disorders and working with high performance athletes.

Publications
I have authored a number of articles and book chapters related to sport-based life skill development, motivation and wellbeing in youth sports, wellness, and peak performance. I recently co-authored an article exploring wellness with surgical residents in the Journal of the American Medical Association, which is the most widely circulated medical journal internationally.

Some of my personal interests include running and strength training, traveling, attending sporting events, reading, cooking new recipes, and watching Grey’s Anatomy. I am a retired competitive athlete and coach, and I hold a 4th degree black belt in Judo.