About Me

My own story began in the 1980s. I grew up in a home with plenty of energy, strong personalities, and a clear sense of responsibility. My dad worked late nights as a police officer while my mom somehow balanced a full-time career with remarkable strength and presence. My brother and I spent most of our childhood testing limits, getting into trouble now and then, and learning resilience the way many kids did — through scraped knees, hard conversations, and figuring things out together.

As a teenager in the 1990s, music became my home. Live shows, guitars, friendships, and long conversations helped me find my footing during a time when I was still trying to understand where I belonged. Like many people, I learned some of life's lessons the hard way. Those experiences gave me empathy for people who are doing their best while still finding their way.

Around the turn of the millennium, everything changed. While taking the scenic route through college, I began working in a group home for boys who had experienced significant trauma and instability. At night, I'd read stories, tuck them into bed, and witness how even small moments of consistency and care could begin rebuilding trust. Somewhere during those years I realized I wanted to spend my life understanding suffering — and helping people move through it.

That calling led me to Paradise Community Counseling Center, where I spent nearly eight years working with children, adolescents, and families. I helped develop a special education classroom where emotional regulation often had to come before academics. I facilitated groups, worked closely with parents, and even published a book of poetry with an incredibly talented group of teenagers. Those years taught me about attachment, family systems, addiction, resilience, and the remarkable capacity people have to heal when they feel understood.

In 2010, I joined the San Francisco District Attorney's Office, supporting victims of violent crime as they navigated some of the most painful experiences imaginable. It was meaningful work that demanded both compassion and steadiness.

For much of my career, I've had the privilege of sitting with people during some of the most difficult moments of their lives. I've worked with victims of violent crime, incarcerated individuals, adolescents, families in crisis, and people carrying extraordinary responsibility in their personal and professional lives.

Those experiences have shaped not only the therapist I became, but the kind of practice I wanted to build — one grounded in trust, genuine human connection, practical wisdom, and deep respect for privacy and confidentiality.