I earned my Master's Degree in Counseling Psychology with an emphasis in Depth Psychology from Pacifica Graduate Institute in 2014. Pacifica is one of the only graduate programs in the country rooted in the tradition of depth psychology — an approach that honors what lies beneath the surface of conscious awareness. My training there taught me to understand the psyche through the lens of the imaginal, myth, symbol, and the unconscious, drawing on both psychodynamic and Jungian perspectives. It's a foundation that shapes everything about how I work — and it felt right in line with all the best parts of art making, which I'd explored through my earlier Master of Fine Arts degree from the University of Illinois at Chicago.

I am a certified EMDR therapist through EMDRIA (EMDR International Association), the leading professional organization for EMDR practitioners worldwide. EMDRIA certification represents an advanced level of competency beyond basic EMDR training — requiring extensive clinical hours, ongoing consultation with approved consultants, and a demonstrated commitment to the highest standards of trauma treatment. While I utilize EMDR across my practice, my approach is specifically rooted in attachment-focused EMDR, which adapts the standard protocol to address relational and developmental trauma — the kind that doesn't stem from a single event but from patterns of emotional neglect, misattunement, and unsafe bonds over time. This makes it particularly powerful for the clients I work with most: adult children of emotionally immature parents, narcissistic abuse survivors, and highly sensitive people whose attachment wounds are often layered, complex, and deeply held in the body.

I completed the Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy Program at the Los Angeles Institute and Society for Psychoanalytic Studies (LAISPS), one of the first fully interdisciplinary psychoanalytic training programs in Los Angeles and a component society of the International Psychoanalytical Association. The program deepened my clinical foundation in psychoanalytic theory and technique — from object relations and early development to working with transference, countertransference, and the unconscious dynamics that shape the therapeutic relationship.

Before my career in therapy, I earned a Master of Fine Arts from the University of Illinois at Chicago. An MFA is, at its core, an education in looking closely, sitting with ambiguity, and trusting the creative process even when the outcome isn't yet visible. These are skills that translate directly into the therapy room. My background in the arts also gives me a particular understanding of the creative professionals I work with — artists, writers, performers, and makers who face challenges that are often invisible to those outside the creative world.

I completed Fluence's Premise and Promise psychedelic integration training, a foundational course designed for clinicians who work with clients exploring psychedelic experiences for mental health and personal growth. This training equipped me to support clients in both the preparation for and integration of psychedelic experiences — helping them make meaning of the material that surfaces and weave it into their broader therapeutic work.

I believe that effective therapy requires a clinician who never stops learning. Continuing education is a vital part of my ongoing professional development, and I actively pursue advanced trainings that deepen my ability to serve the specific populations I work with. My continuing education has included specialized trainings in dissociation and treating dissociative disorders, advanced and specialized EMDR protocols, healing narcissistic abuse with EMDR, and law and ethics in clinical practice, among others.