Education and training

Education

I earned my bachelor degree at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Majoring in psychology, I also studied education, religion, and chemistry. 

I then pursued my doctorate in clinical psychology and earned my PsyD from the California School of Professional Psychology at Alliant International University, an APA-accredited institution. I designed my coursework to be comprehensive, studying in the family and children, multicultural, and health departments. I successfully defended my dissertation examining the development and consequences of shame-proneness and calling for early intervention.

training

My early clinical training provided a rich foundation, including serving children and women experiencing homelessness, families in the foster care system, survivors of sexual assault, people living with severe mental illness, and adults with developmental disabilities. In these settings, I learned to work within a trauma-focused framework, find and instill hope, seek connection and understanding, leverage my client's strengths, and remain compassionately curious. 

I focused my later training experiences on honing skills with families and children under the guidance of a Registered Play Therapist Supervisor (RPT-S) in a community mental health setting. I worked with children and families experiencing behavioral challenges, family stressors, difficulties related to neurodivergence, and families navigating grief, providing psychotherapy and play therapy. In this setting, I received specialized training in grief and play therapy. 

I also sought and obtained over 100 play therapy training/education units and hundreds of hours of supervised play therapy experience. I continue to acquire training and remain engaged in the play therapy community.