My Education

From musician to therapist

I have a somewhat unique and unexpected education experience compared to many individuals in my field. In fact, I barely graduated from high school. By my sophomore year of high school, I believed I would never go to college because of the deep frustration I held towards academia. I decided to go all in on music and attempt to be a professional musician briefly after I finished high school.

Once realizing I wanted something “more” I earned my Audio Engineering Certificate from San Francisco State and began interning at recording studios throughout San Francisco. I eventually came to the conclusion that what I really enjoyed from music was the connections I was forming with individuals and the meaningful exchanges that took place on a regular basis fellow music lovers/musicians and me.

This is when I decided to begin my collegiate career. I attended De Anza community college where I received my AA in Social Sciences. I took a plethora of classes at De Anza that developed my understanding of Existential and Phenomenological psychology. After participating in these classes, I knew that I wanted to pursue a career in therapy. I sought out a higher education that would allow pursue a career in therapy while also specializing in “multicultural awareness” which is something I believed would be crucial when providing therapy to individuals residing in Silicon Valley.

I received my BA in Psychology and MA in Marriage and Family Therapy from John F. Kennedy University. Here is where I identified my passion for couples’ therapy and was allowed to deepen my understanding of Existential Integrative/Humanistic approach to therapy. I graduated top in my class and was asked to lead workshops, classes, and weekend trainings for my colleagues and other professors due to the deep understanding and studies I had in Existential Psychotherapy.

Learning & development never stop

I am a firm believer that my learning, training, and understanding as a therapist never stops. I believe there is an infinite amount to learn and understand. I am currently furthering my training through Existential-Humanistic Institute (EHI) where I am completing my certificate in advanced existential studies. I am also completing my certificate in Psychedelic-Assisted Therapies and Research from the California Institute of Integral Studies while continuing my training with shamans and other practitioners who have truly gained a deep understanding in the value and effectiveness of these tools within a therapeutic setting. In regard to couples’ therapy, I continue to devout my studies to Emotionally Focused Therapy and The Gottman Method and engage in frequent training and classes from certified resources that will eventually allow me to be a “certified” therapist in these practices.

I view this as only the beginning of my journey and continue to find new ways to challenge myself and grow into a master therapist. I believe that my work and studies will never be complete and I will continue to seek out training to ensure that I am constantly ahead of the game with treatment for my clients while also ensuring I am able to provide a high level of care that I believe all individuals deserve within the therapeutic environment.

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