The Basics
I am a licensed clinical psychologist (PSY32407) with a private practice in Oakland, California. I have provided therapeutic services in multiple venues for over a decade, including community mental health (serving low income and unhoused clients) and college counseling (at Mills College and the University of Pacific). I graduated from The Wright Institute in Berkeley with a Psy.D. (Doctorate in Clinical Psychology).
In terms of therapy style, I utilize an evidence-based Relational approach that incorporates elements of Mindfulness and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. In plainer words, I pay attention to both what's going on in your present and what happened in your past, as we engage in open exploration as well as working on specific skills.
More Background
My previous careers in academia and the arts heavily inform my approach to therapy.
For starters, I am interdisciplinary at heart, utilizing multiple perspectives to tackle issues. In over a decade spent at Stanford University, I taught for a dozen different programs and departments, from Stanford Pre-Collegiate Studies to Classics to African American Studies to Stanford's Center for Comparative Studies in Race and Ethnicity. One of my favorite parts of producing plays was to go from directing to performing to running the lightboard to writing. This varied approach remains with me as a psychologist, as I draw from numerous approaches, which allows me to create individualized treatments for each client.
I am also a big believer in collaboration. As a theater practitioner, I always favored ensemble work, whether I was directing, acting, or writing. This spirit guides my therapy work. I bring my experience and expertise to the therapy space, but so do my clients, as they have the most invaluable experience and expertise on their own lives, sometimes without realizing it.
Academic/Teaching Background
Graduate Degrees
Smith College, Northampton (MFA, Playwriting)
Stanford University, Stanford (PhD, Theater and Performance Studies)
Dissertation: Laughter in Revolt: Race, Ethnicity, and Identity in the Construction of Stand-up Comedy
The Wright Institute, Berkeley (PsyD, Psychology)
Dissertation: Impacts of Race-based Humor on Stand-up Comedians
Teaching
The British Institute (Munich, Germany)
Cushing Academy (Ashburnham, Massachusetts)
De Anza College (Cupertino, California)
Diablo Valley College (Pleasant Hill, California)
Education Unlimited (Bay Area, California)
Stanford University (Stanford, California)
The Wright Institute (Berkeley, California)
Outside the Office
While the focus of therapy is on the client, of course, it can also be helpful to have a sense of a therapist beyond their professional side.
Originally from New England, I started visiting the Bay as a teenager, to spend time with relatives in Berkeley, Richmond, and San Francisco. I lived in Scotland and Germany before settling in the Bay in 2002. In addition to family and my friends, it is the diversity of this area that has kept me here, calling it home.
My degrees are in part a result of my curiosity about life and the world. I am also a fan of art and pop culture. This ranges from the old-timey (like Shakespeare) to the contemporary (like Everything Everywhere All At Once). I definitely have some nerdy/geeky qualities, which come out in my fondness for fantasy and science fiction.