Pasadena Trauma Therapist
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Certified Clinical Trauma Professional with a passion for serving survivors of trauma and crime. I am constantly in awe of my clients and feel the greatest honor in being permitted into their lives and walking alongside them in their journeys toward posttraumatic growth and resiliency.
I specialize in the treatment of complex trauma (aka C-PTSD), sexual violence and trafficking, generational trauma, gang and incarceration-related adversity, homelessness, and vicarious trauma in first responders. I also work with people who experience addiction, dissociation, and parts or alters (DID/OSDD). I base my work on Trauma-Informed Care and phase-oriented trauma recovery.
Trauma can take its toll and be confusing, definitive, fragmented, or even unspeakable. If you have survived something that has caused you pain, you deserve to heal and release what has been trapped inside of you without fear of judgment. Everyone experiences trauma in their way; there is no “right” or “wrong” way to recover and heal. One goal of therapy is to learn from the wisdom each symptom has to offer in terms of helping you to survive this whole time. The goal is to no longer feel controlled by them or what happened. It’s never too late to shift from just surviving to thriving.
My style is based on a relational, empowerment-driven, collaborative approach. I’m here to help you find your inner strength, and all emotions and parts of you are welcome. A significant component of overcoming relational trauma is by experiencing healing relationships based on the pillars of Trauma-Informed Care (TIC). I am not afraid to sit with people in their emotions, whether it be pain, grief, or rage; these are elements of the healing process that deserve to have space and feel heard instead of being told to “just get over it” or “move on”.
I have practiced in a diverse range of settings, including community non-profits, outpatient clinics, street-based homeless services, jails, residential homes and facilities, police departments, courthouses, and hospitals. I am also an adjunct lecturer for undergraduate and graduate students in the mental health and criminal justice fields and a vegan, artist, and book nerd. I look forward to meeting you.
Modalities I practice
- Parts work
- Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) Therapy
- Narrative Exposure Therapy (NET)
- Prolonged Exposure (PE) Therapy
- Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT)
- Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT)
- Harm Reduction
- Seeking Safety
- Mindfulness and somatic interventions (ex. grounding, polyvagal exercises, yoga positions)
- Expressive Arts Therapies
- Trauma Regulation Integration Process (TRIP)
Education
- California State University, Long Beach – Master of Social Work
- Azusa Pacific University – Bachelor of Social Work
Certificates
- Certified Clinical Trauma Professional (CCTP), International Association of Trauma Professionals
- California State Certified Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence Counselor-Advocate, Peace Over Violence
- Trauma-Informed Care and Services Foundation, Tarzana Treatment Centers
- Trafficking in Persons (TIP-ID) Certification, Center to Restore Trafficked and Exploited Children
- Commercially Sexually Exploited Children (CSEC) 101 and 102, Los Angeles County Probation Department
- Non-Violent Crisis Intervention, Crisis Prevention Institute
- Mental Health First Aid, Mental Health First Aid USA
- Lanterman-Petris-Short (LPS) Act Designation, Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health
- Yoga for Healing Trauma, Uprising Yoga
Special Populations
- Dissociative Identity Disorder, I & II: Treating Ritual Abuse, Pasadena Trauma Therapy, Inc.
- Intergenerational Trauma and Youth Experiencing Homelessness, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles
- CSEC 101 & 102: Commercially Sexually Exploited Children, Los Angeles County Probation Department
- Working with Adult Childhood Sexual Abuse Survivors, Pasadena Trauma Therapy, Inc.
- Working with Men Sexually Abused in Childhood, 1in6, Inc.
- Helping Crime Victims Heal, California Victim Compensation Board (CalVCB)
- UndocuAlly Professional Development, California State University, Los Angeles Dreamers Resource Center
- VetNet Ally Training, California State University, Los Angeles Veterans Resource Center
- Asylum and Cancelation of Removal Evaluations: Focus on Practical Skills in Providing Testimony in Immigration Court, Refugee Mental Health Resource Network
- Black Family Mental Wellness and Intergenerational Trauma: A Systemic Approach, Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health
- LGBTQ+ Mental Health Workshop Series, The LGBTQ Center Long Beach
Crisis Intervention
- Non-Violent Crisis Intervention, Crisis Prevention Institute
- Mental Health First Aid, Mental Health First Aid USA
- Basic Crisis Negotiation, Federal Bureau of Investigation
- R3 Continuum’s Best Practices in Disruptive Event Management for in the Workplace, Association of Traumatic Stress Specialists
Substance Use
- Procovery, Procovery Institute
- Harm Reduction, The People Concern
- Overdose Prevention and Narcan Administration, Homeless Healthcare Los Angeles
Evidence-Based Practices (EBPs)
- Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) Therapy: Parts One and Two, Institute of Creative Mindfulness
- Narrative Exposure Therapy, Long Beach Trauma Recovery Center
- Prolonged Exposure for PTSD, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
- Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), National Crime Victims Research & Treatment Center
- Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT),National Child Traumatic Stress Network
- TF-CBT for Childhood Traumatic Grief, National Child Traumatic Stress Network
- Seeking Safety, Brenda Ingram, Ed.D.
- Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Brenda Ingram, Ed.D
- Dialectic Behavioral Therapy for Psychosis (DBTp), DMH-UCLA Public Mental Health Partnership
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Psychosis (CBTp), DMH-UCLA Public Mental Health Partnership
Expressive Arts
- A Window Between Worlds, Peace Over Violence
- Beat the Odds Drumming Program Facilitator Training, UCLArts & Healing
- Introduction to Expressive Arts Therapy, Expressive Arts Institute
Somatic Interventions
- Trauma and the Body, Pasadena Trauma Therapy, Inc.
- Yoga for Healing Trauma, Uprising Yoga
- Introduction to Havening, Metamorphosis Havening, LLC
- On Trauma: How the Body Releases Trauma and Restores Goodness, Peter Levine, Ph.D.
- Dissociation and the Body, Sensorimotor Psychotherapy Institute
Community Involvement
- Community Emergency Response Team, Citizens Corp | Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
- Community Police Academy, Long Beach Police Department
Additional Trainings
- Choice Theory and Implementation, The People Concern
- Groundwork for Multicultural Care, Relias
- Rental Housing Rights for Survivors of Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault, and Human Trafficking, Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority
