AMFT #134153
Associate Marriage and Family Therapist
Pasadena Trauma Therapist
Associate Marriage and Family Therapist, AMFT #134153
Supervised by Cristina Mardirossian, MFC #49234
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
Trauma has an undeniable effect on people’s lives. Over the years, trauma can shape core beliefs about self, relationships, and the safety of the world. These beliefs can lead to the mind and body feeling unsafe, inferior, and/or without a solid sense of well-being. Trauma can impact the body as well, leading to exhaustion, anxiety, stomach issues, or chronic headaches. The most profound of these is how trauma warps what we tell ourselves about who we are and the world around us. It can make us question: “What could I have done differently?” “What about me made this happen?” These narratives leave us stuck in solving a problem that happened in the past and fixating on our part in the harm we experienced.
We can’t change or rewrite the past, but we can come to an understanding of it. We can re-imagine ourselves and our story to begin the healing process. You have survived your trauma; my goal is to provide you with the tools to live well in the next phase of your journey. Everyone has their own story; as such, I will work collaboratively with you to tailor your treatment to your specific wants and needs. I focus on several schools of thought and therapeutic practices to identify your strengths and best support you throughout your therapeutic experience. Specifically, I use Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) and Internal Family Systems (IFS) in combination with other trauma-informed practices to provide a safe, judgment-free environment in which to process your trauma.
As a trauma-informed clinician, I work with a wide range of symptoms and disorders that coexist with trauma or repeated traumas such as anxiety disorders, feeding and eating disorders, relational problems, sexual dysfunction, and substance use disorder. I also work with trauma and stressor-related disorders such as PTSD and C-PTSD, Intimate Partner Violence, the dissociative spectrum, dissociative identity disorder (DID), and sexual trauma.
Additionally, I serve as a mental health advocate on a Board of Directors for a non-profit organization dedicated to reducing the stigma related to dissociative identity disorder (DID) by providing educational and support services to mental health practitioners, supporters of people living with DID, and people living with DID.
By seeking treatment, you have already begun your healing journey. It would be my honor to support you along the way.
Training
- Internal Family Systems (IFS) Level 1
- EMDR Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing
- Internal Family Systems (IFS) training with Frank Anderson, MD
- The Body as a Shared Whole: Using Visualization Techniques to Treat Dissociation by Janina Fisher
- Janina Fisher’s Certified Clinical Trauma Professional Training Level 1 (CCTP): Working with the Neurobiological Legacy of Trauma
- Working with Dissociative Identity Disorder by Cristina Mardirossian, LMFT
- Working With Ritual Abuse Survivors: Patterns and Challenges by Lynette Danylchuk, PhD
- Trauma Recovery and Resilience: Embodied Practices Incorporating Polyvagal Theory by Debra Alvis, PhD
Education
Pepperdine University- Master of Arts in Clinical Psychology
Antioch University- Bachelor of Arts in Psychology
