Base

25301 Cabot Road, Suite 216
Laguna Hills, CA 92653

I provide professional, caring psychotherapy with a focus on learning the themes and dynamics that were established during one´s upbringing that play a role in the ability to function successfully in life in the present. I help my client determine why it is that they respond the way they do to situations in life and how their physical symptoms may be related to their mental health. I help them access a sense of authenticity to replace some of the defensive postures they have developed out of a need to cope in an environment over which they had little control.

I have extensive experience and training in marital therapy and have had success (in conjunction with the hard work and motivation on the part of the couple), in helping to transform troubled marriages that are on the brink of divorce into relationships that feel meaningful and satisfying.

I utilize a model of treating the underlying causes of addictive behavior (alcohol abuse, drug abuse, sexual acting out, cutting, eating disorders) that includes meeting multiple times a week following detoxifying (in the case of substance) to access the persistent, painful themes that create anxiety that keep a person using addictive substances or performing addictive acts. Some clients utilize a 12-step program along with our individualized work, others do not.

In general, I encourage clients to move toward health at their own pace. We establish together whether once-a-week sessions will be satisfactory or whether meeting multiple times a week might provide better containment and promote deeper, faster results. I create an atmosphere where self-exploration feels creative, safe, and individualized.

I welcome clients of any spiritual persuasion, and because I have functioned within church fellowship circles, I have insight into the messages and issues that arise from within this setting.

I have completed a doctoral program in psychoanalysis and encourage exploration of issues in a more in depth manner, rather than attempting only to eliminate or control symptoms.

General:
Profession: Psychotherapist/Psychoanalyst in Private Practice
Gender: Female
Years of experience: 25
Cost per session: $150
Sliding Scale: Slight adjustments if necessary
Accepts Insurance: Only as an “out of network” provider
Accepts Credit Cards: VISA and Mastercard

Client Focus:
Ethnicity: Any
Gender: Both
Religious/sexual orientation: Any
Age: Adolescents, Adults

Treatment Preferences:
Orientation: Psychodynamic, Psychoanalysis
Modality: Individual (Adults and Adolescents), Couples, Parents, Family

Qualifications:
Masters Degree in Clinical Social Work, USC, Phi Kappa Phi
Doctoral Degree in Psychoanalysis, Newport Psychoanalytic Institute

Experience:
Private Practice
Instructor, Newport Psychoanalytic Institute, Doctoral Program
Clinical Consultant for doctoral level students
Admission Committee Psychoanalytic Doctoral Institute
Pro bono treatment for military personnel and their families through ‘Soldiers Project’
Children & Youth Services, County Health Care Agency
Charter Hospital Inpatient, Yorba Linda
Group Leading, California State University, Fullerton

Post Graduate Training:
Theory and Treatment of Trauma
Eating Disorders
Psychoanalysis and Sexuality
Gender Dynamics in the Clinical Setting
Alcohol and Chemical Dependency
Child Abuse Training
Group Leading Training
Play Therapy Training
Depression and Dysthymia in Children and Adolescence
Domestic Violence
Couples Therapy Training
Object Relations
Comparative Psychoanalysis
Clinical Issues: Psychoanalytic Setting
Clinical Issues: Transference/Countertransference/Unconscious
Clinical Issues: The Frame and Boundary Dilemmas
Advanced Clinical Issues: Regression, Provision/Abstinence
Advanced Clinical Issues: Impasse/Termination
Developmental Theories: Infancy, Toddlerhood, Early Childhood
Developmental Theories: Later Childhood and Latency
Developmental Theories: Puberty and Adolescence
Dreams in Psychoanalysis
Writings of Freud I & II
Writings of Winnicott
Writings of Klein
Writings of Fairbairn
Writings of Guntrip
Writings of Abraham
Writings of Ferenczi
Writings of Bion
Writings of Ogden
Ego Psychology
Self Psychology
Affective State & Regression
Treatment of Borderline and Narcissistic Personality Disorders
Making Contact with the Primitive Patient
Psychoanalytic Visions: One Case, Five Lenses of Growth & Healing
Intimacy & Endings: Effects of Patient Termination on Clinician
Case Conferences
Dialogical Approach to Psychotherapy
Management of Assaultive Behaviors Training
Non-Violent Crisis Intervention
Advanced Training Workshop of Adolescent In-Patient Care
Play Therapy Training in Private and Public Settings
Play Therapy Sampler Workshop
Multiple Dimensions of Play Therapy
Sand Tray Therapy Training
Interactive Approach to Play Therapy
Drug Use in the Adolescent “Rave” Culture
In Class Behavioral Modification
Behavioral Modification for Children
Behavioral Modification for Children with ADHD
Developing Creative IEP Goals and Objectives
Working with Defiant Children and Adolescents
Group Therapy with Children
Spirit of Healing with Children and Adolescents
Aspergers Syndrome and High Functioning Autism
Human Sexuality
HIV/AIDS Training
HIV Update for the Mental Health Professional
Invoking the Sage: Choosing to Age Well
UCI Family Therapy Training Program: Couples Therapy
Psychoanalysis and Couples Training
The Anatomy of Intimacy: Attachment and Differentiation
Involuntary Hospitalization: Policies and Procedures
Involuntary Hospitalization Laws
Psychopharmacology for the Non-Medical Professional
Child & Adolescent Psychopharmacology for Non-Medical Practitioners
Law & Ethics