MY PATH TO BECOMING A THERAPIST
Curiosity & Lived Experience
As a child, I was quiet, observant, and deeply attuned to the world around me. As the oldest daughter, I learned early to take responsibility for myself while also becoming attuned to the emotions and needs of those around me, a role that, in many ways, was both a gift and a burden. I am also the product of multiple cultures—multiracial, with Mexican, Guatemalan and White heritage. Growing up between cultures gave me an early understanding of what it means to live in the in-between: to hold different perspectives, values, traditions, and ways of belonging at once. It taught me that identity is rarely straightforward, and that some of the most meaningful parts of ourselves exist within the gray spaces—the places where things can be both, rather than either/or.
My own journey in therapy further shaped the path I would take. Experiencing therapy from the other side of the room gave me a deeper appreciation for the vulnerability it takes to let someone into your inner world, as well as the transformative experience of feeling genuinely seen and understood. My own therapy journey continues to inform the way I understand healing—not as a linear process of fixing what is wrong, but as an ongoing process of becoming more connected to ourselves and making space for the complexity of who we are.
Education & Clinical Training
I earned my Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from UC Berkeley, where my curiosity about the human experience truly began to flourish. After graduating, I entered the field of community mental health, working with youth experiencing significant mental health challenges in crisis stabilization settings. This work deepened my understanding of the complexity of mental health and the importance of meeting people with compassion, dignity, and care during some of the most difficult moments of their lives.
In 2025, I received my Master’s degree in Counseling from Saint Mary’s College of California, where I specialized in Marriage & Family Therapy and Professional Clinical Counseling. My training was grounded in an integrative, multicultural, trauma-informed, and social justice-oriented approach—perspectives that continue to shape how I understand people and the contexts in which they live.
My clinical training took place at Saint Mary’s Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS), where I worked with a diverse student population and provided brief psychodynamic therapy to undergraduate and graduate students. These experiences allowed me to deepen my understanding of the ways our relationships, histories, identities, and environments shape our inner worlds.
Integrative Practice
Since completing my graduate education I have worked in non-profit mental health organizations, schools, and group practice. Beyond my formal training, I draw inspiration from the natural world and its cycles of change, growth, death, and renewal. I am often struck by the ways the rhythms of the macrocosm are reflected in the microcosm of our everyday lives. Just as nature moves through seasons of expansion, dormancy, loss, and transformation, our own lives contain periods of becoming, letting go, and beginning again. I bring this perspective into my work as I support clients in making meaning of their experiences, developing a deeper relationship with themselves, and moving through change with greater curiosity and compassion. Outside of the therapy space you might find me with my nose in a book, scavenging for treasures in thrift stores, crafting, singing in community, or dabbling with my tarot cards.
Credentials
Registered Associate Marriage & Family Therapist
(AMFT #156710)
Supervised by Marissa Damphousse
Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist
(LMFT #106722)
Education
B.A. in Psychology
University of California, Berkeley, 2017
M.A. in Counseling with specialization in Marriage and Family Therapy/Professional Clinical Counseling
Saint Mary’s College of California, 2025
Memberships
California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists
(CAMFT)