Who I Am and What I Do

My private practice is located in Torrance, California, 90505, and I have more than 23 years of experience working with individuals, couples and children, helping them overcome barriers to achieving the life they want to live.

With a Master of Social Work degree from USC and a focus on Mental Health Services, I worked for Los Angeles County for a total of 14 years. The first 12 years were spent with the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) in Adoptions. I also worked one night a week in the Child Sexual Abuse Unit with one-time offenders and the non-offending parent. The last two years were spent with the Department of Mental Health at Harbor UCLA Medical Center, working with adults in the psychiatric ward.

In 2007, after realizing that childhood trauma is at the root of most addictions, I became interested in learning more about trauma, addictions, and how they affect families. My focus was on receiving training to learn more about trauma and how to help those who needed to resolve their own trauma. While continuing to work for the county, I opened up a private practice in Redondo Beach, California. Using my trauma tools, I worked evenings and weekends with individuals, couples and adolescents who were struggling with any addiction, trauma, compulsivity, phobias, anxiety, depression or, medical or relational trauma.

In 2012, I started my addiction training and began working with Addicts and Betrayed Spouses. In 2013, after leaving Los Angeles County, I focused my attention on my private practice, spending a few days a week at an intensive, outpatient treatment center, where they specialized in Sex Addiction.

Below are a list of certifications and the training I have received. I continue to incorporate new tools regularly.

Certifications and Training
Certified EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) Therapist and Attachment-Focused EMDR Therapist. EMDR is a highly effective methodology for reprocessing trauma.

Certified Sex Addiction Therapist (CSAT) using the Patrick Carnes, PhD, 40-Task method of addiction treatment.

Trauma Resiliency Model (TRM) or Somatic Therapy with a somatic or “mind-body” approach, where the focus is on the Autonomic Nervous System, which restores the body’s natural resiliency.

Completed five years of training with Pia Mellody at the Meadows in Wickenburg, Arizona. Pia is the developer of Post-Induction Therapy (PIT) or Developmental Immaturity Model, based on childhood and relational trauma. Pia is the author of Facing Love Addiction, Facing Codependency and The Intimacy Factor.

Professional Organizations and Associations