About Me

I grew up in San Diego as a military dependent. I am engaged to be married soon, I have 1 daughter who is 8 and 2 step-children, a boy and a girl, who are 13 year old twins. From 2000- 2014 I worked with children ages 0-18 of military families inside MWR youth programs. In those facilities is where my passion for working with families began.

I received a BA in Early Childhood Education and went on to attain a MA in Marriage and Family Therapy. I completed my practicum with the YMCA TIDES program where I provided therapy in San Diego Unified School District for elementary, middle school, and high school children. After graduation I began work as a therapist in a residential facility for foster, adopted, and probation youth, 13-18, who have severe emotional disabilities. While at the residential facility, I was able to learn a lot about working with youth who have been abused and neglected by their families of origin. During my work there it became apparent to me that there was something seriously missing from these youth’s lives early on and if I could help families learn to better navigate parenting and family relationships, then I believe I could help change the outcomes of families in low socio-economic communities.

In the beginning of 2017, I began working with Mental Health America (MHA), where I am, currently, the program manager for MHA’s Strengthening Futures program. Strengthening Futures is a program that utilizes the Functional Family Therapy (FFT) model and provides in home family therapy to probation youth and their families. Lastly, I have co-founded a private practice named Urban Restoration Counseling Center where we are striving to help uplift the urban communities in San Diego County.