my background, approach, and philosophy

My work is inspired by the growing neuroscientific evidence that continues to prove the centrality of relationships and emotions in the formation of a healthy, stable sense of self. Formerly a professional musician and educator, I believe that psychotherapy is both a science and an art. As a relational, integrative psychoanalytic clinician, I believe that a strong therapeutic relationship can be transformative, and that our future does not have to be defined by our present, or our past.

My formal training included an APA-accredited doctoral residency at California Pacific Medical Center, a leading private hospital in San Francisco, and a postdoctoral Fellowship at Boston College. I have also taught and supervised training clinicians for several academic graduate programs, and have specialized training and certificates in several areas including serving the needs of the LGBTQ community, trauma, mindfulness, multicultural treatment, spiritual concerns, couples therapy, and addiction treatment.

Believing that access to quality mental health care should be a right and not a privilege, in 2021 I founded The Center for Dynamic Practice. The CFDP is New Mexico’s first and only community-oriented psychodynamic psychotherapy center offering affordable services to the public, where I also provide training and supervision for the next generation of gifted and aspiring clinicians. I am also the founding president of the Southwestern Alliance for Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy (SWAPP), a Continuing Education institute that is a local chapter of the American Psychological Association (APA Division 39, Section IV).

Having a doctorate in clinical psychology from the APA-accredited American School of Professional Psychology, San Francisco Bay Area, I also hold master’s degrees from the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology and the University of Colorado at Boulder.