Who I Work With

I work with adolescents, young adults, adults, older adults, couples, and families navigating anxiety, depression, trauma, grief and loss, relationship challenges, life transitions, anger, substance use, and identity or family-related stress. I have experience supporting clients across many different stages of life, including students, parents, military service members and their families, older adults, and individuals or families impacted by the legal system. My work has often centered on people who are carrying more than others may see — trauma, family conflict, cultural expectations, grief, instability, or the pressure to keep functioning while quietly struggling. Whether someone is facing a crisis, trying to understand old patterns, grieving a loss, or simply wanting to feel more in control of their life, I bring warmth, honesty, and steadiness into the therapeutic relationship.

How I Help

My therapeutic style is compassionate, direct, and deeply relational. I believe healing happens when people feel safe enough to be honest — with themselves and with someone who can hold their story without judgment. I help clients slow down, understand what is happening beneath the surface, and build practical tools for change. Sometimes that means learning how to regulate anger or anxiety. Sometimes it means processing trauma, moving through grief, improving communication, rebuilding trust, strengthening emotional connection, or learning how to set healthy boundaries. I also support clients in understanding how family systems, attachment, culture, military life, relationships, and past experiences shape the way they cope today. As someone who has worked closely with students, families, older adults, active-duty military communities, people impacted by substance use, and those navigating complex life circumstances, I understand that healing does not happen in isolation. I take into account the larger systems surrounding each person and work collaboratively to help clients feel more grounded, empowered, and understood. When helpful, I may also incorporate creative expression and art-based activities as a way to help clients explore emotions, process experiences, and communicate what may be difficult to put into words.

Modalities and Tools I Use

• Brainspotting
• Gottman Method-informed couples work
• Emotionally Focused Therapy, or EFT-informed work
• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT
• Dialectical Behavior Therapy, or DBT
• Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, or ACT
• Trauma-informed therapy
• Grief work
• Family systems work
• Anger management
• Mindfulness and grounding skills
• Creative expression and art-based interventions
• Strength-based and culturally responsive therapy

Credentials & Training

• Associate Marriage and Family Therapist
• Master’s degree in Clinical Psychology, Marriage and Family Therapy track, Palo Alto University
• Bachelor’s degree in Psychology, UC Berkeley
• Gottman Method certification
• Brainspotting certification
• Emotionally Focused Therapy training
• Anger management training
• Experience providing school-based mental health and ERMHS counseling
• Experience supporting military service members and military families
• Experience working with older adults, substance use, grief, justice-involved populations, couples, and family systems

About Me

My path to becoming a therapist has been shaped by many different communities — schools, families, military spaces, older adults, community mental health, and people navigating some of the hardest seasons of their lives. Before and during my clinical training, I found myself repeatedly drawn to the role of walking alongside people through pain, transition, grief, and healing. I have supported active-duty service members and military families as they navigated the unique stressors of military life, and I have worked with students, older adults, couples, families, and individuals impacted by substance use, trauma, anxiety, depression, grief, family conflict, and major life changes. These experiences have taught me that people are often far more resilient than they realize, but resilience should not mean having to carry everything alone. At Riva Mental Health, I hope to offer clients a space where they feel seen, respected, and supported as they reconnect with themselves and move toward meaningful change. Outside of my clinical work, I value family, connection, growth, and the ongoing process of becoming more grounded, compassionate, and whole.