Qualifications & Experience

I have over 20 years of experience in the mental health field. I hold a Bachelor of Science degree in Human Development from UC Davis, a Master of Arts in Family Therapy from Alliant International University, and a PsyD in Family Therapy from Alliant International University. I am also certified in Trauma Focused- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT) and The Grief Recovery Method.

My Call to Christian Counseling

As a young child, I always felt a strong calling to pursue a career in helping others. Having had multiple hospitalizations due to severe asthma, I initially thought that God was calling me to pursue a career in pediatric medicine so I could use my personal experience as a guide to help children. In my senior year at UCDavis, during an internship at a local middle school as a youth counselor, God clearly spoke to me about a different plan to help others through psychotherapy. The ability to have profound conversations that could lead to life-changing decisions is what initially drew me in and what still keeps my genuine interest in this work.

More About Me/On a Personal Note

I am a first generation Colombian American originally from Queens, New York. I am the wife of a firefighter and mother of two boys, both of whom have special needs. As a family we enjoy traveling, snowboarding, and camping. I love personal growth through fitness and recently committed to running a marathon.

Areas of Expertise/Specialties

• Abandonment and Neglect
• ADHD
• Anger Management
• Anxiety
• Bipolar Disorder
• Chemical Dependency
• Coaching
• Counseling for Teens
• Couples counseling
• Codependency
• Depression
• Family counseling
• Grief and Loss
• Group Counseling
• Individual Counseling
• Infidelity and Affairs
• Marriage Counseling
• Neurofeedback
• OCD
• Online Counseling
• Personal Development
• Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
• Premarital Counseling
• Professional Development
• Relationship Issues
• Sexual Abuse
• Spiritual Development
• Trauma
• Weight Loss
• Women’s Issues

Grief and Loss

Most of us are not taught how to grieve. The truth is that grief and navigating loss can look very different depending on the loss. Grief is a profound emotion that reflects the depth of your connection and love. Our work in grief counseling will include techniques from The Grief Recovery Method that will focus on processing the loss, validating your emotions, uncovering the true impact on your life, and ultimately mapping out how to move forward with grief. We will lean on Scripture to provide insight on how to call on God for strength and open our hearts to understanding the purpose behind the loss.

Relationship Issues

From communication challenges, financial stressors, issues with intimacy or even managing the impact of your partner’s or spouse’s family, relationships have many variables that can feel overwhelming, especially when a solution feels out of reach. Maybe it feels like your relationship is unraveling faster than you can stitch it back together. Our work will include gaining a better understanding of the challenges and resulting thoughts and emotions, and finding a lasting solution. We will use your strengths as a foundation to co-create solutions to not only resolve the current issue, but also provide the framework to confidently resolve any future issues. We have been blessed with many examples in Scripture in which God shows us how to use our faith and His guidance to resolve issues with grace and love. According to your comfort level, we will pull from Scripture to guide our work together.

Women’s Issues

It has never been more challenging to navigate our lives as women. The conflicting social, cultural, and interpersonal beliefs can make the stages of womanhood overwhelming. God calls us to be humble servants, which can feel challenging especially when this world has bombarded us with messages to do the opposite. Yet through Scripture, He gives us a roadmap for how to navigate the complex relationships through every stage of womanhood. Our work will focus on uncovering the root of the issue you are facing along with anything that is keeping the issue alive. Together we will create a plan for how to resolve the issue by combining your strengths with proven techniques. My hope is that through our sessions, you will have a greater sense of hopefulness, inner peace, and confidence.

Neurofeedback

Neurofeedback is a non-invasive form of neurotherapy that utilizes EEG-based biofeedback. Brain waves are read in real time while prompting the brain to make slight changes to those brain waves. These slight changes accumulate over time, leading to lasting changes in how the brain functions and essentially to how it communicates with our mind and body.

Neurofeedback can help people with a variety of conditions such as anxiety, depression, ADHD, autism, sleep disorders, PTSD, and even traumatic brain injuries. This is a great treatment option for those who feel they are stuck in traditional talk therapy or would like to either avoid or begin discontinuing psychotropic medications.

Neurofeedback is also used by a variety of high-performing professionals and athletes who want to level up their game by increasing their creativity, shortening their response time, and expanding their intelligence.

Our unique program can be conducted remotely so clients can benefit from consistent brain training in the comfort of their own home during ideal times of their day. Neurofeedback is an incredible form of neurotherapy that can help you attain a level of healing, functioning, and success that you didn’t know was possible.

Sessions: I offer 53-minute sessions. Sessions can be held more than once per week, weekly, or every other week. Scheduling options are discussed in greater detail during your Risk-Free Initial Session.

Availability (by office location):

• Newport Beach – Tuesday
• Irvine – Wednesday & Friday
• Online Counseling

Fees: I offer a Risk-Free Initial Session for individuals and groups looking to pursue counseling with me. Please note that there is a fee for the Risk-Free Initial Session as it is a clinical hour and reimbursable to most insurance companies, but if you choose not to reschedule and continue therapy after the initial session the entire fee for the session will be waived. For ongoing treatment, the full fee per session is required at the time of service.

Insurance: As a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT), some insurance companies will reimburse for a portion of my services (as an Out of Network Provider). Please consult with your insurance provider as to whether they specifically cover adolescents, individuals.

Receipts/Statements: In the event, you require a printed or digital receipt, I will provide receipts for personal use, insurance reimbursement, Flex Spending Accounts (FSA), and Health Savings Accounts (HSA).

Payment options: Cash, Check, or Credit Card (Visa, MasterCard, Discover, & American Express).