CURRENT PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Private Practice, Encinitas, California - 2001-Present

I maintain a clinical and consulting psychology practice providing psychotherapy to individuals, couples, families, and groups. Please refer to the services section for futrher details. Of note, since 2020, my practice has been mostly through Telehealth (zoom or phone). This obviously started because of COVID, but since results have been so favorable in addition to the welcomed convenience voiced by many, this appears to be the future of my practice. That said, I do have an office and we can discuss in person sessions if desired.
 
Scripps Hospitals, Department of Psychiatry, San Diego, California - 2002-Present

I am on also on staff at five Scripps Hospitals (Encinitas, La Jolla, Green, Mercy, and Chula Vista) providing consultation and liaison services including psychological, diagnostic and risk evaluations with patients in the emergency departments, medical floors, and intensive care units. I frequently consult a variety of healthcare professionals including physicians, nurses, and social workers regarding psychological interventions and dispositions. I also collaborate with other hospitals, clinics, drug & alcohol programs, county mental health facilities, and police departments surrounding patient care and dispositions. Thus, I am intimately familiar with a variety of treatment options and resources throughout San Diego County, working closely with patients and their families facilitating a wide range of treatment options.

 

PROFESSIONAL HISTORY

University of California, San Diego (UCSD) - Concierge Medicine

University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), Center on Aging, San Francisco, California

Kaiser Medical Center, Department of Psychiatry, San Rafael, California

Existential-Humanistic Institute (EHI), San Francisco, California

California Psychology Internship Council (CAPIC), Berkeley, California

Comprehensive Child Crisis Service, San Francisco, California

Haight Ashbury Psychological Services (HAPS), San Francisco, California

College Hospital, Costa Mesa, California

CPC Hospitals, Santa Ana & Laguna Hills, California

Pepperdine University Clinic, Orange County Campus, California

Pilgrimage Family Therapy Center, Laguna Hills, California

Orange County Youth and Family Services, Orange County, California

Harbor View Adolescent Center, Long Beach, California

 

EDUCATION

Doctor of Psychology, 2002
Master of Arts, Clinical Psychology, 1995
Bachelor of Arts, Psychology, 1992

I earned my Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from California State University, Fullerton (CSUF) in 1992.  During my undergraduate years, I furthered my interests in psychology, philosophy, and martial arts, beginning my initial clumsy attempts integrating East-West perspectives on life and healthcare. 

I then pursued my graduate education and training in the clinical psychology graduate program at Pepperdine University, which is considered a leading school in conventional psychology. Upon earning my Master of Arts in Clinical Psychology, I opted to transfer my education and further pursue my doctoral training at the School of Professional Psychology Program at the California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS) in San Francisco, which is considered a pioneer for East-West Psychology. Both Pepperdine and CIIS were accredited by the American Psychological Association (APA) at time of my graduations. During both graduate programs and clinical training, I've totaled over 8,000 supervised hours and consider myself humbled to receive such an extensive and varied training experience shaping my current understanding that no one culture has a monopoly on the truth.


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CERTIFICATIONS

Black Belt in Shaolin Chuan Fa, also known as Kempo.
Certified to teach Shaolin Kung Fu, Tai Chi Chuan, Qigong (Chi Kung), and Zen (although I am not currently teaching martial arts, my ongoing training especially in mindfulness practices are woven within psychotherapy)

INTERESTS

Time with family; martial arts, surfing, snowboarding, tennis, pickleball, hiking, backpacking; reading and writing non-fiction; playing guitar and ukulele; and tinkering with technology.