I provide therapy as an Associate Marriage and Family Therapist at a private group practice in Fullerton, CA called Gather and Grow OC. I specialize in supporting individuals struggling with anxiety, low-self esteem, emotional dysregulation, relationship issues, and other forms of inner child wounds. I went into the counseling field to become the therapist I wish I had during my hardships. Through my own battles with depression and anxiety, I developed the deep compassion and understanding to sit with people in their darkest moments. From personal experience, I know that the mind can be a place of peace and creativity but also one of pain and destruction.

My therapeutic practice is heart-centered which means I support folks in bringing their destructive matters of the mind into a loving consciousness. Helping people gain insight and tools to tame the mind with persistence, compassion, kindness, and strength. I support and guide people as they observe their habitual patterns of thinking and how they respond to their emotions. I assist in the unlearning process of letting go of past conditioning that has been disempowering. I believe that we give power to the parts of ourselves that we hide in the shadows for fear of shame, rejection, and abandonment. I believe we take back our innate power when we shine a light on these wounded parts and show them love, empathy, and compassion.

I’m excited and proud to be doing the work that I feel is my life’s calling. To me, being a therapist is also a commitment to your own growth and healing. I engage in my own depth work because I think it is my duty as a mental health professional to practice what I preach. I tend to myself as a fellow human along this crazy journey of life so I can continue to be a clear channel for those I support. I also host a podcast called The Lightcast Podcast where I talk openly about mental health to normalize and cast light on the shadows of the human experience. I record monthly episodes based on themes that intuitively arise personally and professionally. My philosophy is that vulnerability fosters trust. I do my best to model that there is no shame in vulnerability and to normalize the discomfort that comes with it!

In life, we all face our own struggles. I don’t think I would be the therapist I am today if it weren’t for my pain and hardships. I resonate with the “wounded healer” archetype; supporting people on their path of healing because, I too, have been wounded. Due to experiences in my childhood, I found myself stepping into the role of conflict mediator as early as 8 years old. I provided empathy when the adults in my life lacked it. I voiced when I saw family members in pain while the adults refused to acknowledge it. I bridged insight and understanding between people who could not see from each other’s points of view. Although I’m the youngest in my family, it felt like I had everyone looking to me for insight and wisdom. I know now that the role I stepped into, the role that was perpetually encouraged, was a way for me to ease my own loneliness and anxiety during these distressing times. During my teen years, I experienced bullying, harassment, and sexual assault. Being treated as the “golden child” in my family, I was unable, even rejected and punished, for expressing my own pain. I adapted by suffering in silence behind the mask of a high-functioning anxious/depressed person. I found myself suppressing my feelings in various ways but learned very quickly that my painful emotions would resurface until I tended to them.

Since dedicating myself to my education and my own healing, I have graciously come out of the darkest places of my mind into the most loving relationship with myself I have ever had. Of course, I still struggle but that’s just part of being human. I believe my story illustrates my resilience however, resilience is so much more than being strong and persevering through pain. To me, resilience is also having the courage to lean into your most vulnerable, painful emotions with softness and gentleness. The wounded parts of us long to be seen, heard, felt, and given the love and comfort they always needed. It’s my soul’s purpose to support, guide, and encourage people so they can do the same for themselves.

The greatest lesson I had to unlearn is that you actually DO have a choice in how you express your emotions. Growing up, it was modeled to me that a person can express their emotions (especially anger) however they want. As if you have no control over how you react, express, or communicate your emotions. If anyone felt hurt or uncomfortable from the way you expressed your emotions and they set a boundary for how they would like to be communicated to, I was taught that these people were not allowing you to “be yourself.” Essentially learning that you can express yourself no matter how it makes the people around you feel. Taking no accountability for the impact of how we communicate or express our emotions. While also justifying and excusing the harmful impact it had because it wasn’t the intention.

The greatest and one of the hardest lessons I learned along my journey is this “Your emotions are valid, but how you express them is a choice.” This is a lot easier said than done, especially when a person has not learned how to tolerate distressing emotions and emotionally regulate when they are activated. I help my clients unlearn ways of relating to their emotions that are no longer serving them and support them as they cultivate healthier ways to relate to their emotions. Feeling anxiety? It may not seem like it, but you have the choice to continue beating yourself up with self-criticism or choose to comfort yourself with loving affirmations. Feeling anger? You have the choice to yell and scream at someone or you can choose to take space to cool off or take a few deep breaths before coming back to the conversation. This is the greatest lesson to learn especially in relationships! How we communicate and express our emotions directly relates to how we impact others and how we get our personal/relational needs met.