Psychotherapy can be a challenging and rewarding process. People often come to treatment to talk about what's wrong, but it is also important to talk about what's right. Each person has natural areas of strength we can capitalize on to increase coping skills, reduce distress, improve relationships, and develop a more adaptive outlook. With a collaborative approach that combines insight-oriented and goal-directed interventions, we will work together to create new pathways towards well-being.
I conduct therapy with adolescents and adults of all ages, with a particular interest in issues of identity development and relationships. As a behavioral scientist, I also conduct studies that evaluate the effectiveness of mental health and substance use interventions--this means I consistently apply the latest evidence-based methods to your treatment.
I hold a Ph.D. from New York University. I received clinical training from the Department of Psychiatry at Columbia University and the Mount Sinai Health System. I completed a 2-year postdoctoral fellowship in substance abuse at UCSF. I am currently a tenured professor at SDSU, adjunct behavioral scientist at RAND, and a core scientist at UCLA.