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Education and Training

PhD, 2017 UT Austin

California License (PSY31454)

Postdoctoral Fellowship, Stanford Medicine

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2017-2019   Postdoctoral Fellowship
Stanford University School of Medicine
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Research: National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) T32 Biobehavioral Research Training Program
Mentor: David Spiegel, MD, Center on Stress and Health Lab
Clinical: Psychosocial Treatment Clinic, Addiction Medicine Clinic
 
2017             Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Clinical Psychology
           The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin), Department of Psychology
                      Advisor/Dissertation Chair: Jasper A. J. Smits, Ph.D.
Dissertation: Using Exercise to Target Maintenance Factors of Addictive Behaviors
 
2016-2017   Predoctoral Clinical Internship
                      Bruce W. Carter VA Medical Center, Miami VA Healthcare System
                      Track: Psychiatry, Emphasis: Mental Health Recovery/Rehabilitation
 
2013             Master of Arts (MA), Clinical Psychology
Southern Methodist University, Department of Psychology, Dallas, TX
                      Advisor/Dissertation Chair: Jasper A. J. Smits, Ph.D.
                      Thesis: Hatha Yoga for Increasing Distress Tolerance
           
2009             Bachelor of Arts (BA), Psychology: Health and Development Track
                      Bachelor of Arts (BA), Art Practice: Concentration in painting
                      Stanford University, Stanford, CA
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Emphasis Areas
& Specific Training 

I am a licensed psychologist in California, specializing in the evidence-based treatment of adult anxiety disorders. The most common types are social anxiety, generalized anxiety, phobias, and panic disorder. I also work with related problems, including OCD, PTSD/trauma, and chronic stress. 

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Within the area of PTSD/trauma, I currently focus most heavily on issues that disproportionately impact women, including sexual assault, child birth trauma, and postpartum adjustment. However, I also have experience with other forms of trauma non-exclusive to women's health, including natural disaster exposure, military combat, and physical threat/assault.

 

Treatment modalities I am qualified to provide in full-course or may draw from when employing an integrated approach to your care include:

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  • Prolonged Exposure (PE) for PTSD 

  • Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) for PTSD

  • CBT (exposure-based) for Social Anxiety Disorder, Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Panic Disorder, and perfectionism

  • Exposure with Response Prevention (ERP) for OCD

  • Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) for anxiety, PTSD, depression, life adjustment difficulty, chronic pain or illness, women's and LGBTQIA+ mental health

  • Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) for emotion regulation, assertiveness, and distress tolerance 

  • Seeking Safety for PTSD-substance abuse dual-diagnosis

  • Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR)

  • CBT for tobacco smoking cessation

  • Exercise and yoga interventions for mood and anxiety

Clinical Approach & Style

I provide evidence-based psychotherapy.  "Psychotherapy" is just a technical term for types of therapy that are designed to meet one's psychological needs by mitigating problematic behaviors, beliefs, compulsions, thoughts, or emotions, and improving relationships and social skills.
 
I firmly believe that there is no such thing as a one-size-fits-all approach therapy. I assess and treat every person as an individual, recognizing the unique and nuanced version of your background, symptoms, and values. I take an agenda driven, time-limited approach, because although each person requires a different pace, the ultimate goal of therapy is to learn to become your own therapist, capable of giving yourself the tools and care you need. I aim to provide a safe, encouraging, and identity-affirming space for change to happen on your terms, guided by your personal values.
 

Academic Medicine & Research 

Child's Pose

I completed my postdoctoral training fellowship and subsequently worked as a faculty at Stanford University Medicine in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences. During my time there I specialized in the treatment of addiction as an attending psychologist in the Addiction Medicine/Dual-Diagnosis Clinic and conducted academic research in the Center on Stress and Health Laboratory, directed by David Spiegel, MD. My postdoctoral research focused on developing and pilot testing an innovative mobile health application of traditional hypnosis, meant to translate the feel and goals of a live hypnosis session into an automated technology-delivered at-home intervention of self-hypnosis for treating smoking cessation, chronic pain, and COVID-related stress/uncertainty. I continue to maintain active involvement in research, collaborating on projects that share the core long-term mission of advancing behavioral health treatments.

 

To date, my research has aimed to (1) better understand the relative role of anxiety in substance use disorders; (2) investigate cortisol as a bio mechanism underlying emotional disorders and stress related vulnerabilities; (3) develop and test mechanism-driven yoga and exercise-based interventions for anxiety, chronic pain, and addictive behaviors; and (4) finding ways to better personalize existing and new interventions through said aims. ​By developing a line of research in yoga and mind-body intervention science, I aim to impact a wide range of disorders and improve the access and appeal of mental health treatment.​

 

In my academic work, I have co-authored 13 peer-reviewed journal articles and have delivered over 30 presentations at national psychology conferences. I have received pre-doctoral and postdoctoral research support from the National Institute of Health. My NIH bibliography can be found here. 

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