School Counselor
I have a BA in
Journalism from Fresno State University and a MA in Counseling Psychology from
Santa Clara University. My
career began in broadcast journalism, later I made a switch to animal welfare,
and finally found my place providing counseling to teenagers. I am a Licensed Marriage &
Family Therapist in Oregon and California, with specific training and
experience in school-based counseling. I have included therapy dogs in my work. My current co-therapist, Vicky, is a Golden Retriever from
the Assistance Dog Institute in Santa Rosa. She understands commands in English, Spanish and Japanese.
I believe
resiliency is critical to students’ overall success in school. There is a lot of research suggesting
this, but when I think of the trusting adults who guided me on my journey
through adolescence, I know it to be true. In fact, I decided to work with teenagers in a counseling
capacity after starting a program for at-risk teens while working at Peninsula
Humane Society in San Mateo, CA. It became evident after a while that the kids coming to work with the
animals were really there to connect with the adult volunteers also
participating in the program.
My therapy dog,
Vicky, inspires me in my work as TMS School Counselor. She teaches me to pay very close
attention to peoples’ sensitivities. She notices EVERYTHING! I
would also say my students inspire me; they constantly teach me about myself as
a person and as a counselor.
I was drawn to
TMS because it seemed very progressive and I really connected with Barbara
Schakel, the former Head of School. At the time I was commuting 90-minutes each way to my job at
the Mental Research Institute in Palo Alto and the Sausalito location with an
on-site dog park was a real bonus. It’s exciting to work with such an interesting mix of staff and
students. In the future I would
like to develop a social-emotional learning program at TMS and start an
internship program for aspiring school counselors.
When I’m not
working I enjoy cycling, hiking and working on my house.