I live in Berkeley, which is on traditional Chochenyo and Karkin Ohlone land. I pay the Shuumi Land Tax as one of the ways to acknowledge the history of this land and the Ohlone community itself. If you live in the East bay, I encourage you to do the same: http://sogoreate-landtrust.com/shuumi-land-tax/

After finishing an undergraduate degree in Fine Arts and Ceramics, I moved to the U.S. from Canada and attended a masters in psychology and art therapy at CIIS in San Francisco. I assisted in facilitating all women’s nature groups, helping to lead multi-day wilderness backpacking journeys that include solo time, fasting, community building and personal introspection. This work evolved into my seeing individuals who wanted to work more closely with me, and now I am a full time licensed psychotherapist in Berkeley. I am committed to continuously enhancing my skills and personal development through personal retreats, self-study, trainings, Earth honoring practices and integrating Tantric Buddhist perspectives, meditation and subtle body work, with Western psychotherapy inquiries and somatic approaches. These are the essences that deeply inform how I practice psychotherapy, and how I walk in the world as an individual. After completing my counseling psychology program at CIIS, I continued my education to receive a 2.5 year training in Biodynamic Craniosacral therapy from the STAR institute, in order to be able to include more body-oriented/nervous system regulation work into my therapy sessions. The craniosacral work also opened up into a more subtle level of energy medicine work that sometimes is incorporated into the sessions when that is appropriate. I have been taught and included in various first Nations medicine ceremonies, cosmoligies and practices throughout Canada and South America including the Native American Church, being initiated by Q’ero elders in the tradition of being a spiritual caretaker of the Earth, as well as many years of in depth Shiphibo-Conibo vegetalismo training. I am currently deepening my experience and understanding of learning Feminine sexuality and Daoist arts practices that work with expanding pleasure in the body using breath, touch and awareness as a direct way to heal and access tremendous inner resource and higher wisdom.

In bringing together all of my affinities, I have created a healing practice that is customized for each individual’s process, need and orientation. I address all aspects of a person, as an integrated, intelligent whole, using body- based somatic therapy, mindfulness practices, energy medicine and self-inquiry work.

My life’s work and daily walk is devoted to embodying a consistently dedicated path of personal practices that promote my own physical, mental and spiritual well being so that I am most useful in helping others to heal. I believe that my living in this way allows the space to cultivate deeper meaning and brilliance to life, and I find great meaning in supporting others to experience the same.

 Professional Training and Licensure:

• California Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist through the Board of Behavioral Sciences (# 104161)
• MA in Counseling Psychology and Expressive Arts Therapy in 2015 at CIIS
• Tamura Method Training (somatic Psychotherapy techniques. Lafayette, CA 2018
• Feeding your Demons Kapala Level 1 training, Tara Mandala Retreat Center, Colorado (2018)
• Grief and trauma counselor training ind internship East Bay Agency for Children in Oakland.
• Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy practitioner training, STAR Institute, San Anselmo, CA (2.5 years)
• VITA Sacred Sexuality year long course with Layla Martin
• “Sacred Sexual Woman” Daoist and sex magic practices through individual coaching with Freya McFarlane
• Therapeutic Behavioral Services training, St. Vincent’s School for Boys
• Ecopsychology leadership training, Wilderness Reflections, CA
• Self-Study of Peter Levine’s work on Healing trauma through somatic practices
• Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome Intensive with Joy De Gruy, CIIS, SF, CA
• Hatha Yoga Teacher Training, Mount Madonna, Santa Cruz, CA
• Sage Mountain School of Herbology with Rosemary Gladstar, Distance course with herbal medicine Apprenticeship, Saltspring Island, BC, Canada