MPH, MSN, PMHNP-BC

I STRIVE TO CREATE AN EMPOWERING AND EMPATHY-FOCUSED ENVIRONMENT, WHERE THE NEEDS, GOALS, AND ASPIRATIONS OF MY CLIENT’S MENTAL HEALTH AND LIFE ARE THE DRIVING FORCE IN HOW I PROVIDE PSYCHIATRY AND PSYCHOTHERAPY CARE.

Growing up in the refugee, immigrant, and communities of color of Los Angeles, I witnessed the complex struggle of building a better life and dealing with complex trauma, with no mental health support available. Through work in the Navajo Nation, with refugees in New Mexico, Minnesota, Connecticut, Massachusetts, with communities in rural and urban areas across the U.S. and the poorest parts of the world, I developed a deep empathy for the common struggle of lack of access to mental health care. This empathy, combined with learning from these incredible communities the importance of mental health care that is steeped in dignity, trust, and empowerment, drove me to become a psychiatric nurse practitioner. I aim to bring this empathy and these values into every moment of care I provide to my clients.

When I am not working, I enjoy basketball (playing and watching, go Lakers & 76ers!), cooking (currently perfecting seasoning from within), longboarding on dirt, concrete, and water, dreaming about my future dog, spending quality time with loved ones, and attempting to play acoustic covers of my favorite 90’s punk/soft rock songs

I assist patients who are experiencing a range of presenting concerns, including: depression/lack of happiness, anxiety, low self-esteem, mood disturbances (anger, irritability, mood swings), re-experiencing symptoms (ex. nightmares, flashbacks, hyper-vigilance), loss of pleasure/interest, poor sleep, physical ailments not otherwise explained by medical causes/somatic symptoms, panic symptoms (ex. shortness of breath, heart palpitations), mania/hypomania, hallucinations (ex. visual, auditory, tactile), relationship issues (romantic, family, friends)

AREAS OF FOCUS

WHO I WORK WITH: ADULTS AND CHILDREN 12+

While I work with a wide range of people and presenting problems, some of my most common topics of focus include:

FOR PSYCHIATRIC MEDICATION MANAGEMENT
AND THERAPY:

• Depression

• Bipolar Disorder

• Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

• Anxiety

• Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

• Loss

• Trauma

• Grief

• Panic Disorder

• Schizophrenia/experiences of psychosis

• Substance Use

• Addiction

• Dual Diagnosis

FOR THERAPY:

• Race and Identity

• Attachment Issues

• Relationship Issues

• Immigrant/Refugee Issues

• Family Issues

• Cultural Adjustment

• Divorce and Separation

• Grief

• Identity Development

• LGBTQIA issues

Approach

My approach is collaborative and client-centered, valuing a client’s experience and perspective as important as my expertise as a mental health provider. I strive to create an empowering and empathy-focused environment, where the needs, goals, and aspirations of my client’s mental health and life are the driving force in how I provide psychiatry and psychotherapy care. My approach is strengths-based, client-centered, and affirming (culture, identity, experience.)

Professional Background

I have 16+ years of experience in mental health, ranging from providing residential nature therapy in rural New Hampshire, developing culturally empowering mental health care in Haiti, Peru, Japan, India, and Rwanda, treating U.S. Veterans via in-home mental health care, to providing critical psychiatry and psychotherapy care to poor and homeless populations throughout Philadelphia in person and via telehealth. I trained with experts in depression, anxiety, mood disorders, experiences of psychosis, trauma at Harvard, Yale, Columbia, and the University of Southern California, but credit the communities I had the privilege to serve as my greatest mentors and educators. I am Clinical Faculty at Drexel University’s psych NP program, advisor to the American Psychological Association on culturally affirming psychiatric and psychotherapy practices and training, and internationally recognized expert who speaks and consults to domestic and global organizations on equity driven approaches to mental health delivery and clinical care.

Education Credentials

• MSN - Yale School of Nursing, Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner

• MPH - Boston Unviersity School of Public Health, Global Health

• BA with Honors, Psychology - University of Southern California

• Fellow - Duke University Sanford School of Public Policy, International Humanitarian Policy

I am currently a Board Certified Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner in the State of Oregon and Washington.