PROFILE

Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist with 10 years of experience working in the clinical field and 5 years of being a business owner.

• Extensive knowledge in working with diverse populations in multiple settings including hospitals, health centers, shelters, schools, day cares, small businesses, and agencies/organizations.

• Self-motivated and values growth: able to effectively set priorities to achieve short and long-term goals, create and implement programs, workshops, and group activities, highly receptive to feedback.

• Volunteer experience working with various populations in multiple settings, including Children’s Hospital and Research Center Oakland, Deaf Hope, Spectrum Community Services, Girl’s Inc., California School for the Deaf, and Oakland School for the Arts.

EDUCATION

Holy Names University: Oakland, CA

May 2016

Holy Names University: Oakland, CA

Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology

Certificate in Traumatology and Treatment

GPA: 4.0

June 2013

California State University, East Bay: Hayward, CA

Bachelor of Arts in Human Development

Option(s): Childhood & Adolescent Development

Minor in American Sign Language

GPA: 3.7; Cum Laude

Additional Certification

• Certificate in Somatic Embodiment and Regulation: Linda Thai May-August 2023

• Decolonizing Therapy for Black Folk Certificate of Completion: Kindred Community Healing March 2021

CLINICAL EXPERIENCE

February 2024- December 2024

Sutter Health Eden Medical Center: Healthy Young Minds Therapist

Castro Valley, Antioch, Brentwood

• Provide in-person and virtual services to youth ages 12 months to 18 and their families utilizing a short-term model for issues such as temper tantrums, adjustment to new baby, low self-esteem, anger, anxiety, sleep issues, family disruption, trauma, and peer issues to name a few.

• Provide parent coaching on various topics to help support the treatment of youth, starting at ages 12 months and up, and expand their parents psychoeducation to be applied to see progress in topics such as collaboration to decrease disruptive behaviors, separation anxiety, social emotional skills, emotional adjustment to new sibling, self-care, advocacy for mental health support, and window of tolerance to name a few.

• Collaborate with physicians, medical assistants, and additional supporting care team members to ensure the youth and families are being advocated for and treated from a whole person approach

• Support implementing the Healthy Young Minds program in 6 locations (Castro Valley, Antioch, Brentwood, Oakland, Berkeley, Albany), supporting staff in understanding how to support their parents mental health and appropriate referrals for programming

• Utilization of EPIC for HIPPA compliant documentation and messaging purposed pertaining to treatment

September 2023-November 2023

Boomerang Healthcare: HAQ Clinical Reviewer

Walnut Creek, CA

• Remote work reviewing worker’s compensation patient medical records in Citrix for progression of treatment plan and treatment modifications, alert providers as needed of high risk parents, offer treatment recommendations based off the health assessment questionnaires and the parent’s mental and physical background, check records to see if request have been followed up on, communicate effectively with members of our treatment and/or administrative staff, attended trainings as necessary, and ensure meet documentation standards.

October 2022-May 2023

Destiny Arts Center: Therapist

Oakland, CA

• Provide therapeutic group support for elementary aged students in school settings along side teaching artist to support children in learning effective mental health tools and self awareness through movement to increase success in school environment.

2020-Present

Always Live Lovely: Owner

Hayward, CA July

• Provide virtual individual mental health therapy sessions to adults experiencing diagnosis associated with anxiety, depression, trauma, and stress due to life adjustments (such as motherhood, marriage, new job, etc), childhood trauma, and difficult relationships.

• Provide virtual couple’s mental health therapy session to adults who are engaged to be married, newlyweds. and/ or new parents who are seeking an increased awareness of self and each other in order to increase and maintain intimacy, balance, and boundaries leading to a lovely life together.

• Produce Neo-soul music which can be utilized to supplement treatment and healing journey centered the woman experiences, highlighting mental health experiences.

• Provide individual, school, and mental health trainee/associate consultations to assist adults by providing a variety of support including learning advocacy skills, understanding medical system and mental health professional roles to locate a therapist, work conflict mediation, how trauma shows up in the classroom, parental support, avoiding burn-out, and getting the most out of your supervision.

• Provide individual consultations to adults seeking support with locating mental health services, psychoeducation, and career development.

• Facilitate workshops and events in the community providing adults with tools that can be implemented to increase mental well-being and space to connect with others to increase support, while decreasing isolation.

• Participate in speaking engagements at conferences, events, and podcasts highlighting topics such as suicide prevention, mental health in the BIPOC community, women’s health, career development, persevering through the pandemic, and more.

• Handle all operations, web site design/maintenance, human resources, and finances.

• Host podcast, “Breaking Barriers: A Mental Health Discussion”, featuring a variety of guest exemplifying conversing about taboo/stigmatizing topics they have endured and overcame to encourage and uplift the community.

• Create content for blog and social media platforms to inform the community about mental health topics.

November 2019-November 2022

Student Health and Counseling Services- Counselor Faculty & Outreach Coordinator

California State University, East Bay: Hayward, CA

• Provide short-term therapeutic services to university students experiencing various presenting problems including adjusting to motherhood/pregnancy, grief, Obsessive Compulsive Disorders, Eating Disorders, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, sexual assault, self-harm, suicidal ideation, financial concerns, health issues, dissociation, Gender Dysphoria, substance abuse/use, phobias, and Autism through individual, couples, group therapy, crisis support, and case management.

• Assist Director with social media marketing strategies, training/consultation for staff, and development of video content on various topics.

• Co-facilitate several trainings through the Wellness Ambassadors program for staff, faculty, and student leaders on campus entitled, “Avoiding burnout and Compassion Fatigue” and “I Can Help: Suicide Awareness and Intervention”.

• Lead counselor partnering with Associate Counselors providing training and supervision as they lead content for students.

• Provide follow up for students on caseload needing additional support as assessed by the CARE team.

• Work in collaborative team attending weekly staff meettings, individual and group supervision, and monthly trainings.

• Complete clinical documents using Point and Click.

• Engage in outreach events across campus and partnering with various departments, such as Accessibility Services and African Ancestry Faculty/Staff Association.

August 2018- October 2019

Mental Health Counselor

Fred Finch Youth Center: Oakland, CA

• Provide therapeutic services in an intensive counseling enriched classroom program to Montera Middle School students experiencing various presenting problems including anxiety, depression, self-injurious behaviors, suicidal ideation, substance use, homelessness, Selective Mutism, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder, learning disabilities, and anger issues through individual therapy, group therapy, crisis support, and rehabilitations in the classroom, milieu, and community.

• Complete clinical documentation (intake assessments, treatment plans, safety plans, risk assessments, PD workbooks) through Medi-Cal billing programs, such as EHR ran by Welligent, Objective Arts, and Clinician’s Gateway.

• Conduct additional assessments such as Behavioral Health Screening Tools, Pediatric Symptom Checklist 35, Childhood and Adolescents Needs and Strengths Assessment (CANS), and made Child Protective Services (CPS) reports as necessary.

• Work on a collaborative team including Special Education Department (SPED) teachers, school administration, behavioral aids, restorative justice specialist, Oakland Unified School District employees, and additional supporting staff to best assist the student.

• Support SPED teachers with completing Individualized Educational Plans (IEP’s)and Behavioral Intervention Plans (BIP).

• Build therapeutic relationships with families to provide advocacy during manifestation (60/10) meetings, IEP’s, and meetings with school administrators.

• Provide support for families and students who transferred schools due to safety risk to help adjust to a new setting.

• Provide consultation and psychoeducation to school administration to strengthen understanding of mental health and de-stigmatization the program.

• Provide mental health support to student body to promote healthier experiences that positively impact their academic experience.

• Utilize effective crisis management skills during moments of students being restrained, actively engaging in self-injurious behaviors, contemplated suicide and homicidal ideation; as well as parents displaying aggressive behaviors.

September 2017- June 2018

Student Health and Counseling Services Housing Liaison-Pioneer Heights Counselor

California State University, East Bay: Hayward, CA

• Independently built upon foundation establishing counseling program for housing residents and increasing the awareness of services offered.

• Built a sustainable caseload providing individual and couple’s therapeutic services to university students in a satellite counseling office.

• Lead program development and consulted with housing administrators, Resident Assistants, Residential Life Coordinator’s, Case Management, Academic Advising and Career Education, and University Police Department to cultivate programs and meet unique needs of residents.

• Provide crisis and grief support as needed to residents in distress and/or grieving.

September 2016- June 2018

Student Health and Counseling Services Associate Counselor

California State University, East Bay: Hayward, CA

• Provide short-term therapeutic services to university students experiencing various presenting problems including grief, anxiety, depression, sexual assault, self-harm, suicidal ideation, substance abuse/use, Adjustment Disorder, relational issues, career development, identity issues, anger, and trauma through individual, couples, group therapy, crisis support, and case management.

• Provide follow up for students on caseload needing additional support as assessed by the CARE team.

• Served on Hiring Committee collaborating with Director to create role-play, facilitate interviews, and provide insight during debriefings.

• Work in collaborative team attending weekly staff meetings, individual and group supervision, and monthly trainings.

• Co-facilitated Master of Social Work first year student process group.

• Planned and managed expressive art activity for campus and outreach events.

• Bridged the gap to promote collaboration between counseling and academic/career support departments.

• Assist Director with quarterly service reports.

• Co-facilitated debriefings on campus for various incidents including death of Professor, students, and staff/faculty crisis.

• Lead program development and consulted with the Diversity and Inclusion Center and Health and Wellness Services to cultivate programs
and meet the needs of the campus.

• Attend African American Faculty and Staff Association meetings to build foundational relationships to support the African American population.

• Created treatment summaries as needed by students for additional treatment, Military Service, and community work service.

• Completed clinical documents utilizing MediCat system.

August 2015- May 2016

Marriage and Family Therapist Trainee

Oakland Unified School District

Carl B. Munck: Oakland, CA

• Independently established program at site providing therapeutic services to elementary students experiencing various presenting problems and diagnosis including grief, trauma, sexualized behaviors, anger, Oppositional Defiant Disorder, and Selective Mutism through child and group therapy.

• Attended COST and SST meetings, trainings, individual and group supervision

• Provided therapeutic and academic classroom support, conflict management during lunch/recess break, and conducted intakes and assessments.

• Met with teachers as needed to discuss ways to work together to cultivate a healthy school experience for students, including supporting parent/guardian participation.

January 2015- August 2015

Marriage and Family Therapist Trainee

Family Emergency Shelter Coalition (FESCO): Hayward, CA

• Provided therapeutic services to homeless families experiencing various presenting problems and diagnosis including Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Bipolar Disorder, Depression, Domestic Violence, and Substance Use through individual, child, and family therapy, and case management .

• Assisted with children and parenting group providing mental health support through activities and psychoeducation.

• Worked in a collaborative team, attended case meetings, trainings, and individual supervision.

• Proactively provided milieu support to strengthen therapeutic relationships with families.

• Administered Ages and Stages Questionnaire’s/Social Emotional (ASQ) and the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Screening (EPDS) to incoming children and mother’s in the program, as needed.

Speaker/Presentation Experience

East Oakland Youth Development Center (EOYDC): Oakland, CA December 2023

• Lead two workshops pertaining to mental health and success with a Q&A portion for high school and college students during the Brotherhood Across America event “Rooted in Success” entitled, “Winning and Being Right Within”.

KAPOR Center: Oakland, CA November 2023

• Lead a self-care workshop for 10-15 employees on Wellness Wednesday pertaining to work life balance, internal reflection through guided journal prompts, and group discussion.

Berkeley Women of Color Initiative: Berkeley, CA March 2023

• Spoke on a mental health panel at the Empowering Women of Color Conference about ways women of color flourish and center their joy, while also providing mental health support to audience members posing questions about current life circumstances.

Antioch University: New England  June 2021

• Featured speaker during the Justice Leadership Council’s Juneteenth: Yesterday’s Endurer, Today’s Overcomer presenting on “The Impact of perseverance and Passion in the Black Community: Goal setting and handling challenging tasks”.

CoCo Coalition, Inc: Oakland, CA  September 2018

• Participated as a panelist on the mental health panel for the Black and Healthy Conference: Nurture the Black Woman discussing topics such as stigma, therapy, mental illness/disorders, suicide, trauma, and unique issues that impact Black women. 

Arise High School: Oakland, CA  May 2017            

• Facilitated workshop for juniors and graduating seniors on taking care of your mental health after high school and finding counseling services within the community and college campus.

California State University, East Bay: Hayward, CA  September 2016-November 2022

• Co-facilitated “I Can Help: Suicide Awareness and Intervention” workshop for staff, faculty, and student leaders to learn strategies to prevent suicide on an individual and systemic level, identifying students in distress, connecting with resources, and asking directly about suicide.
• Co-facilitator of “Avoiding Burnout and Compassion Fatigue” training for staff, faculty, and student leader. Based on the book Trauma Stewardship by Laura Vandernoot Lipsky. Exploring how supporting students impacts you personally and collectively. Focusing on strategies to manage the potential for burnout, compassion fatigue, and vicarious traumatization.
• Created and facilitated training for RAW Student Assistants entitled, “Helping Students, Helping Ourselves”, highlighting supporting students in distress and caring for self afterwards.
• Facilitator of “Coping Skills” workshop utilizing Seeking Safety curriculum by Lisa M. Najavits to provide students with foundational skills to build safety and create healthy changes in their life.
• Facilitated and developed curriculum for Getting Unstuck via virtually providing students with effective skills to manage depression.
• Facilitator of “Anxiety Toolbox” group utilizing CALM curriculum to provide students with psychoeducation and tools needed to decrease anxiety and increase self-awareness.
• Facilitated and created curriculum for Self-Care Moment via in person and virtually providing students with a space to learn effective self-care tools and reflect on redefining self-care for themselves.
• Participated in Women of Color in Health Care Panel discussing barriers faced in mental health care and academics within communities of color.
• Organized Black Excellence Mental Health Professionals panel, including several professionals from the Bay Area to decrease stigma, enable students to see themselves in mental health professionals, and inspire healing. 
• Facilitated “You Mad or Nah” workshop on anger management utilizing music, do it yourself activities, and psychoeducation to cultivate self awareness about cycle of anger, somatic responses, triggers, and alternative behaviors.
• Facilitated Self Care workshop for Resident Assistants for students to reflect, learn tools, and formulate a better routine; cultivating new ways to incorporate self care into lifestyle and redefine meaning. 
• Co-facilitated workshop for Nursing staff on helping students in distress to support staff in feeling more equip with resources.
• Facilitated Tools for Self Awareness workshop “Let’s Taco ‘bout Difficult Emotions” presented to transfer students living in Pioneer Heights providing psychoeducation and tools to assist students in handling difficult emotions. 
• Facilitated Assertive Communication: Taking A Different Approach training to resident assistants teaching them the skills needed for conflict management and communication styles. 
• Facilitated guided meditation workshop with Resident Assistants to cultivate self-awareness and increased decision making abilities utilizing guided imagery. 
• Facilitated Calm and Clear workshop in the RAW Center for students teaching them various ways to utilize expressive arts through activities and guided meditation for self care.
• Facilitated training on trauma and effective short-term models for counseling department colleagues.

Argosy University: Alameda, CA November 2016

• Spoke on a panel to professionals about improvements within the graduate school experience. 

Oakland School for the Arts: Oakland, CA October 2016

• Spoke to 11^thand 12^thgrade AP Psychology students about personal career decisions and field of psychology.

Youth Uprising: Oakland, CA May 2014

• Facilitated workshop for girls ages 14 to 17 “Playing Your Role: Building Better Relationships” on self love and playing your role within relationships to build stronger connections.

Born4Purpose: Oakland, CA  June 2013

• Guest Motivational speaker for Live Your Dream: Start Your Own Business Event inspiring women to attend college. 

PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATIONS

California Association for Licensed Professional Clinical Counselors

October 2016-October 2019

Psi Chi, The International Honor Society in Psychology

May 2016-Present

California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists

January 2015-December 2024

HONORS AND AWARDS

Family Path’s: Oakland, CA

Hotline Counselor Certificate 2013

California State University, East Bay: Hayward, CA

Outstanding Personal Achievement Award 2013

EOP Academic Excellence Award 2011-2013

Honor’s List 2011-2012

Dean’s List 2009-2013