About ME

Hello! I am a licensed clinical psychologist, based out of the East Bay of California. Over the course of my training and professional career, I've trained and worked in different capacities, including several community based agencies, a non public school, and a large managed health care organization throughout various parts of San Francisco, Los Altos, Santa Clara, Fremont, Concord, and currently Pleasanton and the surrounding Tri-Valley Area. I've worked with diverse group of people of varying cultures (including but not limited to race, ethnicity, age, gender, sexuality, religious beliefs, political beliefs, socioeconomic status, neurodevelopmental, cognitive, and physical differences). I received my doctorate of philosophy in clinical psychology from Palo Alto University in 2013 and prior to that, received my bachelor of arts in psychology at University of California, Berkeley. I became a licensed clinical psychologist in the state of California by the Board of Psychology in 2014.

My theoretical orientation is eclectic, which just means I integrate various frameworks and therapies into the work that I do. At my core, my approach is humanistic, which is just another way of saying that while I might possess knowledge and experience in the realm of clinical psychology, only you possess the experience of being you. We work as a team; we both wade through the muck together. And, even though you may feel overwhelmed, even though you may doubt your own capacity for self-healing, I am here to help you discover who you are, rather than simply telling you who I think you should be or what you should do. I meet you where you're at, and from there, help you both understand and leverage your strengths as well as support and nurture your vulnerabilities. As you gain your strength and footing, I step further and further back. 

What is the root cause of the issue? Even though we work a lot within the here and now, my heart has always sought to understand the 'why's.' What is the contributing factors that brought you to me today? As I write this now, I realize that I sought to study the 'whys' from both a nature and nurture lens. A lot of my formative training in graduate school was centered around object relations theories (ecological and attachment theory, psychodynamic theoretical orientation) as it led to my understanding of the potential causes of how things came to be from an environmental perspective. We do not exist in a vacuum; we are influenced by and influence our environment. The nurture we received during our formative years of development greatly shapes how we see ourselves and the world around us. By my 3rd year of graduate school, I felt the need to study something more concrete within the often abstract realm of psychology, so I chose to specialize in neuropsychology. While I have not used my speciality for its intended purpose (to be a neuropsychologist conducting neuropsychological assessments), it gave me a solid foundation about how the brain functions; the nature component to balance out my prior focus (hyperfixation) nurture, if you will. 

These days, you cannot attend any reputable graduate school in psychology without being well-trained in cognitive behavioral theory, and while that is fundamental to the work that I do, I have expanded my knowledge and training in the various contextual behavioral therapies, to help understand how to 'get beneath the storm in our minds' and learn to detach from our automatic thought patterns that can hold us suspended in a false reality, distorting our emotions, disrupting our physiology, which lead us to use to maladaptive behaviors to cope.

The process of therapy is dynamic, and my presence in the room is collaborative. One of the first things I say to new clients is the therapy relationship is absolutely fundamental to the work we do together. I am human, and therefore susceptible to mistakes; if I say or do anything, or don't say or don't do something that impacts you, I'm not only cool with that, I welcome it. We are all a work in progress, and for many, some of the deepest learning can be done though the therapy relationship.

Outside of my professional life, I am a mom to a preadolescent and two young adults. I'm also a caregiver by proxy to a caique named Kyle, as my preadolescent who adopted him is busy living his best life. I have a personal history overcoming and managing mental illness, and can credit my bouts of crippling anxiety, depression, and neurodivergence to my lifelong desire to better understand, navigate, and heal the human mind. Tough experiences are full of silver linings if you're able to find them. 

LICENSURE

12/2014-present: Licensed Clinical Psychologist 

State of California, Board of Psychology

Status: Current; License Number: PSY 26830

EDUCATION

2013 Doctor of Philosophy in Clinical Psychology,

Palo Alto University, PhD. Program (APA-Accredited), Palo Alto, California

Specialty Track: Neuropsychology

Dissertation: Understanding Relational Aggression through Children’s Ability to Mentalize within the Context of Attachment Security

2009 Master of Science in Clinical Psychology Palo Alto University (APA Accredited) Palo Alto, California

Specialty Track: Neuropsychology

2005 Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California

ACADEMIC HONORS AND AWARDS

2007 Awarded PAU Student Fellowship, Palo Alto University

2005 Awarded Highest Distinction, University of California, Berkeley

2004 University of California, Berkeley Dean’s List

2003-2005 Awarded Full Student Scholarship for University of California Berkeley, 2003-2005
 

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
 

10/2018-Present Founder/Clinical Psychologist: Our Curious Path Psychological Services, Inc.

Pleasanton, California

o Provides evidence-based behavioral health services to minors (children through adolescence) and their families, as well as adults via in person and telehealth sessions, which includes their assessment and clinical interview, treatment planning and documentation, treatment and/or management of identified diagnoses, and termination.

o Clients served range in their individual and intersecting diverse cultural identities (including but not limited to ethnicity, race, age, generation including degrees of acculturation between first and later generation Americans, gender, sexuality) with a wide range of diagnoses (various types and severities of anxiety and affective disorders, neurodevelopmental disorders, personality disorders, impulse control disorders, and conversion disorders. 

9/2018-11/2022 Clinical Psychologist: Kaiser Permanente, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry

Pleasanton, California

· Outpatient Mental Health Provider

o Provides short-term, evidence-based behavioral health services to minors (children through adolescence) and their families, as well as young adults via in person and telehealth sessions. 

· Intensive Outpatient Team 

o Provides short term intensive individual therapy to middle-school youth for stabilization after hospitalization or minors who are at risk for involuntary hospitalization.

o Provides intensive group therapy once a week for children and adolescents and their families using both process and DBT skills-based interventions

o Coordinates with IOP case managers, hospital and residential staff, care coordination liaisons, and psychiatrists both within and outside of Kaiser, to support stabilization and prepare them for step-down services.

· GenderTherapist

o Provides gender assessments for adolescents and young adults seeking medical interventions, and depending on workflow demands, coordinates assessments for members with gender dysphoria to Kaiser’s Multi-Specialty Transitions (MST) department.

o Provides therapy to transgender children, adolescents and their families, as well as young adults, specifically targeting body and gender dysphoria, the transition and recovery process, as well as supporting patients in understanding and navigating intra and interpersonal, familial, societal, and systemic issues.

· ADHD Focus Group 

o Cofacilitated group for elementary aged youth diagnosed with various types of ADHD focused on principles of operant conditioning, specifically the token economy system. Lego pieces were the identified commodity used to encourage preferred behaviors and attenuate non-preferred behaviors (related to maintaining focus and attention, staying seated, and interacting appropriately with peers and facilitators). Parents present as observers, and provided feedback after each group.

6/2017-8/2018 Clinical Psychologist: Kaiser Permanente, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry

Santa Clara CA

· Intensive Outpatient Team

o Provided short term intensive individual therapy to middle-school youth for stabilization after hospitalization or at risk for involuntary hospitalization(s).

o Provided intensive group therapy once a week for children and adolescents and their families using both process and DBT skills-based interventions

o Coordinated with IOP case managers, hospital and residential staff, care coordination liaisons, and psychiatrists both within and outside of Kaiser, to support stabilization and prepare them for step-down services.

· Multispecialty Transgender Services Coordinator 

o Coordination for gender expansive youth and their families for gender evaluations at the MST clinic in Oakland

o Provided therapy to transgender children, adolescents and their families, as well as young adults, specifically targeting body and gender dysphoria, the transition and recovery process, as well as supporting patients in understanding and navigating intra and interpersonal, familial, societal, and systemic issues.

· Gender Expansive Group for Middle Schoolers and Families

o Founded and facilitated a weekly support group for gender expansive youth and their families that incorporated both content and process-oriented styles of communication.

o Structure was divided into two components: facilitated a more directive didactic, psychoeducational seminar for all participants during the first 30-45 minutes, and then facilitated a more process-oriented group during the remaining 45 minutes to hour with either parents or youth. Topics included information and exploration to support emotional, psychological, and physical safety related to the intra and interpersonal, familial, societal, and systemic issues they face. 

· Post-Doctoral Supervisor

o Supervisor for post-doctoral resident to prepare for licensure and readiness to practice as a professional psychologist within a broad range of settings

o Provided primary supervision as well as backup supervision for other post-doctoral supervisees, which encompassed weekly individual supervision, documentation review, supporting supervisee schedule management, identifying baseline assessments and competency evaluations to support their professional development, interviewing potential post-doctoral candidates, preparing for APA site visit, and attending monthly supervisor meetings.

· ADHD Observation and Assessment Clinic

o Observed and assessed children referred for ADHD testing in a mock classroom setting, facilitating both educational as well as social games and tasks. Rated participants on their ability to maintain focus, stay on task, social interactions, impulsivity, and whether other possible issues were observed that might warrant further attention (possible learning disabilities, other neurodevelopmental disorders, other mental health disorders). 

· Outpatient Mental Health Provider

o Provided short-term, evidence-based behavioral health services to minors (children through adolescence) and their families, as well as young adults.

o Clients served were from a diverse range of their individual and intersecting cultural identities (including but not limited to ethnicity, race, age, gender, sexuality as well as neurodevelopmental, cognitive and physical differences).

· Triage

o Screened incoming calls from new members and families seeking mental health services and assigned them to appropriate levels of care, as well as provided urgent services to children and adolescents whose symptoms warranted an immediate appointment.

· On-Call Emergency Room Psychologist 

o Worked seven on call shifts per year for the main medical hospital to provide clinical interviews/risk assessments with patients admitted for mental health crises to determine next steps in care.

o Certified to write involuntary psychiatric holds in Santa Clara County 

o Care coordination provided to patients who did not meet criteria for an involuntary hold to appropriate level of services

9/2016-6/2017 Clinical Psychologist: Tri-City Health Center, Pediatric and Adult Outpatient Services

Fremont, CA

· Provided short term community-based behavioral health services to culturally diverse pediatric and adult patients with a wide range of mental health diagnoses in pediatrics and Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) for dual diagnosis patients receiving suboxone treatment 

· Provided longer term therapy at Tri-City’s Ryan White clinic for patients either diagnosed with AIDS or who are HIV Positive

· Assessed and wrote letters as appropriate for Gender Reassignment Surgery (GRS) approval

· Founded and facilitated a group for high schoolers addressing procrastination and low motivation

· Worked in the community (schools) to promote mental health awareness to Spanish speaking parents and how to help them access care for their children

· Familiarity with both in-person and phone translation services for Spanish, Cantonese, and various Southeast Asian languages for Non-English speaking patients as well as experience using in-person translation services for ASL families

2/2015-8/2016 Program Manager and Clinical Supervisor, Portia Bell Hume Behavioral Health and Training Center, Alameda County Adult Services (ACAS), Intensive Integrated Community Outpatient Program (IICOP)

Fremont, California

● Provided training support and supervision of pre-doctoral interns, post-doctoral fellows, and practicum students (six total) via individual and group supervision as well as didactics and seminars

● Provided direct outpatient and intensive outpatient therapy services for adults

● Created a more efficient and effective internal quality assurance processes and provided training to ensure compliance with Alameda County Behavioral Health Care Services (ACBHCS) for levels II and III outpatient programs. 

● Program development; contributed to the evolution and growth of ACAS through building connections with other providers and stakeholders in the community

● Supported executive director in maintaining relationships with our funding sources/ master contract providers

● Hiring trainees and staff

● Supervisor: Meiji Singh, Ph.D., Licensed Clinical Psychologist, Founder at Portia Bell Hume Center

CLINICAL TRAINING

9/2014-2/2015 Functional Supervisor/ Behavioral Health Clinician: Portia Bell Hume Behavioral Health and Training Center, Level II and III Adult Programs, Fremont, California

● Provided intensive outpatient therapy services to adult patients both in the office as well as in the community to culturally diverse adult clients recently released from Crisis Response

● Provided collateral, individual rehabilitation, and case management services

● Reviewed and provided quality assurance feedback to pre-licensed clinicians to maintain compliance with ACBHCS documentation standards.

● Supported the Intensive Integrated Community Outpatient Program (IICOP) transition from external county clinical quality review to internal clinical quality review auditing process by ensuring Hume Center’s QA process was aligned with ACBHCS’s new documentation standards for existing outpatient level II and III services.

● Provided quality assurance oversight for weekly internal auditing process for both Level II and III outpatient services

● Provided training and support to staff and pre-licensed clinicians on all aspects of clinical documentation and client registration processes

● Supervisor: Meiji Singh, Ph.D., Licensed ClinicalPsychologist, Founder at Portia Bell Hume Center

8/2013-9/2014 Post-doctoral Fellow/ Functional Supervisor, Portia Bell Hume Behavioral Health and Training Center, Alameda County Adult Services, Fremont, California

● Provided weekly individual and family therapy services to culturally diverse adult clients

● Provided collateral, individual rehabilitation, and case management services

● Reviewed and provided quality assurance feedback to pre-licensed interns

● Provided quality assurance oversight for weekly internal auditing process for both Level II and III outpatient services

● Completed all clinical documentation with adherence to our master contract provider’s regulations and standards (i.e. Medi-Cal, Medi-Medi, CalWORKS, Medicare)

● Provided training and support to staff and pre-licensed clinicians on all aspects of clinical documentation and client registration processes 

● Supervisor: Marissa Mannina, Ph.D., Licensed Clinical Psychologist

7/2012-8/2013 Predoctoral Clinical Psychology Internship, Portia Bell Hume Behavioral Health and Training Center (APPIC Accredited)

Behavioral Consultation Services; Concord, California

Alameda County Outpatient Services, Fremont, California

● Provided weekly individual and family therapy services to culturally diverse clients with a range of diagnoses using primarily contextual behavioral, functional behavioral, and brief models of therapy.

● Provided Functional Behavioral Assessments, and behavior therapy to adults and children with neurodevelopmental and/or cognitive differences in the group home and home setting.

● Offered collateral, individual rehabilitation, and case management services as needed.

● Engaged in bi-weekly individual, group supervision, and didactics for both Alameda County Outpatient and Behavioral Consultation Services programs.

● Completed all clinical documentation with adherence to our master contract provider’s regulations and standards (i.e. Medi-Cal, Medi-Medi, CalWORKS, Medicare).

● Supervisors: Marissa Mannina, Ph.D., Licensed Clinical Psychologist; Grace Ho, Psy.D., Licensed Clinical Psychologist

8/2009-7/2011 Practicum III Trainee, Oakes Children’s Center

San Francisco, California

● Provided weekly and bi-weekly individual child/adolescent and group therapy services to ethnically diverse clients with social/behavioral/ emotional disturbances, and/or pervasive developmental disorders in a non-public school setting.

● Conducted psychodiagnostic assessments which included full psychological batteries; (WISC-IV-Integrated, WIAT, Woodcock Johnson Tests of Achievement, VMI, Rorschach Inkblot Projective, Thematic Apperception Test).

● Completed all clinical documentation with adherence to our master contract provider’s regulations and standards (San Francisco County Medi-Cal)

● Engaged in weekly individual and group supervisions, family therapy training seminars, and case presentation meetings

● Supervisors: Jim LaCroce, Ph.D., Clinical Psychologist, Training Director Laurence Brenner, Ph.D., Clinical Psychologist

9/2008- 7/2009 Practicum II Trainee, Edgewood Center for Children and Families: Community-Based Services

San Francisco, California

● Provided weekly and bi-weekly child/adolescent and family therapy to ethnically diverse clients with a wide range of emotional and behavioral disturbances who were at imminent risk of losing their public school and/or foster care placement at the agency and in the community (church, schools, homes).

● Provided collateral and case management services and communicated with various agencies, school staff, and other family members

● Completed all clinical documentation with adherence to our master contract provider’s regulations and standards (San Francisco County Medi-Cal)

● Engaged in weekly individual and group supervision, family therapy training seminars, and case presentation meetings

● Supervisors: Ruth Gammon, Ph.D., Clinical Psychologist; Katherine Preston, LMFT

6/2007—4/2008 Psychology Practicum I Trainee, Kurt and Barbara Gronowski Clinic

Los Altos, California

· Provided adult and child/adolescent individual psychotherapy, and couples psychotherapy

· Attended weekly group and individual supervision, didactic seminars,

· Completed treatment planning and implementation, case formulation, DSM-IV diagnosis, weekly progress reports, termination summaries, intake assessments, and psychological screening assessments.

· Supervisor: Frances Leili, Ph.D., ClinicalPsychologist

GRADUATE TEACHING EXPERIENCE

2008 Head Teaching Assistant, Introduction to Psychotherapy, Palo Alto University, Palo Alto, California

● Facilitated weekly lab section of first year graduate students on introductory psychotherapy skills in adherence with Dr. Larry Beutler’s Principles of Prescriptive Therapy

● Helped to prepare students for their first external practicum

● Created weekly lesson plans, reviewed and facilitated development of students’ 

clinical skills via section participation and video assignments

● Created syllabus and managed all documentation distribution via online document sharing system 

● Supervising Professor: Larry Beutler, Ph.D., Licensed Clinical Psychologist

2008 Teaching Assistant, Clinical Foundations

Palo Alto University, Palo Alto, CA

● Facilitated weekly lab section of first year graduate students on basic clinical skills

● Responsibilities included developing students’ clinical skills and preparing them for their first external practicum, creating and executing lesson plans, reviewing and developing students’ clinical skills via in section participation and video assignments

● Supervising Professor: Peter Goldblum, Ph.D., Licensed Clinical Psychologist

2008 Teaching Assistant Clinical Foundations

Palo Alto University, Palo Alto, CA

● Facilitate weekly lab section of first year graduate students on basic clinical skills

● Responsibilities include developing students’ clinical skills and preparing them for their first external practicum, creating and executing lesson plans, reviewing and facilitating development of students’ clinical skills via in section participation and video assignments

● Supervising Professor: Joyce Chu, Ph.D. Licensed Clinical Psychologist

2004 Facilitator, Student Success at Cal, Democratic Education Course

University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California

● Co-facilitated weekly course for undergraduate students new to the psychology major

● Responsibilities included designing and implementing lesson plans, and educating students on all of the opportunities offered at Cal as well as pitfalls to avoid to maximize their experience at Cal.

● Supervising Professor: Dacher Keltner, Ph.D.

SPECIALIZED TRAINING

2023 Certification in Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy

Integrative Psychiatry Institute, Cohort Four

2022 Neurofeedback Certification (in process)

Trauma Research Foundation, Sadar Psychological and Sports Center

Directors: Mitchell Sadar, Ph.D., BCN, BCB-HRV, Angelika Sadar, M.A., BCN, BCB-HRV

9/2022 Two Day Intensive Mindfulness Informed Professional Certification Training (CMIP) (live webinar)

2020 Dr Steven Haye's Acceptance and Commitment Therapy: ACT Immersion Program (online self-study program)

2020 Dr Bessel Van der Kolk's Trauma Treatment Mastery Course (online self-study program)

2019 Dr. Daniel Siegel on The Mindsight Approach for Children and Adolescence: Integration Techniques for the Mind and the Developing Brain (online self-study program)

2019 Complex Trauma Certification Training Level 1 & 2 (CCTP/CCTP-II) Course with Janina Fisher (online self-study program)

2019 Kaiser Permanente Certification Requirements as Level I, II Gender Therapist

5 Day Intensive Gender Assessment Training, Oakland, California 

Facilitator: Sand Chang, Ph.D., Licensed Clinical Psychologist

2018 Kaiser Permanente Certification Requirements as Level I Gender Therapist 

Gender Odyssey Conference, Pasadena, California

2016 Basic EMDR (Eye-Movement, Desensitization, and Reprocessing) Therapy Certification, Weekend two of two, EMDRIA Institute, Redwood City, California

Facilitator: Curt Rouanzoin, Ph.D.

2016 Basic EMDR (Eye-Movement, Desensitization, and Reprocessing) Therapy Certification Weekend one of two, EMDRIA Institute, Santa Monica, California

Facilitator: Gerald Puk, Ph.D.

2015-2016 Uses of Behavioral Consultation Knowledge and Skills in Clinical Practice and Supervision

Portia Bell Hume Behavioral Health and Training Center, Fremont California

Training Director: Natasha Molony, Ph.D., Licensed Clinical Psychologist

2008-2009 Certificate Program in Neuropsychological Assessment

Palo Alto University, Palo Alto, California

● A certificate program in compliance with Division 40 guidelines that include the administration, scoring, and interpretation of child and adult neuropsychological batteries.

● Professor: Amy Wisniewski, Ph.D., Program Director

6/2007-Present Attachment Doll Play Assessment

Mills College, Oakland, California

● Intensive training seminar in the administration and classification procedures developed by George & Solomon to be used to assess mental representations of attachment in young school-aged children.

● Currently working on achieving reliability (80%)

● Professor: Carol George, Ph.D., Developmental Psychologist

PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS

American Psychological Association (APA) 

California Psychological Association (CPA)

Association for Contextual Behavioral Science (ACBS) 

RESEARCH EXPERIENCE

5/2010-7/2013 Dissertation in Clinical Psychology

Topic: Understanding Relational Aggression through Children’s Ability to Mentalize within the Context of Attachment Security

Palo Alto University, Palo Alto, California

Committee Members: Nigel Field, Ph.D. (Chair), Sandy Macias, Ph.D., and Lynn Waelde, Ph.D.; Doll Play Assessment Transcripts scored by Judith Solomon, Ph.D.

Status: Completed

● Assessed children aged seven through ten years on their attachment security at the representational level to ascertain their corresponding capacity for empathy and mentalization, and to determine whether these constructs are associated with the use of relational aggression.

9/2007-9/2013 Member, Attachment and Trauma ResearchGroup

Palo Alto University, Redwood City, California

● Research focus on how traumatic life events can affect a child’s representation of attachment

● Professor: Nigel Field, Ph.D.

3/2007-5/2007 Levels of Acculturation in Korean Americans and Their Corresponding IQs

Palo Alto University, Redwood City, California

● Administered to participants a series of tests including the WASI, D-KEFS, BDI, and the WRAT

● Supervisor: Soyoun Park, M.S.

1/2005-4/2005 Sleep and Psychological Disorders Lab, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California

● Qualitative coding

● Read proposals for future research and offered feedback

● Assisted in constructing questionnaires for future study

● Used SPSS to organize and analyze data

● Professor: Alison Harvey, Ph.D., Licensed Clinical Psychologist

1/2004-1/2005 Early Childhood Arithmetic Lab, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California

● Directly tested 32-month-old toddlers on their concept of quantity

● Quantitative and qualitative coding

● Trained other experimenters

● Debriefed parents on nature of study

● Supervisor: Peter Gillette, Ph.D., Developmental Psychologist

7/2003-8/2003 Culture and Creativity, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley California

● Qualitative coding, data entry

● Supervisor: Susannah Paletz, Ph.D.

PROFESSIONAL PRESENTATIONS

Caruso-Maxey, H. (March, 2007). Boosting optimism and reducing depressive symptoms in children with cancer. Poster presented at the Annual Pacific Research Society, Palo Alto, CA.

Park, S., Wisniewski, A., Caruso-Maxey, H., & Gandolfi, J. (August, 2007). Level of acculturation and IQs in Korean Americans. Poster presented at the International Neuropsychological Society Meeting, Honolulu, HI