About Me

I was born and raised in Hawaii and moved to the Portland/Vancouver area shortly after graduating from high school. I attended the University of Oregon for my undergraduate degree. After graduating I volunteered in Kenya for a year. It was there, working with a social worker in economically challenged areas in Nairobi, that I first became interested in a career in counseling. When I returned home from Africa, I enrolled in the social work program at Portland State University, where I obtained my master’s degree. My first job as a social worker was with Centennial School District in Oregon. I enjoyed working with students and families, providing counseling and resources. I later moved to Prince George, British Columbia (a far cry from my roots in Hawaii), where I worked for a counseling agency and taught several classes in social work at the University of Northern British Columbia. I moved back to this area in 1999 and have been working at Kaiser Permanente ever since. I enjoy the dedicated, caring professionals I work with and the wide variety of clients I am able to provide care for. My pronouns are she/her/hers.

About my practice

I am drawn to collaborative approaches for treating mental health issues, and I tend to utilize models of therapy that include mindfulness and acceptance as well as cognitive behavioral strategies to help patients function in their lives. I have facilitated a variety of mental health groups for treating depression and anxiety, coping with trauma, developing parenting strategies for working with teens, and more.

  • Population specialties: all ages including older adults, parents
  • Language capacity: English
  • Areas of focus: In addition to interventions for a range of mental health conditions including depression and anxiety, I have specific skills addressing PTSD; adoption, social skills (adult or child); and parenting.

How I thrive

I am blessed to have a great network of family and friends that keep me hopping. My son plays club soccer; therefore I am a soccer mom first and foremost (though I have never gotten used to standing in the rain for 2 hours!). My husband also plays soccer, which adds to the fun. I fill in the time between soccer games with dinner and cards with friends, Zumba (Gold) classes, taking my dog for walks, scrapbooking, camping, and traveling.