How I Became a Therapist

When I was 12, my dad was doing his best to try to help me figure out what I wanted to be when I grow up. I never knew quite how to answer that question. Dissatisfied when I told him that I wanted to code video games (my dad worked in IT), he pressed me to think of a career that would have me interact with people. “You’re good with people,” he said. I remember turning down his various suggestions, until finally he came to the end of his rope and asked, “Well then, what do you want to do?”

I answered simply, “Help people!”

Exasperated, he exclaimed, “But HOW ?!”

I went to UC Berkeley to study and majored in Cognitive Science, and I also found a passion for Music and Education - so, of course, I ended up with a double minor. I moved to Memphis through a volunteer program to see what it would be like to become an elementary school teacher. Through working with the students, I was touched by their trust as they looked to me as a safe adult who could provide them validation and acceptance - but I knew they needed more. This awareness drew me closer to Counseling. I studied School Counseling and found an intriguing path toward therapy, something I never considered before. With encouragement from my mentor, I received a Masters in Counseling with both specialties, licensed as both a School Counselor and a Marriage & Family Therapist in the state of California.

I worked in schools for nearly 10 years and although I loved being a part of the movement in mental health for children, I was also feeling overworked and that something was missing. By the time I got to my 30’s, I felt my priorities shifting and found that my strength and a more sustainable role for me was to focus on caring for those who dedicate themselves to service for others.

I’ve since found a special place in my heart for helping professionals, who at their core are givers and helpers, and have been burned out by the system we live in. So many of us were missed when it comes to mental health care. In our childhood and teenage years, we were the high achievers, go-getters, independent workers; we could take care of ourselves. No one needed to hold our hands, and there were so many others in need, we wanted others to have the help. So we said, “Don’t worry about me, I’ll be fine. I can handle it. I can take care of it myself. I can figure it out.”

Fast forward to being adults, we can feel a sense of deep loneliness that is hard to explain to others. We can seem so “perfect” and “good” on the outside, feeling guilty and lost on the inside and unsure how to ask for help—we rarely have had to do so before.

I am committed to helping those who have wanted to help others for so long and have decided to start with themselves. It’s a powerful, daunting place to be emotionally. And I am so excited to be part of your journey.