Who am I as a therapist?

I’m a second generation Pinay with Ilokano, Kalinga and Ifugao roots. With a concentration in Expressive Arts Therapy, I utilize different creative modalities to support therapeutic processes. My approach is person centered, trauma informed, multicultural and collaborative. I integrate cultural humility in my practice and create a therapeutic space that is based on consent, where you are the expert in your life. I use polyvagal and somatic techniques for an embodied connection to thoughts and feelings, specializing in Narrative Therapy.  

Who is my ideal client ?

The populations I serve include BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, neurodivergent and immigrant communities, youth to adult aged individuals and groups. I work with service providers, educators, artists and health practitioners looking for balance, moving through life transitions, experiencing anxiety, depression, PTSD or tending to loss and grief.  I’m open to working with individuals, couples and families that are willing to explore and create different ways of relating to difficulties and hardships, and deconstructing cycles and coping skills that can be turned into tools and understanding that fosters growth and transformation. 

What is it like to work with me? 

I’m warm, friendly, and inviting and place a great deal of importance on agency for everyone I work with. As a community cultural worker, I recognize the importance of systems and how they may impact the way we relate to ourselves, others and our environment. Having this macro lens in mind, I make an effort to decolonize my practice and work as a collaborator in supporting therapeutic goals. Cultivating creativity and exploring different pathways of understanding is central to how I hold sessions.

What you might experience during treatment with me?

I utilize grounding techniques such as breathing, mindfulness, and visualization exercises to create a calm and stable experience. Depending on your interests in creative exploration, I bring in sound and music practices, literary arts- such as poetry, movement based exercises, Drama Therapy and visual arts to externalize what’s happening internally. Taking the time to reflect on embodied interventions supports the reframing of the relationship to life’s challenges. We’ll work together to create new ways of coping and moving through struggle.   

What professional training or skills do I possess? 

As an interdisciplinary artist, I bring the inquiry of life experience into a tangible working space. With a Bay Area collective of queer BIPOC artists and practitioners I founded AGASAN, meaning to heal in Ilokano. I hold multimodal workshops for groups and provide sound healing and musical experiences which can include the use of song writing and karaoke. 

Recent Trainings include:

Incredible Years Parenting Program Facilitation

Mental Health First Aid - Youth & Adults