Initially, the only reason I attended college stemmed from a desire to chase my dream of playing college football. While the successes on the field did not manifest to the extent I  envisioned, my experiences as a student athlete and the education I obtained greatly influenced me to pursue a career as a helping professional.

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My 20+ year career has taken a "nontraditional path." After obtaining my Bachelor's Degree in Social Work (BSW), I conducted prevention programming in k-12 schools and adolescent adjudication settings. I worked in this role for several years and then obtained my MSW degree to become a mental health therapist.  After several years of working as a bilingual therapist, I realized that my true calling was to become a psychologist, which required that I pursue my doctoral degree. I have dual professional identities and licensure. I am a Licensed Psychologist and Clinical Social Worker.  I often say that the social worker in me saw a need and filled it by getting a PhD in psychology.

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Throughout my career, I have gained extensive clinical experience in a variety of settings and with diverse populations.  This includes: community outpatient services; acute inpatient units; non-profit agencies; university counseling; private practice; graduate level training sites; substance abuse treatment programs; long term inpatient services; juvenile probation & corrections; domestic violence & anger management programs; mandated court services; and employee assistance programs.

 

For more than a decade, in addition to the clinical and consultation work I conduct, I have been a tenured professor at a local university where I train the next generation of helping professionals. 

 

​Away from work, I enjoy spending time with family, being active, martial arts, BBQing, trying to be handy around the house and watching college football.