Find a Therapist in Rancho Santa Margarita, California.

Are you grappling with life, relationship, or work issues? When these issues begin to cause you a great deal of worry or pain, it’s good to find someone to talk to. My focus is on guiding you in learning more constructive ways to deal with the problems in your life. When helping you through this difficult period my approach is supportive, caring, and infused with humor. I assist you in building insights and a skill set that can be applied to a multitude of life stressors.When you become aware of how you move through your world, you can begin to gently guide yourself in a new direction. I look forward to facilitating this process. Please ring 949.370.4726 or e-mail info@southoccounseling.com.

Therapy is not a one size fits all experience. Though I extensively trained to understand specific theories of practice, I utilize a "prescriptive" approach. This means I will adapt to your needs in treatment. Therapy is co-created, it is relational, and it is in the therapeutic relationship where we seek personal growth to apply outside the therapy room. I work with adult individual clients who are grieving a significant loss, LGBTIQ+ adults, adults with creative blocks, neurodivergent adults, people pleasers, those recovering from trauma, and adults burnt out about their work.

My approach to psychotherapy is mostly relational. I take a family systems approach that addresses relationships in my clients' lives and improves their functioning for better health and happiness. Clients under my care learn how to unilaterally improve the functioning of a relationship through boundaries and self-confrontation. The result is individuals and relationships that thrive.

I have 20 years of diverse professional experiences and extensive training. I am a published writer, lecturer and passionate about my field. I specialize working with Individual Adults and Teens. My style is conversational, and I strive for a collaborative and compassionate practice with my clients. Though, I am trained in a variety of therapies, I primarily work in narrative and psychodynamic theory. Additionally, I may draw upon other similar or complimentary theoretical approaches to create a highly personalized treatment plan based on your needs and goals.

My clients often find me easy to talk to and say they feel comfortable with me, trusting quickly. This can make the psychotherapeutic process easier and more effective for my clients, especially if they are nervous or don’t know what to expect. Therapy with me can range from just talking casually with each other, leading to insights, increased self awareness, and processing through emotional issues, or it could be more intensive deeper therapy like EMDR.

I'm a seasoned licensed individual therapist with a focus on how relationships shape our personalities and overall mental health. I use a comprehensive blend of therapeutic approaches including Sensorimotor Psychotherapy, Internal Family Systems, and Object-Relations Psychotherapy. Tailoring to the unique needs of individuals seeking personal growth, I empower clients to explore underlying patterns and emotional complexities. With an empathetic and goal-oriented perspective, clients find a path towards self-awareness, emotional balance, and confidence. My deep commitment to individual well-being positions me as an ideal guide for those seeking to transform and enhance their lives in therapy.

After 30 years as a practicing pschotherapist, I have learned effective ways that allow my clients to feel safe, empowered, and to heal in an invironment that is both confidential and respectful. I am a solution oriented therapist and while I feel that the past experiences do have an impact on who we are today, I believe the current experiences are much more telling and important. My clients are actively involved in their therapy goals and outcomes, as we work together to achieve healing, growth and change. There are many effective tools I introduce in therapy that can help in communication and assisting you with expressing feelings and emotiions more effectively.