Drawing on 25 years experience, I work with people in an engaged, interactive manner bringing both competency and compassion to the therapeutic relationship.
I offer short term therapy to address such issues as relationship conflicts, career difficulties, grief reactions, or stressful situations.
I also offer in-depth therapy to help individuals resolve more on-going problems such as chronic depression, recurrent anxiety or difficulties arising from childhood traumas or dysfunctional families. By providing psychological expertise in a confidential, safe environment we can address challenging life issues with respect and care.
My therapeutic aim will be to effectively address your current concerns and identify relevant underlying factors. To handle early family dynamics you may have developed patterns of responding that are no longer useful. Gaining insight about these once needed defenses can help you choose healthier responses for who you are today.
With a practice in the downtown San Francisco Financial District, I often treat people who are:
- Professionals in high stress careers such as law, finance, technology and business
- People dealing with career changes, loss of employment or workplace problems such as sexual harassment, discrimination or bullying by bosses
- Individuals suffering from depression, anxiety, panic attacks or insecurities which impede their optimal functioning
- Workers faced with health issues, including alcohol or drug abuse, that make it difficult to handle job responsibilities
- Individuals and couples, both straight and gay, experiencing communication or relationship problems, and those dealing with divorce
- People with trauma experiences, a family history of abuse or personal issues arising from growing up in dysfunctional families
- Those from diverse cultural, religious or ethnic backgrounds, cross-cultural conflicts with parents from another country, or international survivors of torture
- Older adults, their families and nursing homes needing psychological assistance to address or prevent transfer trauma or relocation trauma when moving elders to new settings.
- Teaching psychology
- Directing organizations
- Serving as a consultant to law firms, corporations and hospitals
- Working in international projects
- Conducting human rights investigations
- Private
Practice:
Treatment of adults, adolescents and children since 1980. - Survivors
International:
Psychological treatment of torture survivors from around the world. - American Association of Retired People, AARP; convalescent hospitals, law firms:
Served as transfer trauma specialist in preparing older adults for mass transfers to other facilities, counseling individuals moving to new levels of care, and serving as an expert witness in Transfer Trauma cases. - Oncology
Unit, Children's Hospital of Northern California, Oakland:
Psychotherapy with children undergoing cancer treatment including consultations with their family members and staff.
- Psychiatric
Services Clinic, Children's Hospital of San Francisco:
Psychological testing, school consultations, therapy with children and adults.
- Mount
Zion Hospital, Crises Services of San Francisco:
Diagnosis and treatment of psychiatric emergency cases.
- Family
Guidance Services, Children's Hospital of Northern California, Oakland:
Family therapy, play therapy, group therapy and individual psychotherapy with children regarding traumatic life events and medical procedures.
- Berkeley
Mental Health Department:
Conducted therapy groups for older adults and provided individual therapy for elderly patients dealing with loss and grief reactions.
- Shanti
Project:
Founding member and counselor providing support and therapy for terminally ill people and their families.
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Tibet Oral History Project, Founder and Executive Director, 2003-present
In response to a direct request from His Holiness, the Dalai Lama, founded the Tibet Oral History Project to document the life stories of Tibetan elders living in exile. Organized a 12-member team of interviewers, videographers and translators to videotape interviews of 82 Tibetan elders living in Bylakuppe, the oldest Tibetan settlement in Karnataka, India. The project will present the interviews on the Internet and preserve them in library archives around the world. For more information go to www.tibetoralhistory.org.
United Nations Association-USA East Bay, Advisor to Board of Directors, 2006-present
The UN Association is dedicated to educating, inspiring and mobilizing Americans to support the principles and vital work of the United Nations and to achieve the goals of the UN Charter.
Tibet Justice Center, Board of Directors, 2003-2006 (Board President 2004-2005)
Tibet Justice Center advocates self-determination for the Tibetan people. Through legal action and education, Tibet Justice Center promotes human rights, environmental protection and peaceful resolution of the situation in Tibet.
Tibet Child Nutrition and Collaborative Health Project, October 2000
Through the humanitarian relief organization, Airline Ambassadors, helped secure and hand deliver over a ton of vitamins and medications for health clinics in and around Lhasa, Tibet under the auspices of the Tibet Child Nutrition and Collaborative Health Project.
Tibet Justice Center, Psychologist Consultant, 1998-1999
Psychologist Consultant with fact-finding team that investigated women's rights in Tibet. In 1998, traveled to Dharamsala, Northern India, to interview recently arrived female refugees who experienced human rights abuses such as imprisonment, torture, coerced abortions and sterilizations. Analyzed data and presented a report to the United Nations committee reviewing compliance of governments that signed the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women.
Psychologist Consultant for research mission to investigate conditions of children living in Tibet. In 1999, interviewed 58 youngsters who had fled Tibet and were now living in the Tibetan Children's Village in Dhramsala. Prepared case studies for report to the United Nations committee on the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
International Rescue Committee, Group Therapist, 1998
Conducted a year long group therapy project in San Francisco for traumatized Muslim women, brought to the United States from Bosnia, as refugees by the International Rescue Committee. The women experienced symptoms of post-traumatic stress caused by assaults and rapes, the death and disappearance of loved ones, and multiple traumas associated with loss of home and livelihood, as well as change of language and culture.
Survivors International , Executive Director, 1994-1996
Opened and directed Survivors International, the first treatment center in San Francisco for survivors of torture from around the world. The organization provided psychological and medical assistance to over 600 torture survivors from 46 countries. Funding came from the United Nations Voluntary Fund for Victims of Torture, The San Francisco Foundation and from other grants and donations.
The Committee of Responsibility to Save War Injured Vietnamese Children, Philadelphia Chapter Director, 1970-1971
Coordinated medical and social care for Vietnamese children who were brought to the U.S. for treatment of napalm burns, injuries from explosives and amputations from artillery fire. Secured foster homes for children undergoing rehabilitation.
Maryknoll, Media Consultant, South Korea, 1968
Worked with the Mass Communications Committee of South Korea to produce radio programs on health care for rural communities. Developed strategies with non-governmental organizations to address humanitarian needs in Seoul, Korea.
- Ph.D., Clinical Psychology, California School of Professional Psychology, Berkeley, CA
- M.A., Psychology, Lone Mountain College, San Francisco, CA
- B.A., Literature, Theater and Cinema, New York University, New York, NY
- San Francisco Psychological Association
- California Psychological Association
