Who I Am Personal background: I was born and grew up in a small town in eastern West Virginia, in the Shenandoah Valley, where there are farms and orchards and mountains, and beauty everywhere. This old town and the surrounding farmlands imprinted me with a strong need and love of the natural world. Although my family was a large extended one, with many cousins, uncles and aunts, I had only one sibling, who was several years older, so I was often by myself, enabling me to have a rich and enjoyable imaginal life. The family I came from was multigenerational, with grandparents, great aunts, two disabled WWII uncles, and everyone with a story. These people would have an ongoing and strong influence throughout my life and in my choice of profession. My elementary and high school education was excellent in the basic studies, although by the time I reached college age, I wanted to experience a larger world. West Virginia University was a bridge to that world; when I was graduated with a BA in English, I quickly got a job in "the City"...teaching English and Social Studies in a middle school near Washington, DC. Since those days, I have experienced a rich and challenging life. For 13 years I was a military wife and a mother. Upon reaching California, I decided to return to school and complete my life goals. Along the way, I have done many jobs, and I have continued to study and train in psychology, thus, continuing to develop a sense of myself and my place in the world. The following is an informal history of my professional life: 1979: I was accepted and enrolled in San Diego State University's Rehabilitation Counselor Program, a demanding two year master's level program developed to provide competent assessment and vocational counselors for the disabled. 1980: In the second year of my Master's program, I accepted a position with an Employment and Training nonprofit agency which also served as a training placement. During that year, in order to graduate, all students in the Rehab Counseling program had to "write" a federal grant. I decided to research and write a grant proposal that would have a chance of being funded. With the approval and support of my Director and Supervisor, I wrote, and got funded ($500,000) -- the first grant for comprehensive services to Vietnam Era Veterans in San Diego. 1985: Realizing that I wanted to do more clinical work, I returned to college to pick up courses that would meet the requirements of the CA Marriage, Family and Child license. Upon leaving the agency in 1986, I was Vice President in charge of Program Operations. 1986 - 1990: These were the years of post-graduate internship, rich with varied experiences and environments: Private practice in two different locations, working with military families at Camp Pendleton, CA, and with court-ordered sex offenders and sexual abuse survivors in Parents United, a San Diego Co. program. 1990 - 2002: On January 12, 1990, I was Licensed as a CA. Marriage, Family and Child Counselor (the name of the license changed a few years ago to Marriage and Family Therapist). The majority of these years were spent in my own Private Practice, getting experience, learning from my clients, mentors and teachers, developing more skills and providing Intern Supervision. Additionally, I contracted with several insurance companies for EAP work and, for 5 years, provided assessment, referral and short term counseling to federal workers, including US Coast Guard employees and their families. 2002 - 2004: Desiring to work as part of a team and interested in their cutting-edge training and clinical treatment, I accepted a full time position in the east county branch of San Diego Youth and Community Services. As a Clinician I worked with high-risk youth (ages 7 - 18) and their families. In 2003, I accepted a Clinical Supervisor position, taking responsibility for the mentoring and training of 4 post masters Interns and 3 second-year master students. 2004: Choosing to be closer to my family, I left San Diego to come to the San Francisco Bay area. And for the first time, I took a much needed and extended vacation from work. 2005: I opened my Private Practice in Lafayette, CA and began providing Clinical Supervision for John F. Kennedy University in Pleasant Hill, CA. Click here to view my formal resume and a history of my post masters training which illustrates my extensive involvement in ongoing professional training from 1989 to the present.
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