I am a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist living in Southern California with 40 years of professional work experience. I have experience in helping clients with stress and anxiety, coping with addictions, relationship and intimacy related issues. I believe in treating everyone with respect, sensitivity, and compassion. I will tailor our sessions and treatment plan to meet your unique and specific needs. It takes courage to seek out a more fulfilling and happier life and to take the first steps towards change. I am here to support & empower you in that journey. I approach our therapeutic relationship with the understanding that each person is unique via their experiences both socially and in their families and that each person views life from their own special point of view. I see my part as understanding each client and learning from you on how you experience and see the world. My background is very diverse. I have had the privilege of working with a multicultural clientele in both inpatient and outpatient settings as well as in private practice. I also taught counseling for many years helping students of many cultural and ethnic backgrounds to become qualified counselors. I have two adult children and step grandchildren and one deceased child. I have been happily married for 35 years to my current husband after divorcing my first husband after 17 years of marriage. I have had the experiences of children from infants through adulthood as well as the grief of a dying and deceased child. I was also a returning student going back to school at age 30. My counseling experience is wide and diverse counseling those with substance abuse issues and their families, helping families with divorce and reconciliation, family transitional issues, stress management and anxiety issues, grief issues, relationship and family issues. It has been my honor to work with each of my above clients who shared their lives with me. It is my privilege to have been a small part of their lives in helping them reached their desired goals. My therapy style is always person centered as it is the only way to empathetically understand another. With this understanding and co-partnership with you, we can begin the journey in helping you reach your goals. My therapy style is influenced by the Cognitive Behavioral Approaches, Gestalt, Systems and Structural Therapies. It is my hope that we can collaboratively work together to meet your goals. It takes a lot of strength and courage to take the steps necessary to create a happier and more fulfilling life.