I have always been interested in healing and in understanding the mind. In college, I majored in psychology, and during medical school, the decision to specialize in psychiatry came easily. Psychiatry, with its Greek roots meaning "healing of the mind/soul," resonated with me. During my psychiatry training, I found the most satisfaction in direct patient care.  My focus was in  community mental health — treating the underserved and severely mentally ill.   I spent most of my clinic hours at the historic Massachusetts Mental Health Center , managing conditions such as schizophrenia, bipolar illness, mood disorders, substance use, personality disorders and trauma.   Within this dynamic academic environment, I  enjoyed being involved in all facets of patient care, including biologically oriented treatments, psychotherapeutic interventions,  case management, and homeless outreach.

​ After completing my psychiatry residency training in Boston,  I relocated to the Sacramento area for family reasons.  I initially worked at Kaiser Permanente in the outpatient clinic where I managed medications for depression, ADHD and anxiety conditions such as PTSD, OCD, and panic disorder. Eventually,  I transitioned from the managed care setting to private practice.  Although I found satisfaction in supporting my clients through their difficulties, I became disillusioned with the "real world" practice of conventional medicine and its overemphasis on pharmacologic treatment.  In 2009, after several years in private practice and facing my own health challenges with an autoimmune illness,  I decided to take a sabbatical to explore alternative approaches to healing.

​I am thrilled to have reopened my practice as of 2014 but with a fresh perspective. I look forward to treating my clients with the most current knowledge in the field of mental health.  I am excited that the medical field  is in the midst of a revolution-- a paradigm shift from a  problem-specific  disease model to a more integrative one as we begin to recognize how the mind, body, spirit and community all interact to influence our health.  Rather than treating symptoms, we must focus on the root causes of illness.  I have witnessed through my years of practice that although psychiatric medications can be beneficial, especially in the acute situation,  they have limitations and that successful long-term healing must encompass a  greater scope of treatment options.

My passion to find a more comprehensive approach to preventing and treating illness led me to complete a  2-yr fellowship in integrative medicine in 2018 under the leadership of Dr. Andrew Weil, a recognized expert in the field of alternative medicine and medical education reform. I have also engaged in immersive study of transpersonal (spiritual) psychology and ancient contemplative traditions through the Nine Gates Mystery School and have learned from traditional healers in the Yucatan and South America. I hold a special interest in the clinical utility of exploring "non-ordinary" states of consciousness and in the use of psychedelic-assisted therapy as an emerging treatment modality. 

In addition to my interest in lifelong learning, I teach as a guest instructor at the University of Arizona College of Medicine. Here,  I have contributed content on integrative approaches to depression for the Andrew Weil Center for Integrative Medicine's online curriculum and lead a psychiatry-specialty physician group in the integrative medicine fellowship’s clinical mentorship program.