I am a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist with over 20 years of experience working with individuals, couples, and alternative families. I maintain a private practice in downtown Petaluma, California and I go by the nickname “J”
In addition to my private practice, I taught Couple’s Therapy and Sex Therapy in the graduate department at Sonoma State University.
I co-facilitated a psycho-educational and experiential relationship training in which couples and individuals gained insight into their parental and caregiver relationships and learned to integrate these experiences to ultimately achieve more satisfying current relationships. This training was a diverse multi-cultural experience conducted in the U.S., in Europe, and at the Psychological Institute of Moscow.
I spent six years working at Hospice of Petaluma where I provided bereavement counseling to individuals; led parent groups, family systems groups, and high school groups; all focusing on complicated grief issues.
Education:
- Master of Arts Degree: Counseling Psychology, Sonoma State University
- Bachelor of Arts Degree: Psychology, Dominican University
Summa Cum Laude - License #MFT43882
Additional Training:
- The Ottawa Couple and Family Institute – Externship.
Sue Johnson, Ph.D. Emotionally Focused Couple Therapy (EFT). - Human Awareness Institute. I spent 2 years in a psychoeducational and experiential training designed to desensitize, re-sensitize, and broaden a therapist’s view of normal sexuality. This training increased tolerance regarding non-traditional gender roles, separated shame and guilt from sexual experiences, and taught integration of painful past sexual experiences resulting in more complete and emotionally gratifying relationships.
- UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine. Consultation and training with Dr. Stan Tatkin working with neuroscience and attachment theory for couple’s therapy.
- The Couple’s Institute (Ellyn Bader, PhD & Peter Pearson, PhD). A year-long training working with the developmental model of couple’s therapy.
- The Gottman Institute. Marital Therapy: A Research-Based Approach.
- “Mindfulness Based Training” Dr. Jon Kabbat Zinn, PhD.
- “Working with Personality Disorders” Dr. James Masterson, MD.
- “After the Honeymoon” Dr. Jim Matto Shepard, PhD, and Felicia Matto Shepard, LCSW.
- “Attachment in Psychotherapy” Dr. David Wallin, PhD.
- “Collaborative Couple’s Therapy” Dr. Dan Wile, PhD.
Professional Memberships:
- California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists
- Redwood Empire Association of Marriage and Family Therapists
- Counseling California
