Born on the East Coast and raised in San Francisco by Italian parents, I grew up in a world of contrast. Privilege and pain colored my early years. Adolescence was a period of beauty, turmoil, and self-discovery. My early relationships as a young person in my twenties were co-dependent and often felt lonely.

 

Turning my focus to a career in health care, I worked many long hours with the goal of achieving acceptance and approval. Corporate life taught me that grit and determination are rewarded, often creativity and thinking outside of the box are devalued.

 

Extensive travel abroad came in my early thirties, adventures in other cultures with people in foreign lands. Marriage, children and integrating into a community came in my late thirties and forties.

 

A critical turning point came in my mid forties when my marriage and family fell apart, causing a difficult divorce and my entry into graduate school to become a therapist, a lifelong dream. Spiritual pursuits and learning deepened in my forties and early fifties after losing a parent. The realities of mid-life and mortality came swiftly and descended into my life.

 

All of this to say, there is a difference between a therapist who understands theoretical orientation and one who can integrate that with real life experience. I stand now in the fullness of who I am, ready to assist others as they traverse the journey back to self. Transformation is possible for those willing to go inward. I whole-heartedly welcome anyone ready to start the process.