About
Advocacy
My work as a counselor began in the late 1980s at the Devereux Foundation, where I was a lead counselor for people with schizoaffective disorder and autism. That work extended to private group homes for adolescent girls who were transitioning out of California Youth Authority, then to the City of Santa Barbara, where I worked with unhoused children and families. I've worked with sexual abuse survivors throughout my career to support their healing from shame, addiction, and abusive relationships.
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I am an incest survivor. I spoke out against my father who molested me throughout my childhood. I felt ashamed and responsible for my father's predatory behavior and my mother's lack of emotional presence. In 1988, when I was 18 years old, I had flashbacks of what happened to me. I spoke about it with my family; there was a deep lack of support, which was re-traumatizing for me but I continued to speak out. My bold expression of the truth was isolating at times. I felt lonely and unsafe but forged on and through the years, have cultivated safety within.
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My healing has shaped my success and speaking out against perpetrators. In 1998, Dr. James Heaps at UCLA sexually assaulted me. I reported his predatory actions to the California Medical Board and UCLA; both disregarded my concerns and were complicit in Heaps abusing hundreds (possibly thousands) of women. Two decades later, other survivors spoke out. I was a lead plaintiff in a landmark case against Heaps and UCLA. I had the honor of addressing the California Senate and Judiciary Committee, advocating to lift the statute of limitations in my case and that of many other survivors. The Bill passed unanimously with bipartisan support.
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I’m honored to contribute to the RAINN Speaker’s Bureau and share my experiences as a survivor through interviews with various global media outlets.
Writing
I've used writing as a tool for healing since 1988 when I first had flashbacks of my father sexually abusing me. Expressive and creative writing was my solace and complemented my journey through intensive, trauma-informed therapy. I've published peer-reviewed research relating to social psychology, ghostwritten and edited books, and am a writing coach for memoir writers.
As an expressive writing facilitator, I use the deeply healing modality of writing
to help clients move through pain and actualize the life they long for.
Life Beyond Trauma
My two daughters teach me what it means to love people all the way through. I'm a lifelong athlete and use physical and mental endurance as a way to heal, have fun, use my brain, and stay healthy. I've climbed Mt. Whitney in a day, run ultramarathons, and am always looking for a new athletic endeavor. Our Golden Retriever, Maple reminds me all the time to play, cuddle, and nap!