Do you ever ask yourself what it is that gets you up in the morning?  It's an important question to consider.  I am not a morning person, so for anything to get me going at that time, it has to have a lot of value.  Aside from spending time with family or friends, the one thing that inspires me is knowing that my work is a part of building something bigger than me, and that thing is the Kingdom of God.  By guiding people to understand how their healing comes, not just from believing in God, but in enacting His Will in their lives, I get to be a part of creating real change, to be a part of seeing the redeeming work of Christ in people's lives.  

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I am bold in speaking difficult truth in a way that is gracious, so that it can be received with an understanding of how that truth is beneficial. Also, the techniques I use reveal the underlying motives and emotions that are often hidden to the patient, similar in some ways to how Nathan was able to bring awareness to David, who had been in denial of his sin.

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My specialties include Couples, Depression, Anxiety, Anger, Trauma.

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I was trained in the integration of psychology and theology at Rosemead School of Psychology. While using psychological techniques and research to inform my practice, I seek to raise my patients' awareness of how the healing they find is related to Scripture, and that the Scriptures hold a wisdom beyond psychology in bringing that healing. I pray with my patients at the end of session as well, linking their concerns to The Lord's wisdom and love.

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I start with an assessment of the person's openness to God and to Scripture. I invite people to examine their thoughts and behaviors within the context of Scripture, so they can better understand which are helping and which are destructive. For example, Gal. 6:4 gives guidance on healthy self-esteem, based on godly behavior rather than on popularity/wealth/looks, etc., and by not judging self by comparison with others. John 3:17 and Romans 8:1 are used to help people understand that self-condemnation is not from God, and is damaging to self-esteem, and is essentially "worldly sorrow," as opposed to "godly sorrow, which leads to repentance, and leaves no regret" (II Cor. 7:8ff). I help a person to get to godly sorrow through identifying their feelings as they consider the cost of sinful or foolish methods of coping. At the same time, grace is offered in helping them identify what they have been trying to accomplish through those means, and helping them to find more helpful, godly coping methods.

Those that are broadly Evangelical are my "home base," but people from other traditions--Roman Catholic, Reformed, Jewish, etc.-- are generally comfortable with my counseling, and generally appreciate the help they get in seeing the validity of God and Scripture in their healing. I have found Buddhists to be open to dialoguing about faith issues and Scripture, and permitting me to apply Scripture to their life situations, giving them a new perspective.

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Soren Kierkegaard wrote, "Purity of Heart Is to Will One Thing." I became a Christian at the age of 5, and since then, I have been continually challenged by God to examine the "many other things" in my life that are outside of His Will, and to focus on developing that which is. I believe that by walking in His Will, walking in the Spirit, I find Shalom--peace within myself and peace with others--and that the world can only find His Shalom by walking in His Will as well. So I seek to do this in each area of my life, encouraged by the Holy Spirit, by a knowledge of His Word, and by fellowship with other believers.