Hello, I am native of the beautiful city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where I received my Bachelor's degree in Psychology in the year of 1996. There I followed a rigorous Psychoanalytic training while working with adults, children and families in private practice, outpatient and inpatient settings. During my Psychoanalytic training years I had the opportunity to work with children and adolescents who experienced various types of trauma who lived in the underprivileged communities, the slums of Rio de Janeiro. That was my first experience as a Trauma-Informed Child Therapist, and it spoke strongly to me.

 

I moved to the U. S. in 2001 and earned a Master's degree in Marriage and Family Therapy and worked with grief and loss, Psychiatric patients and with families and children in foster care.

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Working with children and adolescents is my passion and it is an honor to be doing it for the past 25 years. I love what I do and I am lucky to have met and worked with so many incredible children and parents. 

 

I cultivate gratitude in my day-to-day life and I am beyond grateful to be celebrating Child Therapy San Diego's 12th year anniversary this year.

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Credentials and Certifications

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• LMFT credential refers to Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and indicates a licensed mental health professional who has earned a Master's degree in clinical Psychology and holds a practicing license as a Psychotherapist in California.

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• RPT- S credential refers to Registered Play Therapist Supervisor by The Association for Play Therapy. It indicates a professional with specialized training and practice in Play Therapy, as a modality of psychological treatment and who is an authorized clinical supervisor by the Association of Play Therapy. 

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• IY Group Leader refers to a professional that has been trained in the Incredible Years® evidence based parenting programs, developed by Carolyn Webster-Stratton, M.S., M.P.H., Ph.D., designed to promote children’s academic, social and emotional skills and reduce conduct problems.  

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• SoulCollage® is a Jungian-based process created by Seena Frost where participants utilize their intuition and imagination to make individual collage cards to honor different aspects of themselves. A SoulCollage® facilitator has been trained to utilize this process therapeutically with clients, as well as to facilitate SoulCollage® groups and workshops. 

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• EMDR - Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing level 1 - refers to a professional 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗱 by the 𝗘𝗠𝗗𝗥 𝗜𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗶𝘁𝘂𝘁𝗲 who have completed both Weekend 1 and 2 of Basic Training plus 10 hours of case consultation by an 𝗘𝗠𝗗𝗥 𝗜𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗶𝘁𝘂𝘁𝗲 approved 𝗙𝗮𝗰𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿 and have received your Basic Training Certificate of Completion. 

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• TF - CBT - Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Certification - Trauma focused cognitive behavioral therapy is an evidence-based psychotherapy or counselling that aims at addressing the needs of children and adolescents with post traumatic stress disorder and other difficulties related to traumatic life events.

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• Grief, Loss and Bereavement Certificate Program – Center for Grief Care and Education - San Diego Hospice and Palliative Care

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• UCSD Play Therapy Certificate

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Professional affiliations

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• CAMFT - California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists

• APT - Association for Play Therapy

• CALPT SD - California Association for Play Therapy San Diego Branch  

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Theoretical Orientation 

 

Clinical experience