Work History

Social Work and School Counseling:

   Starting out as a social worker In 

Pacoima,CA., I assisted, as pregnant and parenting teens navigated their lives.  I supported them in finding needed services, working with their partners and parents to make a happy home for themselves and their child, and to find the strength to trust themselves and their journey.   

   At Big Sisters of Los Angeles, I matched volunteer women with young girls from disadvantaged homes​ all over LA county.  Making and maintaining good matches required a good recruitment process, intuitive interviewing and orientation programs, as well as regular monitoring of effectiveness via case management and event planning.  It was beautiful to see so many of these relationships develop and blossom while providing meaning and joy to both.

   During my many years as a school counselor, I worked at all levels, elementary, middle and high school.  In the school environment,  I spent my days with hundreds of young people, met and worked with their families, and was available when they needed me.  Here I was able to work with students individually and in groups and was available to provide crisis intervention, trauma response, anger management, problem solving, communication training, coping strategies, and stress management among many other things.  This is where I was able to explore projective tools such as Sand Tray and ArtTherapy to help children get in touch with their feelings.  This was also a time when I was able to experiment with imagery and relaxation techniques, mindfulness, and outdoor therapies.