I am currently pursuing a postgraduate degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling at Saybrook University. I am a Counselor Trainee at SOS Community Counseling in Santa Rosa, California. I am also a Psychedelic Guide and Integration Coach at Mindbloom, working with clients using ketamine therapy to treat anxiety and depression.
I am dedicated to a helping vocation, and enjoy teaching and counseling one-on-one, couples, and groups. When I am not studying or counseling clients, I enjoy kitchen projects with my partner, playing with my bonded-pair cats, drinking fine tea & coffee, and distilling aromatic herbs. I live in Santa Rosa, California.
I’ve been studying and engaging in spiritual practice and mentoring for over 15 years. My formal education began with Daoist meditation and healing arts at Heartwood Institute, where I studied clinical Chinese medicine, nutrition and herbs, and multiple bodywork modalities, as well as meditation and martial arts. While practicing as a natural health coach and qigong instructor, my studies continued with formal yoga and Buddhist training under the personal guidance of experienced mentors, as well as Ayurveda and advanced aromatherapy certifications. I have participated in multiple spiritual “families,” lived in residential spiritual communities, and practiced several retreats, including a solitary 30-day retreat in my hand-built cabin on my family’s farm in rural northern California.
I completed a Master of Arts in Buddhist Classics with an emphasis in Sanskrit translation at Dharma Realm Buddhist University in 2019. I then taught two years of ethics and world religions at Developing Virtue Secondary School at City of Ten Thousand Buddhas in Ukiah, California — the largest Buddhist monastery in the western hemisphere. I have taught Buddhist philosophy and practice at Diamond Light Tibetan Buddhist Group and Sky Creek Dharma Center. I have presented at several conferences, including the Global Ayurveda Conference, Buddhism and East Asia Conference, This Way to Sustainability Conference, and Enlightened Experience Retreat.
I bring a diverse array of experience in healing arts and spiritual wisdom to guide my therapeutic insights and compassionate non-judgmental reflections. To get in touch you can send me an email or subscribe for updates.
Education
- B.A., Communications, The Evergreen State College, 2002
- Certification, Asian Healing Arts & Whole Foods Nutrition, Heartwood Institute, 2006
- Certification, Buddhism & Yoga Philosophy Teacher, Yoga Studies Institute, 2013
- Certification, Aromatic Botanical Medicine, Floracopeia, 2013
- M.A., Buddhist Classics, Dharma Realm Buddhist University, 2019
- M.A., Counseling, Saybrook University, expected graduation, 2023
Memberships
- American Counseling Association
- American Psychedelic Practitioner’s Association
- Association for Comprehensive Energy Psychology
- Association for Spiritual, Ethical, and Religious Values in Counseling
- California Association for Licensed Professional Clinical Counselors
- California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists (Redwood Empire branch)
For a fairly complete history of my education and experience, see my LinkedIn profile.