About Me
Sandra earned her Bachelor’s degree in Liberal Arts and Sciences with a major in Psychology from San Diego State University. She also completed a minor in Biological Sciences with an emphasis in Neuroscience. She briefly attended medical school in Southern California, where she discovered her true passion for understanding brain development and the impact of environmental factors on human behavior. In 2005, Sandra completed her Master’s degree in Counseling Psychology at National University in San Diego, California. Shortly after, she became a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT). She is currently a doctoral candidate in Clinical Psychology at California Southern University and a registered Psychological Associate in the State of California (PSB #94026515). Her professional goal is to become a licensed psychologist.
Our First Conversation
Our first session is a conversation, not an intake form. I'll ask what brought you in, what you've already tried, and what you're hoping changes. We'll figure out together whether we're a fit; if I think someone else on the team would serve you better, I'll say so.
From there, weekly 50-minute sessions are typical for the first few months. We'll check in periodically on what's working and recalibrate if something isn't. I send no homework you didn't agree to, and I don't grade you on between-session work — but I'll often suggest small experiments that move things forward faster than talk alone.
What You Can Count On From Me
The clients who've stayed longest tell me three things stand out. I track the throughline across sessions and bring it back into the room so a pattern you couldn't quite name becomes hard to miss. I push back when I think you're circling something rather than landing on it. And I treat fit as my problem to solve, not yours — if I think someone else on our team would serve you better, I'll say so before you've invested weeks finding out.
Who I’m Here For
My strongest fit is with adults in their 20s through 40s who look like they're handling life from the outside but feel persistently anxious, depleted, or disconnected underneath. That includes professionals running hot from burnout, partners working through the long aftermath of a rupture, and people processing grief or family-of-origin patterns showing up uninvited in adult relationships.
My Therapeutic Approach
I draw primarily on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). With CBT, I'm less interested in worksheets and more interested in helping you notice the thoughts that drive the loop you're stuck in — and then experimenting with what changes when you respond differently. ACT adds the piece CBT alone can miss: defining what actually matters to you, and using that as the anchor when life pulls in other directions.
For clients carrying trauma, I'm trained in EMDR and integrate it when it fits, with full transparency about what we're doing and why.
Treatment Methods
Humanistic
An evidence-informed therapeutic approach used by our providers. Ask your therapist how they integrate this method into your work together.
Existential
An evidence-informed therapeutic approach used by our providers. Ask your therapist how they integrate this method into your work together.
Dialectical
An evidence-informed therapeutic approach used by our providers. Ask your therapist how they integrate this method into your work together.
Solution-Focused
An evidence-informed therapeutic approach used by our providers. Ask your therapist how they integrate this method into your work together.
Relational
An evidence-informed therapeutic approach used by our providers. Ask your therapist how they integrate this method into your work together.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
ACT helps you accept difficult thoughts and feelings rather than fight them, while taking action aligned with your values. Particularly effective for anxiety, chronic pain, and depression.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
CBT helps you identify thought patterns that contribute to anxiety, depression, and stress — then build skills to interrupt and change them. Highly effective and well-researched.
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
DBT teaches concrete skills for managing intense emotions, navigating relationships, and tolerating distress. Originally developed for borderline personality disorder, now used broadly for emotional regulation.
Eclectic
An evidence-informed therapeutic approach used by our providers. Ask your therapist how they integrate this method into your work together.
Faith Based - Christian
An evidence-informed therapeutic approach used by our providers. Ask your therapist how they integrate this method into your work together.
Integrative or Holistic Therapy
An evidence-informed therapeutic approach used by our providers. Ask your therapist how they integrate this method into your work together.
Interpersonal
An evidence-informed therapeutic approach used by our providers. Ask your therapist how they integrate this method into your work together.
Mindfulness-Based Therapy
Mindfulness-based approaches build present-moment awareness and a kinder relationship with your own thoughts. Often integrated with CBT or used as a standalone practice for anxiety and depression.
Person/Client-Centered Counseling
An evidence-informed therapeutic approach used by our providers. Ask your therapist how they integrate this method into your work together.
Psychodynamic Therapy
Psychodynamic work explores how past experiences and unconscious patterns shape your current life. Useful when you want to understand the deeper roots of recurring patterns.
Note: Each session is 60 minutes, whether it’s your first consult or an ongoing visit.
Insurance Accepted
Out of PocketKaiser PermanenteIEHP - MediCalAnthem - Bluecross
Don’t see your plan? Call 909-295-5805 — we can verify your benefits.
Clinical Focus
Adjustment IssuesAnxietyCareer CounselingCoping SkillsDepressionGrief and LossInfertilityLife CoachingLife TransitionMedical Illness / IssuesMood DisordersRelationship IssuesSelf EsteemSleep/InsomniaSpiritualityWomen's Issues
Location
Sessions are offered via secure video. Available statewide across California.
