My approach to therapy is to respectfully and actively listen to clients, seeking to understand their current situation and concerns, help them feel at ease, identify their strengths and areas of growth, and support them in making positive changes to strengthen relationship bonds and enhance their quality of life.
I use evidence-based, trauma-informed, and culturally sensitive practices to provide quality care tailored to the unique needs of each family.
Concerns are collaboratively identified, and meaning and possible function are sought. Different interventions are explored, aiming to address ineffective patterns of interaction so parents can develop and implement tools that have the best chance for positive and enduring connection and change. I work with my clients on evaluating progress regularly, capitalizing on what is working, and making adjustments accordingly.
I received my degree as a Psychologist from Universidad Diego Portales in Chile and worked as a Child Therapist in my native country for over ten years. In Seattle, I started working as a Bilingual (Spanish/English) Parent Educator, and after being trained in Parent-Child Interaction Therapy in 2009, working with parents became my passion and the most substantial focus of my practice. I later integrated the advances in neurobiology, brain science, mindfulness, and trauma research into my original attachment and cognitive-behavioral framework. For the past 15 years, I have worked mainly in a non-profit agency. In 2013, I decided to start my private practice after getting my credential as a Certified Counselor with the Washington State Department of Health (License # CL60320104).
Aside from formal education, continuous training, and research, the most valuable learning has come from my own life experience. I am a wife and mother of five children. I went through a big transition when I moved from my home country to the USA with my family in 2006.
Although I work with people of varying faith backgrounds, as a Christian Catholic who attended a faith-based university for my postgraduate degree, I am able to integrate my Christian faith into the work I do with families who wish to do so.
My passion is listening and helping children and parents, and I feel honored to walk alongside them. My work as a bilingual and bicultural coach, counselor, and parent educator allows me to use my personal and professional experience to serve others, supporting them in striving to live purposeful, joyful, and fulfilling lives.