Education

My clinical work began during my master’s level training in 1998 where I worked at the Houston Galveston Institute conducting brief therapy in a reflecting team setting for a variety of presenting problems including depression, anxiety, stress management, couple conflict, and families referred by CPS. The following year I simultaneously worked at MHMRA of Harris County providing individual and group therapy in Houston and Alief ISD schools to children diagnosed with ADHD and related behavioral/emotional struggles. I also facilitated parenting groups to give educational and social support, and increase coping skills for parents whose children were diagnosed.

During my doctoral studies, I was employed by San Antonio Healthy Start which was a program developed for at-risk teenage and young adult mothers. There I provided individual, couples, and family therapy helping them to cope with issues ranging from physical health and illness, relationship intimacy, substance abuse, grief/bereavement, childhood physical and sexual abuse.

I am experienced in full battery psychological evaluations and worked in the forensic departments at Bexar County (San Antonio) and Harris County Juvenile Probation. In Harris County, I participated in crisis interventions as well as individual and family therapy to work through emotions associated with being detained and legal problems. Overall, I have 10 years of clinical experience specializing in individual, child/adolescent, couple, and family therapy.  

My love for research began during my master’s level studies when I worked as a research assistant on a longitudinal research study about marital interaction. Through this research I gained a deeper understanding of families as it pertained to couple satisfaction, family dynamics, and a host of other issues. This experience led me to complete a dissertation entitled, “A qualitative study of factors that contribute to satisfaction and resiliency in long-term African American marriages.”  My current research interests are systemic counseling approaches, multicultural counseling, and qualitative research. When I’m not conducting my own research studies, I provide research consultation through an online company called ResearchConsultationPros.com where help is given to students around the country in order to complete master’s theses or doctoral dissertations.

I am also passionately involved in academia working as an Adjunct Professor at the University of Houston-Clear Lake since 2005. Most of the graduate courses I teach are in the Family Therapy program which is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education (COAMFTE). Courses taught include: Professsional Ethics, Child and Adolescent Therapy, Introduction to Family Therapy, Family Assessment, Research Methods in Family Therapy, Family Psychology (on-line), and Family Life Cycle.

License & Certifications

Licensed Psychologist  #33885
Marriage and Family Therapist  #201287

Professional Activities and Memberships

American Association of Marriage and Family Therapy
Houston Association for Marriage and Family Therapy - Board Member
American Psychological Association