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Provides Testimony In

Treatment of adolescents and their families, as well as formerly homeless adults substance use disorders and serious, persistent mental illness, Mood, Anxiety and Learning Problems, Early Warning Signs of Neurocognitive Disorder

EDUCATION

The Wright Institute 9/09-6/14
Berkeley, CA
Doctorate of Clinical Psychology.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology 1/97-1/99
Cambridge, MA
Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology 9/91-6/95
Cambridge, MA
Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering.

PROFESSIONAL CLINICAL EXPERIENCE

Private Practice 4/16-present
Provided psychological assessments to adults and children in a private practice setting for a variety of issues, including education, mood and psychotic disorders, post-concussive syndrome, behavioral dysfunction after traumatic brain injury, and substance abuse. Performed forensic evaluations of adults and youth in Contra Costa County, Solano, and Sonoma Counties.
Performed neuropsychological evaluations related to disability insurance claims, fitness for duty, testamentary capacity, and grave disability. Performed Independent Education Evaluations.
Provided court testimony for legal cases. Provided cognitive behavioral psychotherapy to adults and adolescents. Provided case consultation to peers.

Sterling Medical 7/16-present
Performed court-appointed competence to proceed pro se evaluations of adult immigrant detainees for the Executive Office for Immigration Review.

Contra Costa Superior Court 6/18-present
Served as an appointed Psychological Evaluator on the court-approved list of experts evaluating competency to stand trial for adults.

National Security Psychological Services 3/19-present
Provided psychological evaluations of individuals applying for security clearance, assessing the impacts of substance use and mental illness on judgment, trustworthiness, reliability, and stability.

The Wright Institute 9/15-8/16
Served as adjunct clinical faculty providing supervision to students performing psychodiagnostic assessment with adult clients. Provided guidance on clinical interviewing, test selection and interpretation, report writing, and client feedback.

SUPERVISED CLINICAL EXPERIENCE

The Wright Institute 7/14-7/15
As a postdoctoral fellow, performed neuropsychological assessments with adults and children. Evaluations included referrals regarding learning disorders, attention disorders, autism and other developmental disabilities, dementia, acquired brain injury, and the impact of substance abuse and trauma on functioning. Received advanced training in neuroanatomy and neuropsychological assessment. Trained advanced graduate students in neuropsychological and psychodiagnostic assessments through the Wright Institute Assessment Service and Second Year Assessment Practicum. Supervised trainees in assessment and therapy. Administered intake line and provided first contact with clients seeking assessment services. Performed outreach to build referral base.

Anka Behavioral Health, Inc. 7/13-6/14
As a predoctoral intern, provided evidence-based therapy to adolescents, families, and adults in an APPIC internship. Treated adolescents in a residential crisis facility where most clients were recently discharged from involuntary hospitalization due to danger to self, danger to others, and psychotic episodes or admitted from home after exhibiting impaired functioning. Provided brief individual therapy for depression, anxiety, self-harm behavior, suicidal behavior, oppositional defiant disorder, drug and alcohol use disorder, psychotic disorders, and familial conflict. Led adolescent groups on addiction, communication, self-esteem, anger management, thoughts and feelings, and coping skills. Provided crisis-focused family interventions, including coaching parents through communicating more effectively with their child, setting clear expectations, creating plans for behavioral change using positive reinforcement, and improving their relationship with their adolescent child.

Treated formerly homeless adults receiving housing subsidies and case management services. Provided long-term individual therapy for singly and dually diagnosed adults with substance use disorders, psychotic disorders, mood disorders, chronic pain, posttraumatic stress disorder, and other anxiety disorders. Addressed medication compliance. Addressed substance abuse through a harm reduction model. Treatment was provided during home visits and in an office setting.
Received training on DSM-5 diagnosis, clinical psychopharmacology, CBT and psychodynamic case formulation and intervention, and evidence-based treatment in a community mental health setting.

Wright Institute Assessment Service 8/12-6/13
Performed neuropsychological testing of school-age children and adults presenting with a variety of psychological and neuropsychological referral questions, including attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, anxiety, depression, psychotic disorders, personality disorders, and memory loss. Did classroom observations. Interviewed teachers, parents, and family members when appropriate. Obtained collateral information from psychiatrists and therapists. Received training on differential diagnosis, test administration, and interpretation of assessments. Wrote reports intended for use by parents, the clients themselves, school officials, medical professionals, and case managers. Gave feedback sessions to clients independently.
Tests domains included intellectual, achievement, attention, memory and learning, executive functioning, visual-spatial and motor, personality, and effort.

Psychological Assistantship 8/12-6/13
Assisted in the psychodiagnostic assessment of children. Interviewed caregivers and children and performed psychological testing with children under direct supervision. Tests domains included personality, intelligence, and achievement. Supervisor: Sherry L. Lebeck, Ph.D.

State of California, Department of Rehabilitation 7/11-7/12
Richmond, CA and Fairfield, CA
Conducted psychological assessments to assist in determining eligibility for vocational rehabilitation services for consumers with intellectual, cognitive, mental health, and medical disabilities. Administered psychological and vocational interest tests in group and individual settings. Wrote integrated reports answering referral questions from vocational counselors. Did collateral interviews with parents of young adult clients. Gave feedback sessions to clients and their parents as needed. Received training on and administered intelligence, achievement, personality, behavioral, neuropsychological screening and vocational tests.
Conducted individual psychotherapy with adults with mood, psychotic, anxiety, developmental and personality disorders, and relationship problems compounding their difficulty finding employment. Responded to crisis situations. Consulted with external medical providers.

Berkeley Cognitive and Behavioral Therapies Clinic 8/10-7/11
Berkeley, CA
Conducted individual, couples, and group cognitive behavioral therapy and schema therapy with adults at a low-fee, community clinic. Built skills in intake interviewing, therapeutic alliance building, case formulation, diagnosis, treatment planning, and treatment execution. Gained experience working with clients struggling with Major Depressive Disorder, Bipolar Disorder, Panic Disorder with Agoraphobia, Adjustment Disorder, and Personality Disorders. Recruited for and co-led two 10-week, protocol-driven groups to treat depression using behavioral analysis and cognitive restructuring. Led the clinic’s outreach efforts, which included advertising services by contacting medical offices, posting flyers in the surrounding cities and university campuses, and posting ads on the internet, resulting in a consistent waitlist of clients. Received training in several evidence-based and empirically validated treatments, including behavioral activation, interoceptive exposure, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, and mindfulness for stress reduction.

The Wright Institute Options Recovery Clinic 9/09-6/10
Berkeley, CA
Conducted individual therapy with men and women in early and middle adulthood recovering from alcohol and drug addiction. Practiced motivational interviewing, cognitive behavioral interventions, and person-centered therapy. Received training in Twelve Step, relapse prevention, medical disease, and harm reduction models of chemical dependence. Learned basic and advanced counseling and diagnostic skills. Co-facilitated abstinence-based recovery skills groups spanning the first six months of treatment. Collaborated with agency counselors to design weekly group sessions and independently led exercises and entire sessions. Created content for

and co-facilitated a trauma-focused women’s group that was psychoeducational and process-oriented. Performed MediCal billing.

TEACHING EXPERIENCE

Wright Institute 8/13-5/14
Teaching Assistant for Wright Institute Assessment Service. Reviewed and edited adult and child neuropsychological assessments written by graduate student trainees. Assisted students in improving their integration of intelligence, achievement, neuropsychological, and personality tests. Helped students communicate their findings in a way that would be accessible and meaningful to consumers of their reports.

Teaching Assistant for Adult Assessment. Trained graduate students on the administration, scoring, and interpretation of intelligence, achievement, personality, and neuropsychological screening measures. Checked students’ scoring and reviewed full battery report, including hypothetical feedback to clients.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology 9/97-12/97
Teaching Assistant for Solid Mechanics. Taught laboratory section for undergraduate students. Reviewed and clarified lecture. Demonstrated and supervised safe use of equipment for mechanical tests. Designed, built, and led experiments to teach mechanical principles. Held examination reviews, with special focus on mathematics for solving problems.

RESEARCH EXPERIENCE

Miro Health 4/16-12/16
Performed neuropsychological assessments for a cognitive aging research project.

Wright Institute 1/10-6/14
Doctoral Dissertation
A Meta-analysis of the Effectiveness of Treatments for Comorbid Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Substance Use Disorder
Performed a meta-analysis of treatments for co-occurring PTSD and SUD in both civilian and military populations. Data obtained from randomized, controlled trials was used to calculate effectiveness of integrated and SUD-focused treatments and to compare these treatments to one another.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology 1/97-1/99
Masters Thesis
Micromechanics of the Through-thickness Deformation of Paperboard
Designed and conducted research for a thesis on the mechanical behavior of paperboard. Built and modified test equipment and performed experiments with paperboard. Created a computer model of measured results. Presented results to industrial sponsors of the research.

Bachelors Thesis 1/95-6/95
Mechanical Behavior of Rubber Elastic Materials in Uniaxial and Plane Strain Compression, Shear and Nonproportional Loading

Performed mechanical measurements of the behavior of elastomeric materials under multiple loading conditions. Expanded upon an existing numerical model.

COMMITTEE AND BOARD EXPERIENCE

Contra Costa Psychological Association 1/17-present
Contra Costa County, CA
Served as Early Career and Community Outreach Chair. Started and led a private practice development consultation group for early career psychologists.

The Wright Institute Admissions Committee 12/09-5/10
Berkeley, CA
Reviewed applications of prospective doctoral and masters students. Evaluated applicants’ essay content, writing style, academic background, counseling and research experience, and quality of letters of recommendation according to a predetermined metric and made recommendations for admissions decisions.

OTHER WORK EXPERIENCE

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory 5/02-11/09
Berkeley, CA
Staff mechanical engineer and project manager for high-energy physics and synchrotron radiation experimental facilities. Managed the design and production of experimental equipment. Used computer-aided analysis to inform design decisions. Led teams of diverse staff to successfully complete multiple projects. Negotiated sharing of resources and responsibilities among different institutions and departments to achieve project goals. Made regular presentations to peers and management on technical and managerial topics both domestically and internationally.

Nuvera Fuel Cells, Inc. 1/00-5/01
Cambridge, MA
Led a project to develop new technologies to make fuel cell systems feasible for automotive applications.

Molecular Geodesics, Inc. (now Tensegrity) 2/99-8/99
Boston, MA
Developed products for defense, biomedical, and aerospace applications.

Ford Motor Company, Electrical and Fuel Handling Division (now Visteon) 7/95-1/97
Dearborn, MI
Developed objective metrics to evaluate sound and visual quality of automotive components based on data obtained from human jury evaluations, production line worker evaluations, and laboratory testing.

PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS

  • American Psychological Association, California Psychological Association, Contra Costa Psychological Association, Alameda County Psychological Association, Northern California
  • Neuropsychology Forum, National Academy of Neuropsychology, Northern California Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Network Forum.

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