As a therapist and educator, I have gotten significant training that laid a foundation for the ways I work, teach, and supervise.

Make it stand out

Let’s Start from the Beginning.

I started as a Student Advocate.

During my undergraduate degree at the University of California, Santa Barbara, I had the opportunity and honor to be leading in social justice-based spaces alongside other leaders who wanted to create campus and community-wide change.

After working in the advocacy and case management office for a year, I was elected into the leadership position called, Student Advocate General. In these jobs, I was introduced to the power of case management and resource navigation while creating space for organizing and activism that impacts those most minoritized. This role created the spark in me to create a change, but I had no idea that this is something I could do as a social worker.

Smiling person standing outdoors with a railing, wearing a black jacket and patterned top.

After graduating with my undergrad degree, I wanted the experience of teaching.

With this desire, I decided to complete a teaching fellowship that would have me move from the warm sunny beaches of Santa Barbara, California to the beautiful snowy mountains of Estes Park, Colorado. Even though this was a very scary change, I learned the power of teaching and creating space for young people to fully express their most authentic selves. In the classroom, I utilized what I was learning about project-based learning to create learning environments where young people could pull from their cultural wealth and strengths while absorbing all the material they needed to graduate and start careers of their own.

Learning I loved to teach made me realize that this was not something I could stop. It showed me that teaching would always be a part of my life, whether It be in a high school classroom or not, I knew that by teaching I was learning that change doesn’t always come from standing in front, It can be more impactful from shining the light on others so they can fully shine.

Person with braids and sunglasses smiling with a backpack outdoors.

After My Experiences in Estes Park, I realized that my students & mentors taught me so much, but there is so much I need to learn…

Graduate School Wasn’t Perfect, But I Needed It.

  • It Started with Social Work.

    My educational journey began with social work. In this degree program, I was given the language to express what I saw in my communities personally and professionally. It provided the salient literature needed to defend what I already knew to be true. My Social Work schooling affirmed my desire to challenge broken systems, to the point of challenging Social Work itself.

  • Then Curriculum & Instruction Gave Me New Tools.

    A fun fact about me is that I was admitted into my MSW and MA in Education(Curriculum & Instruction) at the SAME TIME. So I had the unique experience of being a dual degree masters student in two programs that were not created to be together. In my education training, I gained the imperative skills needed to share what I know and teach others to do the same. It opened the door to find those who embody what It means to be an authentic teacher and I hope that now as a business owner and therapist, I can use these skills to do the same.

  • This Journey Expanded with Marriage & Family Therapy.

    As I was finishing up my MA, I decided that I wanted to know and gain the skills necessary to hold therapeutic space with people and with that, I completed a post-masters certificate in Marriage & Family Therapy. This degree came at a time where our world was changing drastically due to COVID, and hence forced me to learn how to move away from curated plans and think on the fly, in every way. I gained more confidence in challenging broken systems and gained the opportunity to use all that I learned from childhood and my academic training to show up as my most authentic self in the therapy room.

At this point, I completed school and worked multiple jobs and internships, while trying to still be human. But with all this training, I had no idea how I wanted to apply It.

After learning so much in my work experiences, I realized the thing that scared me most is what I needed to do, to start a private practice.

Logo for Ampaw Psychotherapy & Consulting with a large letter 'A' in the center, surrounded by a circle and the business name.

Starting a private practice is something I didn’t think I could do but every time I thought I couldn’t, I realized that the systems were the issue and I needed to learn how to navigate them and change them.

As a supervisor, I believe that my job goes beyond working through the important modalities for therapy and the clinical skills needed to practice. I believe being a clinical supervisor means that I support you the pre-licensed therapist in learning what It looks like to take care of and foster your most authentic self. We cannot give from an empty cup, so in working with me, we will learn what It means to continually care for ourselves so we can give our best to our clients.