hi, i’m Clara

Human First, Therapist second

THIS IS my story of TRAUMA, HEALING, AND BECOMING A THERAPIST

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My story

We’re more similar than you might think.

If you’re looking for a therapist who gets it—someone who intimately understands what it’s like to navigate trauma, healing, and the wild ride of self-discovery—you’re in the right place! I might look like a white girl who has it all together (neither of those things are true), but trust me—I’ve been there, done that, and lived to tell the tale.

My journey into the world of healing started way before therapy school. It began when I was 14, lying in a hospital bed on a Friday night after nearly dying in a car accident—staring up at those awful fluorescent lights, feeling like I was floating above my body (I was super dissociated). On Monday, my parents dropped me off at school and everyone went back to “normal life” … except me. Nothing felt normal. I unknowingly spent the next ten years living with undiagnosed PTSD, which quickly snowballed into other mental health issues like trichotillomania, OCD, anxiety, depression, and mood disorders. Over those ten years, I also developed coping mechanisms (like perfectionism and overachieving) that helped mask my profound sense of shame (brokenness) and supported me in surviving day-after-day but left me feeling lost, disconnected, exhausted, and at war with myself.

Enter my “acting out in every way possible” era—sneaking out, drinking, shoplifting, ditching school—you name it, I did it. If it numbed the pain, I tried it. Eventually, things spiraled so much that I was “sent away” (kidnapped) to a “therapeutic” boarding school (one of those that later shut down for abuse, because of course it did). That experience only added more trauma to my long list of “crazy shit that happened.” By 17, I had dropped out of high school, watched my parents' marriage implode, and was just trying to figure out how to make it through the day.

At 19, miserable, depressed, and wanting to get the hell away from my family, I moved to New York City by myself. Cue my “hustle harder” era—I worked every job imaginable, made absolutely terrible choices, developed a cocaine dependency, dated a con artist twice my age, and then joined a Christian megachurch because I thought Jesus could save me if I just raised my hand during altar call. My years in New York were spent making mistakes and learning—often the hard way—who I was (and who I wasn’t). Eventually, life brought me to my knees, and I couldn’t keep going the way I had been. I was in so much emotional and psychological pain, and I wanted to heal.

So instead of finding a better therapist, I took a Psych 101 class. (Also, I was tired of slinging drinks to creepy guys and figured it was time for a real career.)

Psychology gave me something I desperately needed—answers. It helped me make sense of what had happened to me, and the role I was playing in perpetuating trauma cycles in my life—that clarity became the foundation of my healing. The clarity also gave me a sense of control over the chaos, and ultimately gave me hope that things could get better… and they did … very slowly. Over time I figured that if healing was possible for me, it was possible for other people too. I had survived so much hard, crazy shit on my own, and I didn’t want others to have to go through it alone too. So I decided I wanted to be a therapist, and I pushed on in school. I went from being “the family fuck-up” and a high-school dropout to the golden child and a 4.0 student.

Fast forward. I moved back to California and spent the next 10 years immersed in healing practices, school, and trainings: I earned my Bachelor’s in Psychology from UCLA and a Master’s in Clinical Psychology from Antioch University. I dove deep into Somatic Experiencing® both as a client and a student, learning how trauma lives in the body and how we can actually release it (not just talk about it for years). I became a certified Reiki practitioner, yoga instructor, and trauma-informed psychedelic coach. I studied therapeutic touch, sacred medicines, nervous system healing, and how to reconnect with intuition. And I spent many, many nights communing with the stars, the earth, and my ancestors in ayahuasca ceremonies.

It didn’t happen overnight. But little by little—through deep work, intentional practice, and lots of patience—I learned how to stop intellectualizing my pain and start feeling it … and that’s when things started to change. I found a way to trust myself again.

Okay hang on, let me put on my therapist hat …

I’m nowhere near having my shit together—and don’t let any therapist fool you into thinking they have it all figured out (no one does!). But I’ve learned a thing or two … and one of the most important things I’ve learned is that healing is possible, but it has to be holistic. It’s mental, physical, emotional, spiritual, relational, and all the things in between.

Sometimes, healing looks like all the mainstream things we get advertised: therapy, body work, breathwork, yoga, journaling, deep inner exploration. It’s sitting with your shadows, naming the pain, and rewiring your nervous system one breath at a time, one session at a time.

And sometimes, healing looks like belly laughter with friends, dancing barefoot under the moon, booking the damn plane ticket, or working with the wisdom of plants. Because let’s be real—nature has been doing this whole healing thing way longer than we have, and there’s ancient medicine in the earth and her rhythms. We could learn a thing or two by slowing down, getting curious, and remembering that joy is just as sacred as grief.

HEALING ISN’T A STRAIGHT LINE—AND IT’S NOT ALWAYS FOUND IN SILENCE, STILLNESS, OR STRUGGLE.

Sometimes, it’s found in movement, pleasure, connection, and wonder—and I encourage each of my clients to explore the nuance and the paradoxes within their healing journey.

The way I work as a therapist is, first and foremost, informed by my own healing journey—by the things I’ve actually worked through and learned in my personal therapy. Then, it’s informed by all the fancy pieces of paper sitting in a folder in a box somewhere that say I’m educated, certified, and licensed to do whatever it is I do with my clients. My approach blends somatic therapies, inner child/parts work, woo-woo-witchy magic, plant wisdom, psychedelics and LOTS of sarcasm, laughter, and crying. And somehow (I know how), it helps my clients untangle the past, regulate their nervous systems, and step into lives they don’t want to escape from. Can you imagine?!

So if you’re in your “there’s got to be a better way” era—welcome. I see you. I get it. And I’m here to help.

My in-person private practice is located in Pasadena, CA and I also offer virtual or online therapy to clients throughout California. I currently reside in Los Angeles with my loving partner of five years, Ben, and our two cats, Chami and Mala. In my free time, you can find me outdoors, on the dance floor, cooking, binging a good show, or planning my next adventure.

The greatest lie is that we’re alone in our pain — but healing reminds us we never truly were.

a few labels & Experiences We might have in common:

Identity + Upbringing

  • Generational cycle breaker (“black sheep”)

  • Parentified child (and middle child)

  • First-generation American (Latina/Hispanic)

  • High school dropout, “troubled-teen”

Mental Health + Neurodivergence

  • Highly Sensitive Person (HSP)

  • Neurodivergent (ADHD)

  • People-pleaser in recovery

  • Perfectionist and overachiever in recovery

Trauma + Recovery

  • Childhood sexual abuse (CSA) survivor

  • Survivor of narcissistic abuse

  • Suicide attempt survivor

  • Lifelong struggle with body dysmorphia

Gender, Culture + Spirituality

  • Cisgender woman navigating healing in the patriarchy

  • Former Christian who has deconstructed faith

  • Psychonaut and lover of plant medicines

  • Claircognizant and developing medium

Just for Fun

  • Favorite ways to connect to my body:

    Hot yoga, dancing, sitting with plant medicine, being barefoot in grass, quiet time in nature, a really good massage, and THERAPY!

  • How I recharge my nervous system:

    Daily Reset // Sunshine, saltwater, silence, and solo time. Sweatpants, cuddles with my cats, and quality time with my partner.
    Hard Reset // Travel, adventure, or a few days off-grid camping.

  • Something I used to believe about healing:

    I used to believe there was an endpoint where healing was done—the truth is, we’re never really done healing. We just get better at being self-aware, holding healthy boundaries, navigating our triggers, and living with intention.

  • Daily ritual I can’t live without:

    In the morning // a cup of strong black coffee and a moment to cleanse the house with sage.
    In the evening // a very hot shower and a delicious dinner.

  • Books that changed my life:

    Attached helped me break the cycle of dating toxic partners. Complex PTSD gave language to my experiences. Sound Medicine made me question Western medicine more than I already did. Fellowship of the River made me love ayahuasca and Indigenous wisdom even more.

  • If I weren’t a full time therapist, I’d be:

    Primarily hosting retreats in Peru or Costa Rica, farming herbs, produce, and flowers, frolicking with Highland Cows and goats, learning a new skill, attempting guitar (again), sleeeeeping!

  • What I’m sipping in session:

    Probably something herbal and grounding—rose or lavender tea, ceremonial cacao, or warm lemon water.

  • Favorite music genres:

    I live for the Grateful Dead, house or bass house music, and ceremony/medicine music. I also really enjoy country and 70’s/80’s hits.

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The Therapist