I grew up in Cagayan de Oro, in the Southern Philippines, and moved to Los Angeles after earning my Bachelor’s in International Relations from Ateneo de Manila University (go Eagles!). Initially planning to pursue graduate studies after immigrating to the US, I found myself needing to work instead. After six years in administrative roles, I felt unfulfilled and decided to make a bold change.

While exploring graduate programs, I stumbled upon Counseling in Marriage, Family, and Child Therapy. Though counseling was uncommon in the Philippines, my passion for offering advice led me to pursue a Master’s  at the University of Phoenix.

Over time, working in domestic violence shelters and community mental health impacted me deeply, especially seeing how children faced trauma and stress. My own experience as a parent to my two girls and my own realizations about my childhood relationship with my parents further lead me to my journey in specializing in attachment work with families. Couples therapy with my husband helped me open my own eyes on what it means to work as a team.