Welcome

At Breakthrough Psychological Services we provide virtual individual psychotherapy and psychological assessment for adults age 18+.

Licensed to practice in California and Colorado. Accepting most major insurance plans including (Aetna, Anthem, United, Oxford, Medicare, and Blue Shield CA. Private pay and sliding scale fees are available.

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About Me

I am a licensed psychologist located in Denver, Colorado. I also work under my California license since moving to Denver in 2023. I earned a BA degree in psychology with a minor in human sexuality studies in 2001 from San Francisco State University. In 2004, I completed a Master's Degree in Clinical Psychology at Pepperdine University in Encino, CA. I completed my doctoral degree in Clinical Psychology with an emphasis in diversity training in 2012 at Phillips Graduate Institute in Chatsworth, CA. My training and work experience includes treating people across the lifespan in outpatient, residential, and inpatient settings.My clinical work spans a diverse range of client issues including: mood and anxiety disorders, substance abuse, relationship problems, body image and eating disorders, trauma including PTSD and Complex PTSD, gender and sexuality, and adult children of alcoholics. I am a gender- and LGBTQ+ affirming provider. My focus is psychodynamic, object relations, and somatic/sensorimotor approaches to therapy. However, I also incorporate Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and mindfulness-based interventions to best suit the patient.

Services

Individual Psychotherapy (Virtual)

People often seek therapy when they find that their problems exceed their current methods of coping, which can lead to frustration, depression, anxiety, and isolation.

While some may perceive therapy as a last resort after struggling with such difficulties, I see it as a way to learn new ways to solve problem and as a courageous step to making improvements in one’s life.

As a therapist, I focus on building an empathic and collaborative connection with my clients. I believe that our early relationships with others have a significant influence our self-perception and ways of relating with others. However, while we are influenced by our past, it does not define us.

Therapy can help people work through difficult and painful experiences and form new perceptions and relationships in a safe and supportive environment.

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Psychological Assessment

A psychological assessment is a comprehensive evaluation of one's intellectual, academic, personality, and emotional functioning.

Intellectual functioning
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorders (ADHD)
Learning Disorders including Dyslexia
Neurological Disorders
Visual and auditory processing disorders
Personality functioning
Clinical Disorders/Syndromes
Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD)

A Psychological Assessment can also be also a useful and beneficial tool to help you to gain a comprehensive understanding of how you think, feel, and behave.

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Psychotherapy FAQs

Q: How do I get started?

A: You can message me through this website, via gmail (see contact info below), or access my provider profile through several therapy telehealth platforms: Hello Alma, Headway, Simple Practice, and Rula.

Q: Do you take insurance?

Yes, I am credentialed with Aetna, Anthem/Blue Cross/Blue Shield CA and CO, Cigna, Oxford, some EAPs, Medicare, and United.

Q: Do you accept private pay/sliding scale?

A: Yes

Q: Do you prescribe medication?

A: No. Only professionals with a medical license can prescribe medicine.

Q: What is your theoretical orientation?

A: My orientation is primarily psychodynamic and attachment-focused. I also incorporate somatic-sensory exercises and interventions. To learn more about these approaches to therapy, please find links in the Resources section.

Assessment FAQs

Q: Do you take insurance?

A: Yes, I am in-network with Anthem CO, Aetna, and United. If you have another insurance plan, you may be able to submit a claim for reimbursement.

Q: How much does an assessment cost?

A: The cost depends on the purpose and goal of the assessment. Please reach out for more information.

Q: Do you provide assessments to determine eligibility for academic accommodations and/or accommodations on standardized exams?

A: Yes, I provide comprehensive assessments including diagnosis(es), recommendations for accommodations and support services and documentation/applications for accommodations for the SAT, ACT, GRE, MCAT, LSAT, MPRE, and the Bar Exam.

Q: Which diagnoses/problems do you assess for?

A: ADHD, Autism Spectrum Disorder, Learning Disorders such as Dyslexia, Processing disorders, neuropsychological disorders, Intellectual Ability, Learning or Psychological disorders due to a medical condition, Personality Disorders, and Clinical Syndromes

Q: Do you provide assessments for children and adolescents?

A: No. At this time we only work with adults 18+.

Q; How long do assessments take?

A: The testing is typically completed in one to two appointments totaling around 6 - 8 hours. Once all of the data is collected, the full report is completed in around 3 weeks. At that time we will schedule a feedback session to review the results and you will receive the report via email or regular mail.

Resources

Books on Mental Health Topics

How does Therapy Work?

1.) Maybe You Should Talk to Someone by Lori Gottlieb

2.) Somatic Therapy Workbook for Mind-Body Reset by Lulu Nicholson

3.) Nervous System Regulation Workbook by Casey J. Bennett

Mindfulness

Mindsight: The New Science of Personal Transformation by Daniel Siegel

Wherever You Go, There You Are by John Kabat-Zinn

Full Catastrophe Living by John Kabat-Zinn

PSTD and Complex PTSD

The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk, M.D.

The Boy Who was Raised as a Dog by Bruce D. Perry

Complex PTSD from Surviving to Thriving by Pete Walker

The Power of Attachment by Diane Poole Heller

What is Somatic Therapy?

BIPOC and Mental Health

Parentified Children/Adult Children of Alcoholics (ACOA)

Don't Believe Everything You Think by Joseph Nguyen

Somatic Therapy for Beginners by Frank Healy

Anchored: How to Befriend Your Nervous System using Polyvagal Theory by Deborah A. Dana

Black Mental Health Matters by Aaren Synyder, LMFT

The Pain We Carry: Healing from Complex PTSD for People of Color by Natalie Y. Gutiérrez LMFT and Jennifer Mullan PsyD

Perfect Daughters: Adult Daughters of Alcoholics by Robert J. Ackerman

The Adult Children of Alcoholics Syndrome: A Step-by-Step Guide to Discovery and Recovery by Wayne Kritsberg