The focus of my clinical training has been primarily on men experiencing control issues, stress, general sadness, excessive worry, and being easily irritated. During my postdoctoral fellowship, I treated active military who were diagnosed with depression, anxiety, substance abuse, and PTSD by conducting both individual and group therapy. Working with active military, I quickly learned how to gain the individual’s trust and confidence to let me into their lives, providing a safe, nonjudgmental space to process life’s events. Much of my studies and research has concentrated on men’s issues. My doctoral dissertation focused on interviewing retired professional male boxers and studying how they adjusted to retirement once the fame and fortune was gone.

 

In addition to private practice, I am also a bilingual clinical psychologist at UCSD-Family Medicine and UCSD-Internal Medicine where I treat patients experiencing symptoms of depression, anxiety, and substance abuse. Being one of the few Spanish-speaking psychologists, I have had the opportunity to treat many Latino males from different cultures and learned to adapt and adjust to each patient’s personality. Making that first call to a psychologist can be difficult, especially for men. Society has bred us to withhold our emotions and “handle it like a man.”