Hi, I’m Abby.
If you have done research into different therapists you have probably noticed that therapists can differ widely in their personalities and approach to therapy. I feel that the relationship fostered between myself and my clients is truly to most important aspect in healing and progress. I look to my experiences both in my own life and in my therapeutic work to identify with and build relationships with each client I see.
Although the therapeutic process is always focused on the client, some clients feel more comfortable knowing a little bit about their therapist; and because who I am influences my therapeutic work I feel that it can be valuable to share a little about myself. I was born and raised in a suburb of Minneapolis, Minnesota. I moved to Southern California to attend college at UCI. After graduating college I moved to the South Bay where I fell in love with this welcoming beach community. I am so proud to be a “Minnesotan” at heart and feel that some of my best therapeutic qualities can be attributed to my Midwestern upbringing, but I feel so lucky to have been able to move to California and experience the cultural variety and richness that California has to offer.
I am a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and member of the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists. As I mentioned above, I did my undergraduate work in Psychology and Education at University of California, Irvine. Having worked very hard in my undergraduate years, it was important to me to put a lot of thought into my choice of graduate school. I chose the California School of Professional Psychology for my graduate work because I was able to pursue my Masters in Marital and Family Therapy in a program that was developed by the founders of the MFT field. I have 10 years experience in the field and have worked with diverse populations and presenting issues.
Please see my Services page for a list of diagnoses and issues I work with.
Please feel free to visit my blog That Thing I Said in Session to get a more personal look at my work.