ABOUT

I am bilingual in English and Spanish and was born and raised in Costa Rica, where I completed my medical education. I received my adult psychiatric training at the University of Massachusetts, my child psychiatric training at the University of California, San Francisco and my Infant-Parent Mental Health training at the University of California Davis.
I enjoy working with issues related to parenting, pre or post-conception, adoption, parenthood, and the life adjustments that this requires. No amount of preparation lets you know ahead of time what is like to be a parent, and each child presents something different. I believe mothers and fathers have a powerful influence in the upbringing of their children. At the same time, parents are changed by their children in unique ways. I also have a deep interest in women’s mental health and related issues such as body image, pregnancy, post-partum adjustment, and perinatal mood and hormonal changes.
As a psychiatrist I have expertise in anxiety, depression, obsessive compulsive disorders, ADHD, panic disorder, trauma, behavioral issues, separation anxiety, self-esteem and school issues.
Personally, and professionally, I am interested in the mind-body connection, and have received training in mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR), mindfulness based cognitive therapy (MBCT) and yoga.
In addition to my medical education I completed an MBA at the Georgia Institute of Technology. My career path has had some interesting turns since I have had a variety of jobs outside medicine. This multitude of experiences has given me a broader perspective on how people behave and allows me to relate more deeply to the different needs of my patients.