Professional Life

Peace Corp Volunteer/Travel In South America

In 1971 I traveled to Bolivia and Peru in South America where I learned Spanish and served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in the Peruvian Andes until 1975. My Peace Corps site was located at about 14,000 feet above sea level on an ex-hacienda dedicated primarily to sheep ranching and potato cultivation the nearest road was a 1-½ hour mule ride away with the nearest town miles beyond that. Although my assignment was in community development, my biology background from Lewis and Clark College came in handy as my fellow volunteer and myself; a live stock management expert, addressed the many kinds of parasite infestations that were a serious concern for humans and animals. It was exciting to find things I’d only seen on slides alive and well in my intended dinner and drinking water.

Peruvian teachers did not consider the isolated site a very desirable placement, so there was no school for the children. I founded a one-room school and taught nursery school through fifth grade. My students and I pursued the 3 R’s, but also art, drama, mime, story telling, health classes, and field ecology. No “No Child Left Behind” looking over my shoulder! My Peace Corps experience and travels gave me a life long appreciation for other cultures, languages, and a firm belief in the beauty and equality of all people throughout the world.

Child Health Associate/Pediatric Physician Assistant

A measles epidemic killed several children in our small village motivating me to seek a career as a physician assistant in Pediatrics. In 1979 I completed the three-year Child Health Associate Program at the University Of Colorado School Of Medicine in Denver, Colorado. I studied with visionary physicians such as Henry Silver, M.D., Richard Krugman, M.D., Bart Schmitt, M.D., and Marianne (Dr. Mom) Neiifert, M.D. who were pioneers in what was then called Psychosocial Pediatrics. This was an approach to medical care based on the old family doctor concept basically that looked at medical care from a preventive and holistic perspective. The child was seen in the context of the whole child in the family within the community. I was also privileged to be taught by the early pioneers who brought the subject of the physical and sexual abuse of children to the attention of child health professionals. I worked one summer in Migrant Health Care and came to appreciate the healthcare needs of the children of migrant workers. I obtained a B.S. in Medical Science and M.S. in Child Health from the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center. I became licensed to practice medicine as a Child Health Associate and Pediatric Physician Assistant.

Nuestra Ciudad De La Reina De Los Angeles, California

Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles

Kaiser Permanente / Pediatric Oncology and General Pediatrics (Hollywood)

Because I spoke Spanish, many families in the Los Angeles area who spoke Spanish chose me as their primary care provider. As I began to see children who had witnessed the effects of the brutal civil war in El Salvador, I noticed that these children often had symptoms that were severe and distressing, but expensive medical tests yielded no diagnosis. It seemed that as a Pediatric Department we were failing to diagnose or alleviate the obvious suffering of these children. At that time, prior to the knowledge we currently have about trauma, these children’s symptoms were thought to be imaginary. At Kaiser Permanente I was allowed to create a special clinic to follow these children and their families. By having more time to talk with these children and their families, I learned that what we were seeing as a medical community were children who were showing symptoms of extreme stress, now generally referred to as Acute Stress Disorder or Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.

Since those early days, the field of Trauma Psychology has evolved dramatically, and hopefully we are now more able to recognize and treat both the physical and mental manifestations of extreme stress in children and adults. My early work with healthy and traumatized children has helped me over these many years to have a balanced view of children and to better understand adults who were traumatized as children and adolescents.

In the 1970’s and 1980’s, medical communities rediscovered the terrible facts of child physical and sexual abuse. Pioneers such as Henry Silver, M.D, and Henry Kemp, M.D., Richard Krugman, M.D., and many others began to describe injuries to children related to physical and sexual abuse. At Kaiser Permanente I volunteered to serve on the very first S.C.A.N. (Suspected Child Abuse and Neglect) Team, which was advised by Roland Summit, M.D

My other major duties aside from general pediatrics included working half time with children who had cancer. Their experiences and courage in facing cancer, and sometimes death taught me a lot about truthfulness, living life to its fullest, and families under stress. I have these children and their families to thank for my love of life and appreciation of how precious our time on Earth is.

The University of Denver School of Professional Psychology

Multicultural Internship at the University of New Mexico

I left Los Angeles to return to a doctoral program that had a child psychology track at the University Of Denver School Of Professional Psychology. This program placed the emphasis on clinical skills rather than research and included rotations throughout the city of Denver. Rotations at Servicios de la Raza, a Neighborhood Health Clinic, The Child and Adolescent Program at National Jewish Center for Immunology and Respiratory Medicine and as a therapist for Spanish speaking adult patients National Jewish Center for Immunology and Respiratory along with clinical responsibilities at the SPP clinic prepared me for intensive clinic work that I enjoy to this day. Because of my interest in diversity and child health, I chose to intern at the University of New Mexico Child, and Adolescent Multi-Cultural Internship. During my required year of supervision prior to licensure I worked part-time in a rural New Mexican community, and later as the part-time school psychologist at a school in the Navajo nation. I was awarded a doctorate in 1990.

Professional Practice from 1989-Present

I was hired in Albuquerque by a managed care company and worked with them for several years. I provided diagnosis and treatment to children, families, and adults. Through continuing education and direct experience I gained expertise in treating a wide variety of mental health issues using a wide variety of techniques including clinical hypnosis, EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing), Thought Field Therapy, Somatic Experiencing (SE,), Somatic Transformation, Sand Tray Therapy, Play Therapy, and Pet Therapy. In addition I included other creative modalities including art, journaling, collage, and role-playing as therapeutic tools.

At this writing in 2008, I have been in New Mexico since 1988 and in private practice since 1995. I obtained a license to practice psychology in Oregon in 2007. My current practice includes children, adolescents, adults, and couples. My general practice focus on personal growth issues, life change issues, mood disorders, grief and loss issues, and relationship issues. I have specialized over the years in treating trauma of various kinds including combat related trauma, childhood physical and sexual abuse, victims of crimes, acute loss, and trauma related to physical illness or accidents. Unlike many therapists, I have very extensive experience in the diagnosis and treatment of dissociative disorders. My medical background allows me to focus on optimal wellness for all clients, and an interest in persons with chronic medical conditions. I have not chosen to prescribe medications and rely on the primary care physicians or psychiatrists to do this.