Nearly a year ago, a California CE audit found I was three approved hours short. I paid the $150 fine, completed the hours, and kept my license active. Then the citation was reported to the National Practitioner Data Bank. Here is what an NPDB report has meant for my confidence, credentialing, income, and patient care, what I learned from a kinder Arizona audit, and what every California clinician should know.

When I was still in training, my supervisor wondered aloud: who is a therapist’s therapist? Years later, after my own seasons of burnout and watching colleagues struggle, I found myself choosing to work with healthcare professionals. In this post, I share why I love this population, why the fear of not being understood keeps so many helpers from reaching out, and why caring for yourself is not selfish but downright practical. Because yes, I’m the therapist for therapists.

As a trauma therapist working with high-performing professionals, I hear about money constantly, and it's rarely just about numbers. This post shares five patterns I notice in session: the stress response to checking a bank account, avoidance as a freeze response, how financial stress impairs decision-making, physical symptoms that appear before money is named as the cause, and why money conflict in relationships is rarely about the money itself.

If you're a physician, nurse, or other healthcare provider, you already know what burnout feels like: the tight chest before another twelve-hour shift, the numbness after a hard patient conversation, snapping at someone you love for no reason. Burnout and compassion fatigue aren't a personal failing, they're an occupational hazard. Learn the patterns I see most often in healthcare providers and how EMDR helps address burnout at the nervous system level, not just the surface.

I tell clients to hire a housecleaner, and I mean it. Not instead of therapy, but sometimes before it. This post is about why cleaning guilt usually isn't about laziness, why needing help isn't a moral failing, and why clearing your space can make room for deeper work.

High income doesn't guarantee financial peace. Many high-performing professionals, physicians, attorneys, executives, and practice owners, still carry financial anxiety long after their finances are objectively secure. This post looks at why success and safety don't always go together, and how EMDR helps the nervous system catch up to what's true, so decisions can come from clarity instead of fear.

Setting boundaries comes up in nearly every therapy session I have — and one of the biggest obstacles isn't knowing why boundaries matter, it's knowing how to actually set them. DBT (Dialectical Behavior Therapy) offers some incredibly practical tools for exactly this. In this post, I'm sharing three of my favorites: the Dime Game, DEAR MAN, and Check-the-Facts, and how I use each one with clients.

Somewhere along the way, self-care stopped being a gentle invitation and became a performance. For those in healthcare, caregiving, or high-pressure roles, that pressure can make self-care feel like one more thing to fail at. Drawing on KC Davis's framework from How to Keep House While Drowning, this post explores what it looks like to release the all-or-nothing standard and find a gentler, more realistic approach to caring for yourself.

I've now been through CE audits in two different states in less than one year. One ended with a failed result, a permanent NPDB report, and real consequences for my practice and my patients. The other was resolved in 2 weeks with clear communication, no punitive fallout, and a process that actually felt fair. This post is about the second one — the Arizona BBHE audit I passed — and what it taught me about what ethical, proportionate licensing oversight can look like when a bo

Money stress isn’t one-size-fits-all. Financial stress, financial anxiety, and financial trauma affect the nervous system in very different ways. Drawing from clinical work with EMDR, this post breaks down the differences, common symptoms, and money-related negative beliefs, exploring when financial distress is situational, when it becomes chronic anxiety, and when trauma-informed therapy may help restore a sense of safety and control.

The killing of Alex Pretti, a healthcare worker committed to justice and care, has left many people feeling shocked, angry, grief-stricken, or numb. This post honors Alex’s life, names the emotional impact of recent violence, and offers trauma-informed guidance for self-care, safety, and nonviolent, community-rooted ways to respond during painful and uncertain times.

California clinicians are rarely told what actually happens when a CE audit is failed. After my own resolved administrative citation triggered a permanent NPDB report and insurance review, I began digging into the data, the law, and the Board’s own reports. This post shares the facts, and why clarity matters for clinicians and patients alike.