“The sea, once it cast its spell, holds one in its net of wonder forever.” ~ Jacques Cousteau
I am a graduate of the California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS) in San Francisco. I have a Masters degree in counseling psychology with an emphasis in integral psychology and ecopsychology. Currently, I am a PhD student in the CIIS East-West Psychology program.
I became interested in being of service to others when I overcame an alcohol addiction and the anxiety that followed with the help of counseling and meditation. My long-time friend Noah Levine, author of Dharma Punx and Against the Stream, shaped my first experiences in meditation and counseling. His father, author Stephen Levine, is a meditation teacher, and a leader in the early hospice movement. He is a formative inspiration to the both of us. Stephen used mindful meditation with healing techniques that include all faiths. It was through his books that I got involved in hospice and end-of-life care in San Francisco and Santa Cruz.
In 2007, while attending the California Institute of Integral Studies, I learned about ecopsychology and the importance of ancestry from my professors, Fernando Castrillion and Charlotte Sáenz. Ecopsychology fit in with what I learned in early childhood. Growing up in the Santa Cruz forest of Carbonera, I learned about healthy reciprocal interactions with nature—fishing, fort building, wildlife, and dear trail running through the redwood trees. In 1970, my mom, sister, and I became a part of the Stone Hill Commune, where I learned about sustainable living and farming. Growing up in Santa Cruz, I also realize that surfing played an important role in my survival and healing. I came to understand that psychology and ecology belong together and that it is only an illusion that humans are separate from the natural world.
I live in Santa Cruz and spend most of my free time with my family at the beach, camping, walking through the woods, and gardening. My research focuses on utilizing ecopsychology in traditional counseling. Everyday, I am seeking new ways to integrate nature and healing in my practice.
Tags: Santa Cruz, counseling, therapy, ecopsychology, ecotherapy, san francisco, addiction, anxiety, stress, native american, vipassana, mindful meditation, richard louv, craig chalquist, holo institute, psychology, ciis, hospice, nature, ecology, dharma punx,