About Erin

My name is Erin. I’m a child and family therapist based in South Pasadena, providing telehealth therapy for families in California.

Most people click on an “About” page to figure out whether a therapist might be a good fit. Therapists can share similar credentials and training, but still feel dramatically different in practice. Finding the right provider for your child can take time, and that process can feel exhausting when your family is already in need of support.

So, who am I, and what might it be like working with me?

Many of the families I work with have children who are bright, creative, highly sensitive, or high-achieving. These are often the kids who look like they are doing well from the outside while quietly struggling with anxiety, perfectionism, or pressure to succeed. I enjoy helping these kids build confidence and resilience while also supporting caregivers in understanding the challenges that may not always be visible.

I also know this kind of child from the inside. I was a high-performing, highly sensitive kid myself: academically driven, deeply involved, hard on myself, and drawn to both achievement and creativity. I graduated summa cum laude from high school, completed enough AP coursework to nearly skip my first year of college, founded clubs, played varsity soccer, and spent much of my adolescence playing, recording, and performing music. I understand the strengths that can come with being a driven, capable child, and I also understand how easily pressure, sensitivity, and self-expectation can become heavy.

Professionally, I’ve spent more than a decade in mental health and seven years working explicitly as a clinician with children and families. I graduated summa cum laude from Arizona State University with a Bachelor of Arts in Social Work in 2012, then earned my Master of Science in Social Work from the University of Tennessee- Knoxville in 2018 with a certificate in Trauma Treatment. I hold active LCSW licenses in California, Arizona, Tennessee, and Washington. I am certified in Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for children and hold a Perinatal Mental Health Certification (PMH-C) through Postpartum Support International for the treatment of perinatal mood and anxiety disorders.

Before opening my private practice, my work took place across many settings: schools, hospitals, prisons, shelters, encampments, family homes, and intensive medical environments. Early in my career, I partnered with a pilot program Street Psychiatry team led by Dr. Sheryl Fleisch of Vanderbilt, and later trained at Vanderbilt Psychiatric Hospital alongside physicians specializing in child psychiatry, geriatric psychiatry, and first-break psychosis. I also completed Belmont University’s Summer Accounting Institute to strengthen my business skills as a future small business owner.

Those experiences taught me that children and families are never just one thing: a child can be successful and anxious, gifted and overwhelmed, sensitive and strong, capable and still in need of care. I bring the full range of my clinical background into my work, but I also bring a deep belief that most serious dilemmas can be navigated with clarity, creativity, and companionship.

Outside of therapy, I’m an amateur cook with an inexplicable affinity for home repairs, reading, and wandering through used bookstores. My wife and I live in South Pasadena and enjoy exploring LA, trying new restaurants, and spending time with friends and family. One more fun fact: I’m also a twin.