I am a clinical psychologist, educator, and program leader specializing in trauma recovery, recovery-oriented systems of care, and emerging approaches to psychotherapy for veterans with PTSD and depression. My work integrates clinical psychology, community psychiatry, contemplative practice, and neuroscience to support healing in individuals and communities affected by trauma.

I currently serve as the Local Recovery Coordinator for the Acute Recovery Center (ARC) at the San Francisco VA Health Care System, where I lead initiatives to strengthen recovery-oriented inpatient psychiatric care for veterans experiencing acute mental health crises. My work on the ARC focuses on developing innovative psychotherapy programming that combines group-based recovery models with individualized, trauma-informed interventions designed to reduce demoralization, foster meaning and connection, and support long-term recovery.

I am also co-founder of the San Francisco VA Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP) Clinic, an interdisciplinary program serving veterans with co-occurring PTSD and major depression. Our clinic integrates intramuscular ketamine treatment with a psychotherapy-centered model informed by trauma theory, psychedelic-assisted therapy research, and contemplative approaches to healing. In addition to clinical program development, I lead postdoctoral training in ketamine-assisted psychotherapy, including competency-based supervision, didactic instruction, and therapist development in trauma-informed and recovery-oriented care.

In parallel with my clinical work at the VA, I am the Principal Investigator of the UCSF Rāh Initiative, an international mental health training and capacity-building initiative designed to support clinicians in Afghanistan working in contexts of chronic trauma, war, displacement, and social upheaval. “Rāh,” a Dari word meaning “path” or “way forward,” reflects the project’s emphasis on recovery, resilience, and culturally grounded approaches to healing. This work reflects my broader interest in the intersection of trauma recovery, community resilience, cultural humility, and global mental health.

Across these domains, my work is guided by a commitment to restoring meaning, connection, agency, and human dignity in the aftermath of trauma. My clinical, teaching, and research interests include trauma-focused psychotherapy, recovery-oriented systems of care, psychedelic-assisted therapies, moral injury, contemplative approaches to mental health, and the role of community and intersubjective healing in recovery.

I am also a longtime Zen practitioner and the author of the memoir "Running Is a Kind of Dreaming" (HarperCollins, 2021), which explores trauma, addiction, endurance running, and recovery.