My research interests have centered on adapting and assessing mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) for vulnerable populations, especially individuals with substance use and co-occurring disorders (SU-CoDs), as well as determining the mechanisms of change of such interventions. I received my B.A. in Psychology at Long Beach State University, followed by my M.A. in Counseling Psychology at Humboldt State University. After receiving my graduate degree, I worked full-time at an outpatient chemical dependency clinic, where I facilitated mindfulness-based women’s trauma groups. My interest in mindfulness-based approaches to treating addiction was growing, and I was aware that it was a developing area of research in the field of SU-CoDs. I wanted to contribute to the development of and research in mindfulness-based approaches for acutely vulnerable subpopulations with SU-CoDs, thus, I decided to pursue a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology. Since entering the PhD program at Pacific University, I have been involved in several research projects with my primary mentor, Dr. Sarah Bowen. In 2018, I was awarded an R36 Dissertation grant from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (1R36DA043554-01) for my dissertation research on implementing a trauma integrated adaptation of Mindfulness-Based Relapse Prevention for women diagnosed with Substance Use Disorder and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder.
