About Me

Hi, I’m Lisa and my pronouns are she/her. I have a PhD in Neuroscience from Stanford University and a MA in Counseling from Palo Alto University. I have 15 years of behavioral neuroscience research experience in the mental health field and 10 years of experience teaching neuroscience to scientists and clinicians at the doctoral level. I am passionate about integrating neuroscience with psychotherapy and counselor education, and currently teach neuroscience-related classes to students in Counseling Psychology graduate programs.

Prior to becoming a therapist, I directed a neuroscience research lab as a Principal Investigator and Assistant Professor in the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences for seven years. There my lab studied how the brain controls anxiety and compulsive behavior, with the goal of developing better treatments for these mental health conditions.

After years of soul-searching and realizing that research was not fulfilling me, I decided to make a career change into psychotherapy. I have lived experience of the mental health challenges that are too often exacerbated by the high-pressure, “up or out” environment in elite academia, and through my own personal healing journey I have felt called to support others in doing the same. I have counseling experience in a variety of settings from community mental health to private practice, including as a state certified sexual assault counselor supporting survivors of sexual trauma. I previously supported folks at San Francisco Women Against Rape (SFWAR) and Family & Children Services of Silicon Valley.

I am currently an Associate Marriage and Family Therapist (#142248) at a group private practice in Palo Alto called Core Wellness Living, supervised by Jaimi Taylor LMFT #110094. I provide online therapy to adults, teens, and families throughout California, specializing in anxiety and trauma. Please see the Psychotherapy tab for more information. You can also read more about my therapy practice on my verified Psychology Today profile.