Contact Erika via Cranium Cafe
Languages Spoken
English
Favorite Hobbies
Being outdoors, hiking, the beach, climbing, dancing, music.
First Year at West Valley
2017
Most Memorable Campus Experience
DESP Connect!
Favorite Place on Campus
In front of Campus Center under a tree.
Biography
I received my Bachelor's degree in Psychology from The University of Puget Sound in Washington state. From there, I moved to New York to work at a wilderness program for at-risk youth. I spent 7 years there working with and training staff and students to learn outdoor and group facilitation skills. While in NY, I started taking classes to prepare for nursing school. I left New York in the spring of 2006, and spent that spring in the Amazon jungle of Ecuador studying and working with plant and animal species that lived there. I then returned to California to continue working on my pre-requisite courses for nursing school. In 2007, I applied for and was accepted to CSU Fresno's School of Nursing, but wasn't sure it was the right fit, so I stayed in the field I already loved- counseling. I attended graduate school at SFSU for my Masters of Science in Marriage & Family Therapy Counseling and Rehabilitation, and worked as a behavioral coach and therapist at a community organization in San Jose. Once I graduated with my Masters in 2011, I became a full time therapist and trainer for 4 years, and then went into private practice providing therapy to teens. A year later, I was offered the opportunity I had wanted for many years, which was to become a part-time counselor for students with disabilities at West Valley. I spent a year working at both the private practice and West Valley until the full-time position in DESP became available. I applied and here I am today in my dream job.
Academic Service
4 years at West Valley
Teach Coun 005
DESP Connect!
Academic Appeals Committee
AB 705 Taskforce
New Faculty Mentor
Anti-Racist and Inclusion Plan Workgroup
Guided Pathways Taskforce
Education
B.A. Psychology
University of Puget Sound
M.S. Marriage, Family and Child Counseling & Rehabilitation
San Francisco State University