I’m Denise, a Marriage and Family Therapist in California, originally from South Africa. After getting my bachelor’s degree in Social Work from the University of Cape Town, I spent some time traveling—working as an au pair in Paris and then as nanny in San Francisco. My early career took a detour into copywriting and marketing, but I eventually returned to my interest in human behavior and child development, which led me to getting my M.A. in Clinical Psychology.

My work is deeply influenced by my training and work experience at a child and family center providing education and early intervention services for children with developmental delays, sensory processing challenges, and emotional regulation difficulties. In this attachment-based, relationship-focused program, I learned the importance of involving the whole family in a child's treatment process. I became a mother during my training, and found the simple principles of curiosity, attunement and reflection that I had been practicing in my work to be very grounding as I navigated new parenthood.

I love working with parents at any stage of their journey. Parenting can feel overwhelming—whether it's confronting self-doubt, fear of judgment, or simply realizing our own parents didn’t have all the tools they needed to really see us.

My approach is grounded in attachment theory, and how our early experiences with caregivers shape how we relate to others as adults, as well as how we parent. I’m also fascinated by the neuroscience of brain development and how it influences behavior and emotional regulation.

I believe the most meaningful change in therapy comes from building a warm, authentic connection between us, and that’s the foundation I hope to create with you.