Finding Homes of Healing

There was a time when my life felt like a relentless storm—one failure after another in the corporate world, the sting of broken relationships, and the deep wounds of betrayal by leaders I once trusted. The weight of these experiences led me down a path of burnout, addictive behaviors, and unexplainable medical symptoms that no doctor could diagnose. I felt I have lost home.

But homelessness as I discovered, is not the end of the story—it is the beginning of the transformation. Through a long and difficult process, I found the strength to heal from the inside out. I confronted the shadows of my past, broke free from the chains of unhealthy habits, and reclaimed my life. It was not an easy journey, but it led me to a place of freedom, wellness, purpose, and a sense of coming home.

Today, I no longer just carry my story—I share it. I have nurtured healing communities where others, like me, can come home: walk the path toward recovery and wholeness. Out of my struggles, I developed the (Pain-Addictions-Sexual Disorders-Trauma) or P.A.S.T  Treatment Protocol an evidence-informed approach that integrates Pain Psychology, Psychodynamic psychotherapy, Emotionally Focused Couples and Family Therapy, Accelerated Resolution Therapy, and psychosexual therapy.

My work is with adolescents, couples, individuals, the LGBTQ+ community, the mental health of the expatriate and digital nomads communities in the Philippines and Asia.

I want you to know, you don’t have to walk this road alone.

Professional Summary

My clinical work is summarized as follows: Psychology Department, Addictions Recovery and Trauma Services (PsyARTS) at a state psychiatric hospital in Maryland, USA; working with patients with serious mental illness like psychotic disorders (current); post-doctoral fellowship in clinical health psychology at the National Institutes of Health (2017-2021); post-doctoral fellowships in Health Psychology working with HIV and SUD population at University of South of Florida, College of Nursing (2022), and rehabilitation psychology at Thrive Behavioral with patients neurocognitive disorders like traumatic brain injury and dementia (2021).

My academic trainings are: Global Health Delivery Certificate, Harvard University, USA, Doctor of Philosophy in Clinical Psychology, Ateneo de Davao University, Doctor of Education in Counseling, Asia Graduate School of Theology, Philippines.

The equitable access and delivery of mental health care is something I  am passionate about. Initiatives of community-based drug rehabilitation centers in the local communities of  Mindanao, Southern Philippines have been established since 2000 up to the present. Local scholars in the graduate school of psychology have been receiving mentorship. National early career Filipino psychologists have been receiving supervisions in their fields of specializations. All these through the expansion of the Institute of Integrative Behavioral Health. 

I am an adjunct faculty in the Graduate School of Psychology at the Ateneo de Davao University, Philippines.

Certifications

  1. Global Health Delivery, Harvard University, USA

  2. Mindfulness Based Relapse Prevention, UCLA, USA

  3. Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy, University of Toronto, Canada

  4. Accelerated Resolution Therapy, USA

  5. Psychodynamic Psychotherapy

  6. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

  7. Dialectic Behavioral Therapy

  8. Licensed Associate Psychologist, State of Maryland, USA

Professional Memberships

  1. American Psychological Association, USA

  2. International Society of Neuropsychology, USA

  3. International Society in Behavioral Medicine, USA

  4. American Society of Lifestyle Medicine, USA