About Me

From my own lived experience, I understand the feeling of “can’t” restraining you from your goals in school, work, relationships, and health. As an Iranian-American, I understand the cultural and language barriers and sense of isolation that can emerge for immigrants in a new country. I had to push the limits of what seemed possible for me. I did this by learning and applying the science of the brain and mind through a Bachelors in Psychology, Masters in Clinical Psychology, and Masters in Cognitive Science, mastering and contributing to the literature in these areas (see Research tab), as well as applying these concepts in my work in mental health, all the while being coached and coaching others to be more resilient in hard times.

Next section describes the experience and training that enables me to provide you with powerful tools towards psychological wellness, stress management, and achievement.

After years of struggling in school and work, I gave up and almost enlisted in the US Navy.  To enter at a higher rank, I took additional college units by enrolled in Introduction to Philosophy and fitness classes to get in shape for boot camp. Little did I know that this would change my life. The philosophy class showed me how the greatest thinkers in history name and understand human struggles. The fitness classes improved my learning and memory. After seeing how well I CAN perform at school, I decided to continue studying, particularly psychology, formerly a branch of philosophy. I began exercising more regularly. I listened to audiobooks by success coaches e.g., B., Tracy and S., Covey. This helped me track and solve problems that previously held me back. I began studying with others who were driven and ambitious. These new skills enabled me to raise my grades and transfer to a university, something thaw previously seemed impossible. As I felt more competent, I followed my curiosity to understand and improve the mind by volunteering at a university neuropsychiatric department. For the first time, I saw the depth to which the mind can deteriorate and how it may be rehabilitated. 

I expanded this pursuit of understanding and improving the mind in a Bachelor's in Psychology at California State University Fullerton (CSUF), where I sought similar but more diverse experiences. For example, I assisted with the evaluation of a county mental health program, focusing on preventing mental deterioration, especially in violent circumstances. Additionally, as a Research Assistant, I received transformative mentoring and coaching, enabling me to receive funding to conduct and present research on personality and emotions at conferences, providing me insights into the emotional tendencies that give rise to personality and the scientific methods used to discover and validate them. I owe most of my success from this point on to this amazing mentor. I completed my undergraduate internship at Metropolitan State Hospital, under a clinical psychologist’s supervision, where I co-facilitating Stress Management and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) groups. This experience showed me how my classroom concepts can be applied to reverse the deteriorating coping skills and cognitive distortions that are caused by severe stress. I was also a Psychology Peer Mentor, coaching and mentoring other psychology students to reach their academic goals.

I continued this pursuit in a Master’s in Clinical Psychology at CSUF, where I received advanced training that focused on psychotherapy and clinical research (e.g., Psychological Testing, Advanced Research Methods, Psychological Interventions). My thesis focused on how we align our actions with our goals and intentions (Self-Regulation). The scientist-practitioner model shaped my ability to use evidence-based practices to improve mental health and functioning from then on. 

I also worked as a Graduate Advisor, continuing to help other students reach their academic goals, but now as a graduate student with more experience.

I applied my graduate experience at Pathways Behavioral Health to coach clients from diverse cultures to reach their next goal in mental wellness, by providing them with the missing coping skills, psycho-education, and resources.

My second master training was in Cognitive Science, at the University of Umeå in Sweden. This was a multidisciplinary program that integrated the most powerful insights from medicine, psychology, philosophy, and computer science to elucidate workings of the brain and mind, in illness and health, from the molecular level to the psychosocial level. This expansive view provided me with a cutting-edge and pivotal understanding of how the mind and brain deteriorates and is improved. I focused on means to strengthen executive functioning skills, the highest cognitive skill, which coordinates other cognitive skills like memory and attention. I completed my thesis on factors that strengthen and preserve higher cognitive skills throughout the life span, particularly executive functions. I also assisted with cutting-edge neurophysiology research, identifying, recording from and stimulating brain circuits that enable perception, decision-making, and action, in illness and health in animal models.

My training in Clinical Psychology and Cognitive Science especially from a multidisciplinary and transcultural perspective, helped me understand the basic mechanisms that govern emotional and cognitive functioning, which in turn help me identify the most pivotal point of these mechanisms to support each client, in intuitive language that is understood across disciplines and cultures.

Throughout these years, I have worked at mental health programs in the state of California, providing clients with evidence-based coping skills and psycho-education. I have also worked in private clinics, co-facilitating mental health groups.

For the last few years, I have focused on assisting with neuropsychological testing and coaching. I also co-authored research publications and poster presentations related to optimizing the brain and mental health (see Research tab). I am also certified as a Professional Life Coach.