My journey to becoming a Certified Visuo-Cognitive Therapist began when I had a part-
time job in college working for an optometrist as an Administrative Assistant. During my first week on the job, the optometrist had me undergo a comprehensive eye exam. Up to this point in my life on previous eye exams conducted predominantly by the school nurse, I had been told that I had 20/20 vision. However, during this comprehensive eye exam, I was diagnosed with Convergence Insufficiency and Oculomotor Dysfunction. As the optometrist explained to me what that meant, everything clicked! These visual conditions were responsible for causing me to quickly fatigue while doing my schoolwork, thus prolonging my work duration. Had I known this information earlier, I could have done so much with all that wasted time! I wish someone had told me that there is more to vision than 20/20.
To address these issues, the optometrist recommended vision therapy, which I never heard of before. I went through the optometrist’s vision therapy program and it was life-changing! After a few months of therapy, my visual issues were completely resolved. Upon experiencing firsthand the wonders of vision therapy, I was excited to learn more and spread the word. The optometrist trained me and sent me to the Optometric Extension Program Foundation Clinical Curriculum courses where I learned how to become a Visuo-Cognitive Therapist.
I enjoyed helping people so much that I decided that I wanted to become a therapist full time. So instead of pursuing the field of psychology that my Bachelor of Arts degree was taking me on, I became a Certified Optometric Vision Therapist. Since the optometry office where I was working only offered a part-time vision therapist position, I was referred to the Vision & Conceptual Development Center (VCDC), whose doctors are world-renowned specialists in the field of developmental optometry. When I arrived at VCDC, I received additional training and learned their unique and extensive vision therapy program created by our late founder, Dr. Harry Wachs.
During the past decade at VCDC, my passion for treating patients has continued to grow. Seeing my patients benefit from vision therapy, like I did, makes my job worthwhile. Their success of the therapy improves many aspects of their lives that they may not have realized were impacted by a vision issue. It is so rewarding to help my patients progress and transform through VCDC’s program!
During my free time, I enjoy playing and watching sports. As a child, I played golf, tennis, swimming, soccer, and basketball. Nowadays, I have to admit, I do more watching than playing. When I can, I try to catch La Liga soccer games. I love curling up with a good book whenever I can, regardless of genre or subject matter. Recently, I read the original Dune series and some of the additional books in the Dune universe. They were fabulous! I absolutely love to cook and try out new recipes from different cuisines. This past week I made a Moroccan dish called Zaalouk for the first time. It was delicious!
I also love to travel. My husband and I have been fortunate to have traveled around the world. I have so much fun meeting new people, seeing new things, and experiencing different cultures, foods and languages. Playing sports has allowed me to develop valuable teambuilding skills, reading has helped me to empathize with others and de-stress, cooking has helped me to become more mindful and traveling has expanded my world view.
All these skills have been influential to my approach as a visuo-cognitive therapist. Additionally, I feel like my background in psychology helps me better connect with my patients. It is so important to develop a good relationship with your therapist to ensure you receive the most out of your vision therapy journey. I look forward to meeting you!
