I have always had an interest in helping people. Through my work as a psychologist, counselor, and educator, I’ve had the opportunity to see significant improvements in a person’s life and well being. For over 20 years, I 
co-facilitated couples workshops with my husband throughout California. The ability to touch so many lives was such an inspiration to me.
In 1995, I began pursuing my formal education in psychology, receiving my B.A. (Psychology) from San Francisco State University in 2000 and my M.S. (2004) and Ph.D. (2006) in Clinical Psychology from PGSP (now Palo Alto University). I trained in Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder treatment with the Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, San Francisco, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Clinical Team. I completed my internship with Marin County Health and Human Services servicing adults and older adults with major mental illnesses and persistent or acute conditions and Psychiatric Emergency. My residency and fellowship program at San Francisco Medical Center, Musculoskeletal Services, Chronic Pain Management Center, Kaiser Permanente, helped me to solidify my interest in and to develop my therapeutic techniques for chronic pain management. I was licensed by the State of California in 2008.
I have been a Clinical Professor for the University of California, San Francisco, Department of Family and Community Medicine, Pain Management Program and a Psychologist at San Francisco General Hospital Chronic Pain Clinic. I have provided assessment, individual and group cognitive behavioral therapy for chronic pain patients, as well as, co-facilitating a Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Group for the management of chronic pain. I have also provided brief psychotherapy for chronic pain management for individuals in person, by Telemedicine, and groups as a Clinical Psychologist at California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) and I have consulted and provided in-service training to CDCR health care providers on the development of integrated medical and mental health interventions for patients with chronic pain, complex medical, psychiatric, and psychosocial problems.
In my private practice I work with clients suffering from Chronic Pain, PostTraumatic Stress Disorder, and Mood Disorders. I provide services with knowledge and skill combined with a commitment to effective, credible, ethical, and respectful psychotherapy services. The primary goals of my psychotherapeutic services include:
enhancing the clients dignity,
generating possible solutions through strategies that involve holistic factors, and
ensuring a more functional and higher quality of life
My sessions are available in either English or Spanish.
Since 2010 through now I have been a consultant for Pacifc Pain Treatment Centers for evaluations for psychosocial risk factors for medical procedures. This evaluation and medical evaluations are discussed at decision-making team meetings for medical findings, diagnosis, and options for pain treatment.
In addition to my professional interests, I have a strong commitment to environmental protection and I worked in international and national organizations such as FAO of the UUNN, The Nature Conservancy, Sierra Club and co-founded Conservation International in Washington, D.C. I have also a strong commitment to public service. My service activities focus on environmental protection and community development through micro-lending through our own family non-profit. I also actively participate in the spiritual community by providing bilingual/bicultural training and lectures on Catholic liturgy and family life which is seen as a contribution to strengthening body-mind-spirit interrelation, wellness, stress management, and cultural competence.
Read what my Clients and Colleagues say about working with me.
Dr. Perez-Neira in the Community
Seminars:
Living and Coping with Chronic Pain
University of California San Francisco Neuropathy Center
Chronic Pain Management
Marin Mental and Human Services
Effective Psychotherapy
San Francisco Mental Health Services ACCESS
Changing Your Mood
Cancer Awareness Resources and Education
San Francisco General Hospital
Cultural Competence and Psychotherapy
Chronic Pain Department, Kaiser Permanente, San Francisco
Medical Benefits of Mindful Meditation
Mercedarian Society of Guatemala, Antigua City, Guatemala
Latino Culture and Psychotherapy
Chronic Pain Management Clinic, Kaiser Permanente, San Francisco
Facing Uncertainty
Cancer Awareness Resources and Education
San Francisco General Hospital
Spirituality in the Family
St. Dominic’s Church, San Francisco
Mindful Meditation and Diaphragmatic Breathing
St. Dominic’s Church Adult Group
Mindful Meditation
San Francisco Archdioceses
Getting to Know Myself
San Francisco Archdioceses Community Leaders
Long-Lasting Happy Marriages
St. Dominic’s Church Young Adults Group
Small Business Presentations:
Happiness vs. JOY
Process of Forgiving (2 part)
Radio Show:
Nuestro Ninos
Interactive Parenting Media, Bay Area and Monterey
Couple’s Workshop:
How to Keep the Romance in the Couple
St. Dominic’s Catholic Church Community
Dina perez-neira, ph.d. Resume