Cristina is SAGE Redwood City’s social worker. With a demonstrated history of working in individual, family and community settings, Cristina is elated to combine her passion for community service with her love for animals. With both a bachelors and masters degree in social work from San José State University, Cristina spent the past 7 years facilitating mental health services for children, youth, and families. Working with multidisciplinary teams in educational settings, her main focus was creating safe spaces to explore complex emotions, process trauma, and learn new skills. Beyond working alongside youth, Cristina’s role included collaboration and consultation with staff to better facilitate student growth and identify their areas of need.

During that time, Cristina had the privilege to provide animal assisted therapy to middle schoolers experiencing anxiety, grief, and depression. This experience sparked a passion for understanding human-animal interactions, including animal-assisted intervention and the human animal bond, as well as their connection to social work.

Cristina has four furry companions: two dogs (Foxy and Ozzy) and two cats (Bootsy and Maiden). She is originally from South Lake Tahoe, which she believes is a year-round paradise for animals (including humans)!