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Alexis A. David

Director of Clinical Programming & Mental Health Internships

Verma Soria Zapanta

Director of Wellness Education & Youth Programs

Harvey Lozada

Buong Loob Program-Youth and (TAY) Transitional Age Youth Specialist

Rosario S. Macahilas

Program Assistant

Judith Lucia
I. Albano

​Clinical Supervisor

Rachel Lastimosa

KAdua Associateship Program - ADUA Associate Marriage and Family Therapist

Raju Desai

KAdua Associateship Program - ADUA Associate Marriage and Family Therapist

Erin Mausisa Bolick, ASW

KAdua Internship Program - Clinical Supervisor

Geraldine Punzalan, ASW

KAdua Internship Program - Clinical Supervisor

Kendrick Hester

KAdua Internship Program - Mental Health Intern

Nikki Landayan

​KAdua Internship Program - Mental Health Intern​

Sabrina Belara

KAdua Internship Program - Mental Health Intern​

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FMHI-SF Staff

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Languages Spoken: English, Basic Filipino
Affiliations: Kababayan SFUSD; Amado Khaya Initiative

Alexis A. David (she/her)

​​Director of Clinical Programming & Mental Health Internships
​[email protected]​

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Alexis A. David (she/her/siya) is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) working as a Clinical Supervisor in San Francisco Unified School District.  She has a private practice in clinical supervision and consultation supporting BIPOC clinicians. She is a daughter of immigrants from Tarlac and Batangas, Philippines. Alexis was born and raised in Yelamu, Ramaytush Ohlone Territory. She is a mother to three brilliant beings. She is an alumni of San Francisco State University for both her Masters in Social Work (MSW) and undergraduate studies in Asian American Studies and Criminal Justice. She has worked in various capacities in Education through school social work; crisis and mental health consultation; teaching Ethnic Studies and Filipinx/a/o Studies; working with youth and families in foster care and youth impacted in the juvenile justice system;  youth substance abuse treatment and prevention; youth development and community organizing.
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Alexis is one of the founding members of the Filipino Mental Health Initiative-San Francisco (FMHI-SF) launched in 2012 and leading therapeutic programming to the community in the SF Bay area. In 2023, Alexis joined the Amado Khaya Initiative Advisory Board to support the legacy of community organizing and activism from the late Amado Khaya Canham Rodriguez. Alexis believes that promoting mental and community wellness in the Filipinx community creates access points to collective healing and lays pathways of compassion for ourselves and one another.

Languages Spoken: English, Basic Tagalog
Affiliations: ​Mental Health First Aid-National Council for Mental Wellbeing; College of Ethnic Studies, Asian American Studies Department-San Francisco State University, Pin@y Educational Partnerships

Verma Soria Zapanta, M.Ed (she/her)

Director of Wellness Education and Youth Programs [email protected]

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Verma Soria Zapanta is a Visayan educator, photographer, and wellness practitioner born and raised in Yelamu, occupied Ramaytush Ohlone Territory (San Francisco, CA). She has served youth throughout San Francisco and Los Angeles as an Ethnic Studies teacher before fully immersing herself in holistic medicine and mental health advocacy work. She is a Mental Health First Aid instructor and co-founder of Buong Loob: Filipinx Student Wellness Internship and the Filipinx Student Wellbeing Conference: Youth Contingency Internship. Verma is a humble culture bearer and student of Hilot, an ancient healing modality from the Philippines that incorporate bodywork, energy healing, ritual, and plant medicine. She hosts knowledge exchanges, workshops, retreats, and a Filipinx healers pop-up market called Ginhawa Marketplace through her wellness practice "Hilot with Verma".

"I connected to FMHI-SF in 2018 through the "Kapwa Konnections" project as a featured artist for the community exhibition and consultant to develop the Kapwa Rising Mural in SOMA Pilipinas, guided by Bay Area artists Sami See and Monica Magtoto. FMHI-SF is beautiful because we can be creative in engaging folks on the complex, complicated, and painful mental health topics, which is very stigmatized in the Filipino community. I hope every community member we engage with feels they have the agency to tend to their mental health needs while finding a community to lean in."

Languages Spoken: English, Tagalog
Affiliations: San Francisco County Office of Education-San Francisco Unified School District; Kababayan SFUSD; Co-founder of Buong Loob Internship Programs

Harvey Lozada,
​MSW, PPSC, ACLSW (he/him)

Youth and TAY (Transitional Age Youth) Specialist
​[email protected]

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Harvey Lozada is a fourth-generation FRISCOPINO.  He is an educator, community worker, healer, filmmaker, photographer, and visual storyteller. Harvey is the son of Filipino immigrants from the islands of Luzon and Mindanao and traces his familial roots in Yelamu, occupied Ramaytush Ohlone territory (San Francisco, CA) as far back as the 1920s. He is a humble culture bearer and descendent of traditional medicine keepers such as albularyos and manghihilots from the so-called, Philippines. Harvey’s healing journey began with community activism and engaging young people in the juvenile justice system. For over 18 years, he has dedicated his life to disrupting the school-to-prison pipeline through youth leadership development and culturally responsive counseling services for children and families throughout San Francisco. Harvey currently serves as a Transition Specialist at the San Francisco County Office of Education and Woodside Learning Center in San Francisco Unified School District and co-developed FMHI-SF's Filipinx youth mental health education program, Buong Loob: Filipinx Student Wellness Internship. 

Languages Spoken: English
Affiliations: Pin@y Educational Partnerships, San Francisco State University - College of Ethnic Studies

Rosario S. Macahilas (she/siya)

Program Assistant
[email protected]

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Rosario Santos Macahilas (she/siya) is a second generation Pinay born and raised on Ramaytush Ohlone Land (San Francisco/Daly City, CA) with roots in the Philippine provinces of Pangasinan and Aklan. She serves as the Program Assistant for the Filipino Mental Health Initiative of San Francisco and the Organizational Coordinator for Pin@y Educational Partnerships. She received her bachelors degree in Ethnic Studies and a minor in Psychology from Saint Mary’s College of California. 

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KAdua Associateship Program

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Languages Spoken: English, Tagalog (Understands Fluently)

Judith Lucia I. Albano (she/her)

Clinical Supervisor
 [email protected]​

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My journey to licensure as a Marriage and Family Therapist began with levels of challenges and healing, creating a passion to share what I have learned through the power of self-compassion and the will to grow. The experience of being raised by Filipino immigrant parents, and navigating through the developmental and cultural challenges within my traditional family context, have led me to develop a strong sense of curiosity toward self-realization. I had the openness and curiosity guiding my way through self-inquiry to reach a level of deeper self-awareness and a sense of purpose in my life. As a result, I have been able to build bridges between my two worlds while maintaining a strong connection to my inner voice.

​With my particular upbringing, I came to appreciate there was no better time and opportunity to deepen my understanding of the human psyche, emotion, and body in the context of culture. The three are strongly woven when responding to pleasant or painful experiences. I attended the California Institute of Integral Studies and earned my Master's Degree in Counseling Psychology with a concentration in Community Mental Health. On my path to licensure, I have worked with children, adults, and families in community clinics and schools in the Bay Area. Currently, I maintain a private practice in San Mateo and San Francisco, and see individuals from very diverse ethnicities and backgrounds. I am trained in Brainspotting, a certified Brainspotting Therapist, and a certified IFS (Internal Family Systems) Therapist .
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My approach in psychotherapy is collaborative and engaged with curiosity and compassion. I bring my curious self into every session with attention to the natural shifts in each individual’s process. I value each shift as a new piece of information to help find the individual’s experience and build on his/her/their strengths to create a more integrated and healthy perspective. I also provide supportive and practical feedback to assist them effectively. Using creativity, I incorporate different techniques that meet the unique needs of each individual. With compassion and non-judgment, this process allows for a greater level of safety and openness, which in turn leads to deeper insight and personal growth that the individuals are committed to obtaining. I use this technique in whatever path of treatment the individual is open to explore.

Languages Spoken: English, minimal Ilokano and Tagalog
Affiliations: AGASAN

Rachel Lastimosa (she/they/siya)

ADUA Associate Marriage and Family Therapist
[email protected]

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Unceded Ramaytush Ohlone Territory; SF, CA - Rachel Lastimosa (she/they/siya) is a second generation Ilokana with ancestry from Kalinga Apayao, Ilocos Sur and Ifugao. She is an interdisciplinary artist, cultural worker and practitioner. She has worked in the Bay Area as a community organizer and artist since the early aughts. In 2018, she founded AGASAN, a collective of artists and practitioners that provide wellness workshops to BIPOC and LGBTQ+ communities. She is pursuing a masters at California Institute of Integral Studies, Counseling Psychology Department with
​an Expressive Arts Therapy emphasis. Rachel’s focus on the intersection of arts, culture, equity and wellness continues to be the foundation for her creative pursuits and community service. ​

Languages Spoken: English, Tagalog, Spanish
Affiliations: CAMFT

Raju Desai (he/they/siya)

ADUA Associate Marriage and Family Therapist
Email in progress

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Raju (he/they/siya) is a second-generation Indipino American with ancestral ties to Cavite and Batangas. He is an educator and emerging therapist committed to healing justice and cultural liberation. For over a decade, his work has centered on co-creating spaces with BIPOC, immigrant, foster, and LGBTQ+ youth to reclaim voice, belonging, and possibility in the face of systemic inequities.

Born and raised in the Excelsior District of San Francisco, Raju’s lived experiences with family migration, community displacement, and educational inequities inform his commitment to walking alongside others as they navigate trauma, identity, and life transitions.
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He got his Master’s in Marriage, Family, and Child Counseling from San Francisco State University, and seeks to bridge scholarship, practice, and community healing—guided by kapwa, relationality, and collective liberation. Outside of therapy, he finds joy in cultural rituals, dance, music, storytelling, and spending time with family, community, and the natural world.

His therapeutic approach is trauma-informed, culturally responsive, and liberation-centered—honoring how colonization, systemic oppression, intergenerational trauma, and migration histories shape our stories and sense of self. Drawing from Narrative Therapy, Person-Centered Therapy, and Liberation Psychology, he supports clients in re-authoring their lives through storytelling, ancestral connection, and practices of collective care. He integrates research on educational equity, identity development, and community resilience into his lens, offering space where grief, joy, survival, and transformation can coexist.
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What it’s like to work with me: In our sessions, my goal is to create a space where you feel grounded, affirmed, and free to bring your whole self. I don’t see therapy as me “fixing” you—I see it as us walking together through the layers of your story. I’ll bring warmth, humor, and deep listening, along with a willingness to sit with pain, complexity, and uncertainty. I’ll also invite us to notice the strengths, cultural wisdoms, and community practices that can support your healing. Many clients describe my style as collaborative, compassionate, and non-judgmental. Whether you’re working through trauma, identity questions, life transitions, or simply looking for a place to rest and be seen, I’ll hold space for all parts of you to arrive.

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KAdua Internship Program

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Languages Spoken: English, Spanish
Affiliations: San Francisco Unified School District; Kababayan

Erin Mausisa Bolick, ASW (she/her)

Clinical Supervisor
[email protected]

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Erin is mixed with Filipina and white. Her mom was born in Manila, Philippines and her father is from New Jersey. Erin’s mother immigrated to San Francisco with her older sister when she was six years old, being separated from her mother for several years.

Erin grew up with the Filipina side of her family in their family’s house in Haight Ashbury. ​Starting at the age of twelve Erin suffered the loss of three young tragic deaths in her family in a span of four years, including one suicide. Being raised in a Filipino Catholic family and trying to heal from the impacts of young death, and specifically suicide, brought Erin years of pain. It was the process grieving and healing from the loss by suicide, along with her work with children and their famlies that led her to move into the mental health profession.
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After eleven years as a classroom teacher in both elementary and high school, Erin began her journey towards becoming a therapist when she made a transition into Restorative Practice, working with the Social Worker in the School Wellness Center. Erin found the need to be part of leading and creating healthy and restorative school communities, which became a passion of hers. Her professional and personal experience influenced her decision to return to grad school to complete her Masters in School Social Work. Erin is starting her nineteenth year in San Francisco Unified School District. This is her third year as a School Social Worker. 

I was raised around a lot of religion and spiritual influences. My father is a Buddhist and my Lola, a devout Catholic. My Lola was a widow, single mother, and immigrant before she turned forty. She also lost three children of her own. Death was a big part of her young life. Like my Lola, death was and is a big part of my life. Growing up I lived in my Lola’s home, where she kept many altars all over her house. Stories of the dead, and keeping them alive were part of my childhood. I have incorporated these practices into my mental health work.

I found Aztec dance when my Lola died in 1998, and I have taken that on as my spirituality and “church.” In addition to my dance prayer I  found my own healing through different somatic modalities; therapy, yoga, copal, altars, story telling, and working with youth and families. I believe that there are many non-traditional modalities of therapy that can be incorporated with talk therapy. Connecting with our ancestors, and building on our strengths and personal experiences through these modalities can be one way to start healing and creating a stronger sense of self.

Languages Spoken: English
Affiliations: San Francisco Unified School District

Geraldine Punzalan, ASW

Clinical Supervisor
[email protected]

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Born and raised in the Avenues aka the Sunset District until I was 12, I went to Ulloa ES and AP Giannini MS before moving to Daly City and continued at Ben Franklin MS and went to Westmoor HS. I am a 2nd generation child of immigrant parents from Batangas, PI and the youngest of 3 siblings. I will always be an SF Giants fan, I love pretty much anything ube. I am a proud Pinay School Social Worker, and this is my 10th year working in SFUSD. I am also navigating life as a wife and mom of two small but fierce pinay warriors growing up in these wild times!

Languages Spoken: English
Affiliations: Hoover Middle School, San Francisco Unified School District

Kendrick Hester (he/him)

Mental Health Intern
[email protected]

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Kendrick Hester (He/Him): is originally from San Diego, CA. He has spent the past seven years in the Bay Area, working in the mental health field, where he has had the privilege of supporting individuals, children, and families in under-resourced communities. He comes from a diverse background and is mixed with Black, White, and Japanese. His passion lies in creating access to care and opportunities for those who often face barriers, as he has witnessed firsthand the transformative impact that resources and support can have on people’s lives. He is deeply committed to this work and to advancing knowledge and skills through the MSW program. He believes that learning is a lifelong journey, and he is eager to continue developing as a professional so he can better address the socio-emotional needs of the communities he serves. 

Kendrick is in the first year of his Masters in Social Work program and is excited to be interning at Hoover Middle School with the San Fransisco School District. He has a sports background as he played football in college and also enjoys playing basketball. During his free time he enjoys listening to music, playing video games, and spending time with family/friends. ​

Languages Spoken: English

Nikki Landayan

Mental Health Intern
[email protected]

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Nikki Landayan is a graduate student of San Francisco State University pursuing her Master's of Social Work. She has her Bachelor's and Associate's in Psychology, has been doing field work with various age groups for six years, and wants to continue connecting with her community through the people and its many resources.

She enjoys riding her motorcycle and playing video games in her free time. To Nikki, finding the perfect balance between helping a client and helping oneself is the most important aspect of social work. She hopes to use her experience and knowledge to work in community clinics, hospitals, or the California prison system.

Languages Spoken: English, Spanish
Affiliations: Downtown High School, San Francisco Unified School District

Sabrina Belara

Mental Health Intern
[email protected]

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Sabrina Belara is a first-generation, mixed Pinay whose parents immigrated to San Francisco from Cebu, Philippines and Zaragoza, Spain. Growing up in a Filipino household, yet also being raised in a multilingual, multicultural family, she understands the complexities and nuances of navigating a mixed-race identity. This lived experience fuels her commitment to creating and holding space for folx of mixed Filipinx descent, particularly in conversations around identity, belonging, mental health, and food as medicine.
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She is a first-year Master of Social Work student at San Francisco State University. With a decade of experience as a high school teacher, she currently serves as a Resource Teacher at Downtown High School, a project-based continuation school in the San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD). Her work is shaped by her dual role as an educator and social work student, grounded in a culturally responsive, holistic approach to supporting youth in their pursuit of individual and collective self-determination.

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Buong Loob Social Work Program

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Languages Spoken: English
Affiliations: Buong Loob: Filipinx Student Wellbeing Internship

Annika Franco (she/her)

Buong Loob Social Work Intern

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Annika Franco is a daughter of Filipino immigrants, from the province of Pampanga, Philippines, and was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area. Annika graduated from Lowell High School in 2023, and is currently attending City College of San Francisco as a full-time student, with plans to transfer into a 4-year University. She is studying to pursue a career in community development, specifically in the field of mental health. Annika believes in the importance of mental health advocacy in the Filipino/a/x community and is passionate about reducing the stigma surrounding mental health.

Mental health means learning to understand our own individual limits and boundaries. It affects every part of who we are—our mental, physical and social well-being. It's important for us to normalize discussions around wellness and mental health in order for us to heal and rely on each other as a community. These discussions will help foster a safe space for the Filipinx/Filipinx American community to break the cycle of trauma and move toward healing. We can support each other on this journey while also encouraging self-compassion and collective care.

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