Licensed to practice in California and accepts 24 insurances. Specializes in Anxiety, Couples Counseling, Depression and 8 more.
(he/him)
New to Grow
My name is Kim. I have been an LMFT clinician for 20+ years, worked at non-profits (3 years, including facilitating court ordered domestic violence & anger management classes), county behavioral health (9 & 1/2 years), taught psychology at Heald College (1 & 1/2 years) and have been in private practice (10 + years). I am a father of 5 (40's to one still in high school), lost 2 of them to Cystic Fibrosis (my 2nd and 3rd children-ages 28 and 35 years), a professional musician, artist, photographer, gardener, woodworker, etc. Lots of hobbies. Married twice and the 2nd is still intact almost 3 decades later. I have a wide range of treatments I've trained in and used, seen folks from 3 years to folks in their 70's, every race and lots of cultures, straight/bi/gay/trans, all socioeconomic levels, individuals, couples, families, & groups, and have covered a wide range of diagnosis and treatments from mild to severe. Today I don't really do the little children anymore but I have done a lot of that work in the past. Now its early adolescents and up. Lots of parenting. I don't hide who I am and I am real. I am in the helping profession and I take that very seriously. I am human myself, have done therapy myself, and I believe in the process. If I can help you, I will do my best to accomplish doing that. If I can't, I will tell you that as well.
The beginning of therapy really depends on how well we get along and how well we meet in the middle to communicate. I do my best to try to meet you where you are. If you are ready to go fast & just jump in, I can do that. But if you need time to warm up and get to know me, building rapport and trust, then I will do that. I have had clients that started from both ends of this spectrum and I can do and have done both. In the first session we are getting to know each other, meeting for the first time, and discovering what you need in this new environment. It is all about meeting your needs and building rapport between us. If you do not know what you need, then we will start with trying to discover together what your needs that aren't getting met are and what you need to do to get them met. If you already know what you need then I will meet you there. It is completely up to you and your comfort level. Building trust is vital to the relationship between us and is one of my first priorities. Your comfortability is important to build that trust so I do my best to try to make you comfortable in the beginning. How we relate to each other is the beginning of this relationship and the trust to be built. There will of course be lots of questions asked and answered. By both of us I am sure. This is always a part of getting to know each other.
I am someone who believes in the therapy process, and that process is different for each person as we are all individuals. My perspective is one of my strengths and that is...to be able to really change, we need to be real. With each other and ourselves. So my job is to listen, be empathetic and diplomatic, be honest, and be a road sign. As we develop our trust and build rapport, I have to point things out when I see them that are issues (thoughts, feelings, behaviors, attitudes, habits, assumptions, etc.) that I see as "red flags" to your success. I have to challenge you at times in order to guide you towards your own growth. Always with empathy and diplomacy. Never with judgement. I am able to spot these things and I am able to challenge you. This is one of my strengths. We are all human. I will never tell you, "I know how you feel". That...would be a lie. I know that. I do not live in your life with your experiences or personality. How could I possibly know how you feel? What I can do...and I do offer...is I can relate. If I can not relate I will tell you so. But always with honesty and being as real as possible. I have seen and been through a lot in my life. I do not expect anyone to know how I feel. But if you can relate to me at all, and I can relate to you at all, then we can find a place to meet in the middle. That is where growth can happen.
I work best with people that are struggling in their lives, relationships, and/or families and who have reached a point where they want/need help. The more open they are the faster it can go but even if they are not completely open, but they want help, I can work with that. The key is reaching a point in one's path where there is awareness they need someone's help.
Other specialties
Cash - $150 per session
Aetna
Aetna - Allied Benefits
Aetna - ASR Health Benefits
Aetna - Luminare
Aetna - Moda
Aetna - WebTPA
Aetna – HealthEZ
Amerihealth Administrators
Anthem
Arlo
Blue Cross
Centivo
Cigna
Cigna - HealthEZ
EAP:Cigna
EAP:Evernorth
Evernorth
GTEB
Health Plan of San Joaquin/Mountain Valley Health Plan – Medi-Cal
Independence Administrators
Independence Blue Cross
Santa Clara Family Health Plan - Medi-Cal
Scripps Health Plan
Tufts Health/Cigna
Cognitive Behavioral (CBT)
CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy) is used to teach, asses, and treat alignment of thoughts, feeling, & behaviors. Often this therapy is used to treat depression and conditions aligned with negative thoughts, self-esteem issues, inabilities, emotional reactivity, anger management, stress, anxiety, and even trauma work. This works well with individuals from all walks of life, backgrounds, family members, and even couples. I have done this type of therapy for 20+ years.
Trauma-Focused CBT
This is a specific type of CBT for treatment of PTSD and trauma. This is an evidence based practice and I was trained for 2 years in it's practice while working at a county behavioral health department that I worked at for 9 1/2 years. From children to adults, combat vets to car accident victims, anyone experienced in trauma will need to process their experiences and learn to relieve the anxiety that comes from those experiences.
Solution Focused Brief Treatment
Solution Focused is primarily treating problem solving skills with real world results that are not unrealistic answers but also not necessarily easy to see. Deciding how to problem solve in an individual's life is an ever evolving issue in some people's path that can find relief in talking it through and maybe learning new skills.