I am a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) in the San Francisco Bay Area. I graduated from The California Institute of Integral Studies in 2014 with a Master's Degree in Counseling Psychology with a focus in Expressive Arts Therapy. I work largely with folks who want to address and transform generational trauma, CPTSD and grief. I create a safe and collaborative therapeutic space with my clients to give them the opportunity to define a meaningful connection to their lived experiences, heal from past trauma, and create a genuine sense of self that integrates their values and identity.
What can clients expect to take away from sessions with you?
The first session of therapy with me typically looks like identifying your goals for therapy and identifying the challenges and burdens you are looking to alleviate by coming to therapy. The first session also includes rapport building, talking about any past experiences you have had in therapy and relevant mental health and personal history that is helpful to formulating how I can support you. As you might expect, some of these items will extend past our first session as we get to know each other and build trust.
Explain to clients what areas you feel are your biggest strengths.
In my time working as a therapist, I have worked with a variety of clients which include community based mental health, private practice models and medical settings. Through these various experiences I have developed the ability to tailor therapy and modalities to meet unique needs and the nuances of human experiences. I implement curiosity and compassion to meet you where you are at and implement modalities to support you in your healing.
Describe the client(s) you are best positioned to serve.
I often work with clients who find themselves caught up in a complicated knot of the past trauma, present struggles and identity issues that feel stuck and overwhelming. Often trauma or grief is causing a weight that disconnects clients from living freely and as their genuine selves. Many of my clients find themselves wanting to reconnect with their identities following trauma, loss or major life transitions and are looking for the space and tools to do so. Communities that I have found myself working with are the LGBTQ, Latino and mixed/multiethnic communities. In addition I have found myself frequently working with individuals who are also in the mental health or healthcare field looking for their own support and healing.
About Caitlin Torres Graham
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VirtualMy treatment methods
Grief Therapy
Throughout my time working as a therapist, I have found grief to be an undercurrent theme in many areas of people's lives. Whether it is addressing death and loss, the ending of a relationship or other less spoken about forms of grief such as anticipatory grief, loss of status, the childhood or family you did not have, loss of identity, or leaving behind a lifestyle or identity you are familiar with, grief can be a heavy, lonely and confusing landscape. In addition to helping you navigate the depression and various challenging emotions associated grief, I also aim to help you process loss and transform it in a way that feels meaningful to you. I can offer support in exploring how to grieve meaningfully, how to transform your relationship to loss through a variety of modalities including narrative therapy, expressive arts therapy, trauma informed care. Everyone's grieving process can look different, and so I offer a client centered approach to meet you where you are at to provide a meaningful path to navigate your grief.
Trauma Informed Care
Throughout my career in community based mental health, I've learned how trauma can impact people's lives in the most important areas. I assess for trauma early on into my work with clients to see how it may be related to symptoms or challenges clients may be seeking support with. I often implement areas of narrative therapy to see how trauma has impacted a client's view of self, others and the world around them in addition to core beliefs that may have developed as a result of trauma. This work can have overlap with grief counseling in regards to transforming the trauma narrative into one that feels meaningful to the client. In addition I also work closely to help client recognize trauma responses and how to regulate them effectively.
Culturally Sensitive Therapy
I believe strongly that therapy cannot be done effectively without considering culture. Whether it be symptom presentation, how people function in relationships or elements of identity, my understanding of my client's cultural background helps me understand their point of view and better support them in treatment. I believe culturally sensitive therapy also includes understanding intersectionality and understanding systems of power and oppression that have an impact on my client's wellbeing.
Integrative
I say I use an integrative treatment method because I draw from a few different modalities based on my client's needs and treatment goals. In addition to trauma informed care and grief counseling, I offer modalities such as expressive arts therapy, narrative therapy and elements of mindfulness to develop tools around self regulation, exploration and processing of emotions and developing meaning. These modalities can also be helpful in exploring themes around identity and finding new methods for coping with depression and anxiety.