Welcome. I have been a continuously practicing licenced Marriage and Family Therapist in California since 2000 and a training supervisor since 2006. My experience has been in high acuity nonprofit community/team-based, adolescent residential, outpatient clinic, and private practice settings. I have clinically supervised and trained many clinician interns and non-clinical staff. My training interests have been with Primal Therapy, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy, IMAGO Relationship Therapy, and of late, Psychodynamic/Psychoanalytic Therapy. I work with thoughts, feelings and body, and believe that integration of all three is necessary. I believe that trauma resolution occurs when connection to the original source occurs, particularly when early needs such as safety, protection, response are felt, within the safety of the therapy relationship/room.

What can clients expect to take away from sessions with you?

I do not charge for your initial consultation because that is a time for mutual getting-to-know and seeing whether there is 'fit'. I make sure to allow time and will encourage you to ask me whatever is important to you to know about me. In the first therapy session I will ask you about what brings you to therapy now, to me perhaps, and mutually discover how you have managed in your life to this point. I will ask you about your family growing up, and where are now in your life.

Explain to clients what areas you feel are your biggest strengths.

Throughout my career as a practicing therapist, I have consistently maintained my own individual/couples therapy because I believe a therapist must be equally comfortable on both sides of the couch. I continue to follow my core value which is internal truth. I have many years of experience as a clinical supervisor, trainer and manager, and thus have a broad understanding of systems.

Describe the client(s) you are best positioned to serve.

I enjoy working with clients who are curious about themselves, who are persistently motivated to discover themselves, who seek to resolve traumatic impacts, and who are willing to risk being radically honest with themselves. I am best able to work with folks who are able to support themselves, i.e. are working, perhaps have a career focus, perhaps educational goals, as I not longer write psychiatric holds or provide in person crisis response.

About RALPH A WEISS