Pauline Padrul
I’m a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with more than 20 years of experience in behavioral health and healthcare. My clinical background includes eating disorders, anxiety, depression, trauma, medical and chronic health concerns, and major life transitions.
I've worked in medical social work, with patients in oncology, physical rehabilitation and dialysis.
I also hold a Master’s in Public Health from the University of California, Berkeley, which informs my whole-person approach to mental health and wellbeing. I strive to create a warm, collaborative, and nonjudgmental space where you can feel understood, supported, and comfortable being yourself.
First session
I like to create a tailored plan to set the trajectory for follow-up sessions. In our first session together, we'll start with brief introductions, review the specific challenges you're facing and create a meaningful treatment plan.
Strengths
I bring warmth, compassion, curiosity, and more than 20 years of clinical experience to my sessions. I’m a thoughtful listener and work to create a space where you can speak openly and feel genuinely heard without judgment. I also bring a broad perspective shaped by my experience in behavioral health, healthcare, public health, and working with complex life circumstances. My Master’s in Public Health from UC Berkeley has further strengthened my whole-person approach, helping me consider not only what you are experiencing emotionally, but also how your health, relationships, environment, and life circumstances may be affecting your wellbeing. I’m collaborative and practical, and I believe therapy should be tailored to the person rather than the diagnosis. I also believe there is room for humor in therapy when appropriate. My goal is for you to leave our sessions feeling understood, supported, and with greater clarity about your next steps.
Ideal clients
I am best positioned to serve adults who are interested in, thinking about, or motivated to make meaningful changes in their lives. I work especially well with clients navigating anxiety, depression, eating concerns, health and medical challenges, trauma, self-esteem, and major life transitions. I also enjoy working with clients who want a warm, collaborative therapist who will listen without judgment, offer thoughtful perspective, and help them identify practical steps forward. You don't have to have everything figured out or be completely ready for change—we can begin wherever you are.
Treatment methods
Cognitive Behavioral (CBT)
I use Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) to help clients understand the connection between their thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. Together, we identify patterns that may be contributing to anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, or other challenges, and explore more balanced and helpful ways of thinking and responding. I use CBT collaboratively and tailor it to each person rather than treating it as a rigid formula. Depending on your goals, we may work on identifying unhelpful thought patterns, developing coping strategies, practicing new behaviors, setting achievable goals, and building confidence in your ability to manage difficult situations. My goal is to help you gain insight into your patterns while also giving you practical tools you can use outside of therapy. We work at a pace that feels manageable, with an emphasis on progress rather than perfection.
Humanistic
I use a humanistic approach by creating a warm, accepting, and nonjudgmental environment where you can feel comfortable being your authentic self. I believe you are the expert on your own life, and my role is to listen deeply, understand your perspective, and help you explore what matters most to you. Rather than focusing only on symptoms or diagnoses, I look at the whole person—including your experiences, relationships, values, strengths, and goals. Together, we explore what may be getting in the way of living the life you want and identify the strengths and resources you already have. I believe meaningful change begins with feeling understood and accepted. My goal is to build a genuine therapeutic relationship where you feel safe enough to be honest, develop greater self-awareness and self-compassion, and move toward the changes that are meaningful to you.
Solution-Focused Brief Treatment
I use Solution-Focused Brief Therapy to help clients identify what they want to be different and focus on practical steps that can move them toward those goals. Rather than focusing exclusively on problems, we explore your strengths, resources, past successes, and the times when things have gone better—even in small ways. Together, we identify realistic and meaningful goals and look for strategies that can be applied to your everyday life. I may ask questions that help you imagine what you would notice if things were improving, recognize exceptions to difficult patterns, and identify the next small step forward. I use this approach collaboratively and tailor it to your needs. My goal is to help you recognize that change is possible, build on what is already working, and leave sessions with greater clarity, hope, and a sense of direction.
Psychoeducation
I use psychoeducation to help clients better understand what they are experiencing and why certain thoughts, emotions, and behaviors may be occurring. I believe that having clear, understandable information can reduce uncertainty and help you feel more empowered in the therapy process. Depending on your needs, we may explore topics such as anxiety, depression, stress, trauma, eating concerns, coping with health conditions, relationships, or patterns that may be affecting your wellbeing. I explain concepts in practical, relatable language and encourage questions so that therapy feels collaborative rather than like a lecture. My goal is to help you develop a clearer understanding of yourself, recognize patterns, and gain practical knowledge and tools that you can use in everyday life. I want you to leave therapy not only feeling supported, but also better equipped to understand and advocate for yourself.
Compassion-Focused
I use Compassion-Focused Therapy to help clients develop a kinder and more understanding relationship with themselves, particularly when they struggle with self-criticism, shame, guilt, or feelings of not being “good enough.” Many people are much harder on themselves than they would ever be toward someone they care about. Together, we explore the patterns that contribute to self-criticism and learn ways to respond to difficult thoughts and emotions with greater compassion rather than judgment. I help clients recognize their strengths, understand the role that past experiences may play in how they relate to themselves, and develop healthier ways of coping with distress. My goal is not to ignore challenges or avoid accountability. Instead, compassion becomes a way of creating enough safety and self-understanding to make meaningful change. I want clients to leave therapy feeling less at war with themselves and more able to move forward with self-acceptance, confidence, and hope.
Location
Virtual sessions
Identifies as
Top specialties
Other specialties
Serves
Licensed in
- CaliforniaLicense 25630