New to Grow
Hi, glad you're here! I'm Maty, a California LMFT, and I work with adults who want deeper self-understanding, real change, and a greater sense of trust and safety within themselves. Many of my clients are navigating anxiety, trauma, attachment patterns, life transitions, identity exploration, or the feeling of being stuck in the same loops even when they “know better” intellectually. My style is warm, collaborative, and down-to-earth. I integrate relational, attachment-oriented, psychodynamic, existential, and mindfulness-based approaches, with attention to the nervous system and what your body is communicating. Together, we’ll slow things down, get curious about patterns, and make space for the parts of you that have been working hard to protect you. I aim to create a therapy space that feels warm, human, and safe enough for your nervous system to exhale. Over time, clients often report feeling more grounded, less reactive, more connected to themselves, and more able to show up authentically in relationships and daily life.
In our first session together, here's what you can expect
Our first session is a landing place. We’ll focus on getting to know you as a whole person, not just your symptoms or struggles. I’ll ask what’s bringing you in, what you’ve tried before, what you’re hoping will be different, and what’s felt hard to shift. We’ll also pay attention to your pace. You don’t have to share your entire life story in one sitting. I’ll guide the conversation, but you stay in the driver’s seat, and we’ll work collaboratively to clarify goals that actually feel relevant to your life. Toward the end of the session, we’ll start identifying themes and next steps. Some people leave the first session feeling relieved and seen, others leave with more clarity about patterns and what to focus on first. Either way, my goal is for you to leave feeling grounded, understood, and less alone.
The biggest strengths that I bring into our sessions
• Depth with practicality: We’ll explore deeper patterns, and we’ll also build skills that make day-to-day life feel more manageable. • Relational, nervous-system-aware work: A lot of “anxiety” isn’t just thoughts or worries. It’s your body bracing. I help clients understand their nervous system responses and build more internal safety and trust. • Warm, human, and direct: I show up as a real person. I’m engaged, collaborative, and honest (with compassion). Humor is welcome, and so are the messy parts. • Non-pathologizing + compassionate clarity: We’ll make space for complexity without treating you like a problem to fix. The work is about understanding, growth, and self-compassion (not shame!).
The clients I'm best positioned to serve
We might be a great fit if: • You function on the outside, but internally feel anxious, overwhelmed, numb, or stuck. • You overthink, intellectualize, people-please, or hold yourself to impossible standards. • You keep repeating patterns in relationships (shutdown, chasing, conflict avoidance, self-abandonment) and want to understand why. • You’re in a transition (burnout, breakup, grief, identity shifts, etc.) and want support that goes deeper than advice and coping skills. • You want therapy that includes both insight and your body’s experience: learning how to feel safer inside yourself, not just “think differently.” • You value a therapist who is engaged and genuine: warm, curious, sometimes humorous, and willing to gently challenge what’s not working. Therapy with me is client-led: you bring what feels most important, and we work deeply with what shows up. I tend to click best with clients who want to be active participants: curious, engaged, and willing to reflect between sessions. I'll match your level of engagement and effort, and we'll periodically check in to make sure therapy still feels intentional and supportive of your goals. Clients who tend to do well with me are open to slowing down, reflecting honestly, and practicing small shifts between sessions (even if that practice is simply noticing). You don’t need to be “good at therapy” or have the perfect words. If you’re ready for a supportive space to explore, untangle, and reconnect with yourself, I think we’ll work well together. I’m especially affirming of neurodivergent and LGBTQIA+ clients, and I’m comfortable holding space for meaning-making, spiritual questioning, and religious trauma without pushing any agenda. My practice is inclusive and welcoming of all body sizes, abilities, races, ethnicities, sexualities, gender identities, and faith backgrounds.
Trauma Informed Care
I work from a trauma-informed lens, meaning we move at a pace that supports safety and stabilization. I prioritize consent, collaboration, and nervous system awareness while helping you process difficult experiences and reduce shame, hypervigilance, and overwhelm.
Psychodynamic
I draw from psychodynamic therapy to explore deeper patterns, emotions, and internal conflicts that can keep you feeling stuck. We look at how past experiences show up in the present, and build insight that leads to more choice, flexibility, and self-compassion.
Attachment-based
I use attachment-based therapy to explore how early relationships shape current patterns in connection, self-worth, and emotional regulation. We work on creating more secure ways of relating, to others and to yourself.
Mindfulness-Based Therapy
I integrate mindfulness practices to help you notice thoughts, emotions, and body sensations with more clarity and less reactivity. We'll use grounding and present-moment awareness to support regulation and self-trust.
Somatic
I incorporate body-based (somatic) practices to support nervous system regulation and help you reconnect with felt sense. This can include grounding, breathwork, and tracking sensations/emotions in the moment. We’ll move at a pace that feels safe and collaborative.