Hello, I am a licensed marriage and family therapist in the Bay Area in California. I received my MA in counseling psychology in 2018 and have been providing therapy since 2017. I focus primarily on adults dealing with a variety of issues: men's and women's issues, depression, anxiety, life transitions, stress management, interpersonal skills/relationships, healing unresolved issues and trauma and others. I also enjoy supporting people in discovering their life purpose, connecting with their passions and creating lives of meaning and fulfillment. I work with men and women: adolescents, young adults, adults, elders and couples.
In our first session it's important for us to develop a connection. I seek to help clients feel safe, heard, understood, accepted and seen. As sessions progress it's helpful for me to learn more about you, we may start with your history or we may focus more on what is happening in your life right now. Together we will explore your goals, prioritize them and explore the best approaches to work towards them.
I draw from life experiences, what I have learned in studying psychology, personal growth and development, spirituality and alternative healing practices and other fields. Clients who have worked with me have reported important breakthroughs, increased self understanding and self compassion, gaining knowledge and tools to support them. Many also increase their understanding and compassion for other people in their lives. My clients have enjoyed exploring mindfulness practices to help them connect with themselves and the world in new ways, develop more ability to process feelings and cultivate more self acceptance and inner peace.
I work with clients from various backgrounds, life experiences and in varying stages of life. I have particularly enjoyed working with young adults and those in middle age dealing with life transitions facing change, struggling with day to day stresses and challenges, grief and loss. I focus on both teaching and supporting the development of tools, coping skills, gaining knowledge and shifts in perspective which improve day to day life. Most of us have unresolved issues in our past which may still be impacting us today. Working through, healing and integrating these experiences as one is able to is an important part of therapy. As clients make progress and get stronger, developing more self understanding, self compassion and strength, we can focus together on creating a vision for your future and steps to take to achieve it.
I draw from a number of different therapeutic orientations in working with clients including: humanistic/person centered therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, dialectical behavior therapy, existential, narrative, psychodynamic, attachment based, trauma informed and others.
I have been teaching basic mindfulness/meditation skills to clients since 2019 and started my own meditation practice, spiritual development and studies in 2003.
I have been sharing internal family systems approaches with clients for the last few years and am continuing my training in this therapeutic modality. Some clients have found it to be a very helpful system in deepening their understanding of themselves and healing past unresolved issues and trauma.
I draw from positive psychology along with solution focused and strength based in supporting clients in shifting their mindset, connecting with gratitude, improving self esteem and their relationship with themselves and others, focusing on creating goals and creating an inspiring vision for their future.