Therapists in 94102

Depression. Anxiety. Relationship struggles. Low self-esteem. These are common issues that people face when it comes to mental health challenges, which are enough to make life difficult. Chances are your relationships, and most importantly your relationship with yourself, have been greatly impacted by these factors. There's this sense that something has to change, but you might not know where to begin. Together we embark on this journey of uncovering just how you got here and discovering where you want to go.

Are you experiencing a life transition, job change, or relationship break up? Perhaps you are feeling lonely or disconnected from the world around you. Having a professional to talk to during such times can be a great relief. PSC is a community mental health clinic providing psychotherapy to the San Francisco Bay Area community since 1997. We train California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS) Clinical Psychology (PsyD) doctoral students. Our aim is to provide competent, compassionate, and affordable therapy to clients facing a diverse range of issues.

I am an integrative therapist, using a holistic model and techniques from somatic, relational, inter-subjective, and transpersonal psychology, as well as techniques from my own long-standing spiritual practices, such as drumming, chanting and Vipassana Buddhist meditation practice. I got my masters in Psychology with a Somatic Concentration from JFK, Orinda, CA in 1997. As LGBTQIA identified and a Pacific Islander, I know that both trauma and healing can come from our individual and cultural histories. I welcome anyone seeking growth or healing and I'm committed to healing within marginalized communities. My areas of specialty include people with histories of trauma and/or addiction, people looking to integrate spiritual experiences, people of color and members of the LGBTQ community.

I specialize in working with you in times of change whether wanted or unwanted; un-coupling or committing; wits-end or letting go or starting again. By looking at habits, patterns, defense structures, and super powers, we build awareness of their purpose and see how you can repurpose them, let them go or build new ones through deepening and allowing, owning disavowed parts, crafting new narratives. We help you find compassion and respect for self and others, growing your self esteem and relational wisdom.

I provide contemporary psychoanalytic psychotherapy for people who are struggling with anxiety, depression, and relationship issues, especially in immigrant and cross-cultural families with a history of complex trauma. I believe that our symptoms make sense in the context of our early experiences, family histories, and systems we live in. We learn resilience and survival strategies in difficult situations that may not be sustainable for us now. Therapy has lasting results when it starts with an exploration of who you are as a whole person, not just the symptoms you are experiencing right now. ​

My goal is to create a safe and open space for you to explore your story and deepen your self understanding, putting you on a path to healing. I work with you to identify areas of frustration and concern, as well as areas of strength. My approach is based in relational psychotherapy and also incorporates Emotionally Focused Therapy, family systems and Existential perspectives.

I work well with individuals and couples who are finding themselves at times of change. Change has the potential for transformation - whether that change is motivated by a desire to grow and seek greater fulfillment or one that is an unexpected cause of suffering. I love working with people one-on-one or in the context of a relationship to find their paths toward acceptance, connection, and wholeness.

I work with individuals and couples in a variety of different areas, some of them include loss, anxiety, depression, and trauma. People often come in to work on a specific issue while others come in because something feels wrong, or because they want to gain a deeper understanding of themselves. My work with couples involves helping them work through areas in their relationship where they are struggling or feeling at a loss and we work together to help them gain new and lasting relational skills, often with a focus on communication.

I am a psychotherapist providing services for individuals, teens, and young adults who often come to me with experiences of sadness, anxiety, grief, anger, depression, low self-esteem, and/or self-harming behaviors. Others seek support in navigating relationship challenges, including their relationship with themselves or substances, traumatic experiences, or a longing to understand themselves more fully. The human experience can be painful, taking various forms that impact how we navigate the world, relate to others, and relate to ourselves. Together, we embark on a journey to understand your pain and discover pathways through it.

Are you struggling with relationships? Are you having the same fight with your partner over and over? Have you lost the emotional connection you used to have? Intimate relationships touch our deepest relational wounds. That's why we can be overwhelmed with the pain they bring and often, at points, feel like giving up. We can heal those wounds and help each other in that process. The kind of couples therapy/marriage counseling and individual therapy that I provide combines deep experiential work with teaching, coaching and practicing many specific relational skills that will set you up for success in all your relationships.

I’m thrilled to work with anyone feeling called towards expanding what’s already working, identifying and addressing what’s not, and increasing their capacity for compassion with self and others along the way. I'm a particularly good match for clients who bring a willingness to think and act creatively, are process oriented, and have a sense of humor and a desire to play.

I work with passionate people who deeply want to feel connected and loved, but find themselves hurting in relationships. My clients come from backgrounds where they weren’t taught healthy relationship skills, and they realize they're stuck in patterns they want to change, such as self-judgment or blame, self-sabotage, avoidance, relational anxiety, codependency, or abuse. My mindset is everyone is doing the best they can with what they know. With a curious mind and multicultural lens, I help make meaning of your experiences, shed light on what exists outside your awareness, and help you learn new ways of feeling connected and loved.

I support individuals and couples in navigating issues of shame and trauma to find a deeper home within themselves. Just even coming onto this site is an act of courageous self-inquiry; it shows a desire to improve yourself and your relationship to others. Maybe you've just had a major loss, life transition, or a new level of stress and are finding it impossible to cope. Maybe you're struggling to find fulfillment in your relationships, or dealing with an uneasy feeling that can't yet be named. I want to get to know you. Together we can learn what your desires, conflicts, and needs are.

I practice within a psychodynamic, relational framework, with a focus on issues of trauma, neglect, depression, anxiety and isolation. My clinical experience have been in hospital and hospice settings that surround anticipated grief and bereavement; community mental health outpatient settings and research institutes. Reaching out for help can be a daunting and vulnerable step, and understanding what it is you are entering into can help soften feelings of confusion and apprehension.

People can feel stuck in their lives for many reasons. You may have vague feelings of dissatisfaction, or have an idea of what isn’t working but struggle to find a way forward. Perhaps you're feeling overwhelmed by familiar feelings from earlier difficulties or trauma that are being stirred up by current situations. My aim is to help you uncover the meanings and underlying causes of patterns of thinking, feeling, and interacting that may be holding you back. These can emerge in addressing day-to-day challenges, or while untangling old narratives formed by deeply rooted experiences.

We often come to therapy because something in our life has emerged in a way we find challenging to navigate on our own. I approach our work together with this in mind, and as an honored participant in your journey toward growth and deepened insight. My therapeutic style is rooted in relational psychodynamic, IFS, and ACT interventions and centered in values of patience, humility, empathy, and humor. I strive to see you through the lens of your unique life experiences and to work collaboratively so we can effectively address your concerns. My hope is that, together, we can help you live a life that feels authentic and empowered.

I am committed to helping individuals and couples alleviate symptoms of anxiety and depression, improve communication skills, enhance intimacy, and break free from negative relational patterns. Through our work together, partners can expect to feel a closer bond, experience greater sexual satisfaction, and develop more effective communication strategies. Individuals will have the opportunity to forge new pathways for personal growth and cultivate greater connection to themselves and others.

My ideal client is a person with a growth mindset who wants to work on their internal narrative. I want to be a witness and facilitate transformation. I am trained in Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction and Attachment-focused- EMDR. Eye Movement, Desensitization, Reprocessing. Attachment-focused- EMDR is an effective relational modality to reprocess old negative memories/trauma and come to embody a positive more functional internal narrative. I work with people on addiction issues like alcohol, drugs, food, and self-destructive behavior that is getting in the way of a more stable existence.

Psychotherapy with me will be a guided, supportive exploration of how you think, feel, act and relate to others. I am a relational therapist: an approach to therapy which combines self-understanding and self-acceptance in relationship to your significant others, both past and present. We all need to be understood. This is my primary job with you: to understand how you think and feel. Once you feel understood, together we can figure out what is getting in the way of living a happier, fulfilling life. I am an expressive therapist, and you will never go away from a session wondering what I think.