Relational Therapists in 94133

Through compassion, humor, and gentle challenge, I work to create a supportive environment to help individuals and families overcome temporary setbacks, heal old wounds, and change dysfunctional patterns. My areas of expertise include anxiety, interpersonal trauma, issues related to parenting, early childhood mental health, and disruptions in early attachment.

We often come to therapy in crisis. Something has gone wrong in a relationship. Major, disorienting life transitions are underway. Emotional experiences are becoming increasingly overwhelming. Life seems stuck, static, depressing. Anxiety is on the rise. A series of events have altered our course. We are feeling lost. Therapy can offer a soothing lifeboat for these rough seas. Often crisis is a wake up call, a time for necessary change, new growth, a reconnoitering of the landscape, a vivid reorientation. My practice is designed to move you from crisis to care, from care to confidence, confidence to creative, enlivening capacity.

My approach to therapy is integral; I work from an attachment and trauma informed lens with a deep grounding in relational psychoanalytic theory. I have experience with treating depression and anxiety, low self-esteem, questions of gender and sexuality, complex family dynamics, relationship issues, chronic pain, and grief work. My wish it to foster a therapeutic space that feels both challenging as well as safe so that we can work together to meet your treatment goals. In our work together I may bring in mindfulness techniques, parts work, attachment theory, dream work, movement, and myth.

I am a family therapist and my approach to psychotherapy has been shaped by over thirty years of work with addictions. Helping clients into Recovery has led to a special understanding of the complexities of relationships and the processes of change for individuals, couples, and families. I have spent most of those years seeing couples and families in San Francisco's wonderfully diverse cultural landscape. I am no stranger to the complexities of gender, class and ethnicity as they influence the work of family or individual therapy.

Clients often describe me as authentic, energetic, and engaged. My warmth, acceptance, and genuine care and interest in you is evident- I'm not a detached clinical robot that expects you to figure it all out on your own while I sit in silence. I take my work very seriously, but it's not uncommon in session for my clients and I to laugh together and find humor in life's challenges. There is value in making space for the wide range of your emotional experience- fear, sadness, and rage... but also freedom, peace, and joy.

Accepting new clients via Telehealth only. I’m here to help you make a change and I’m honored to walk this journey with you. My passion is to help you connect to the parts of you that need healing. Feeling “stuck” can look different for everyone – through low self-esteem, depression, anxiety, feeling unsafe, negative view of yourself, lack of confidence and irritability. I am here to guide you to help you transform pain into a life worth celebrating.

I provide compassionate, conscientious and meaningful psychotherapeutic treatment to individuals seeking to overcome difficult life circumstances, understand/manage emotions, or to those simply seeking self-growth or personal/career development. With twenty plus years as a practicing psychotherapist, having worked with diverse ethnicities, races, ages and sexual orientations, I have vast skills/resources and experience to offer/impart. My approaches/technique includes an eclectic mix of Psychodynamic, Cognitive Behavioral, Jungian, Gestaltian, and some Buddhist philosophy.

Do you find yourself feeling alone or unfulfilled? Are you stuck in familiar self-talk or relationship patterns that are no longer serving you? Have you experienced loss or trauma, and feel groundless in navigating through? Perhaps the stress from work, family, or friendships is becoming overwhelming, and you’re finding yourself caught in a cycle of unhealthy behaviors, unable to untangle? Life transitions can cause discomfort, confusion, and disconnection, which prohibits our ability to live optimally. Working with a professional to help guide and support your path towards satisfaction can be a major step.

About me: I was born and raised in Santiago, Chile. I am a licensed Marriage Family Therapist in the state of CA (LMFT 102349). I hold a MA in Counseling Psychology as well as a BA in Latin American Literature and a Minor in German. I have also lived in Lucerne, Switzerland and Munich, Germany. While in Chile, I studied opera.

It takes courage to admit that you can no longer face life's challenges alone. It is also the most important step towards change. My style is warm, interactive and intuitive. I integrate various therapeutic methodologies, which enables me to creatively meet your distinctive, personal needs. In addition to talk therapy I offer Expressive Arts and Guided Imagery to help us connect with and process negative, painful, and fearful emotions.

Sometimes we all need a little support. Whether you’re struggling with work, navigating personal issues, going through a break up, or dealing with a past trauma—you are not alone. For many, it helps to talk with a professional to get a new perspective. If you’re new to therapy, my practice is a welcoming safe space for anyone who wants to “get un-stuck,” (whatever that may mean for you).

I believe therapy can help you feel more connected to yourself and those around you. In my experience, the best predictor of success in therapy is the relationship built between the client and the therapist. I create an environment where you'll feel supported, understood and safe in our work together.

We were born to connect with ourselves and others, to be alive in our bodies and awake in the world, and to anchor into a sense of purpose. Painful experiences and negative patterns can disconnect us from our innate ability to full-heartedly live life. When you are stuck, dissatisfied in relationship, challenged by life transition, constrained by depression or anxiety, unable to heal from trauma, or simply feeling called to step more fully into your best self, therapy can be a powerful ally. I offer tools you can use to reconnect with your own power, resilience, and wholeness.

I am an experienced therapist who has been working with teens, individuals, couples and families for over 30 years. I see therapy as a partnership: you enter this process with your particular issues and uniqueness and together, through building trust, being curious and using specialized techniques, you progress. My approach is based on my client's personal history and their needs and, in general, I am quite interactive. I provide short-term as well as long-term treatment.

I’m a Licensed Clinical Psychologist with over 20 years of experience in mental health. Having worked in both psychiatric inpatient and intensive outpatient settings, as well as in individual, group, and family therapy modalities with adult clients, I bring an extensive set of tools and experiences to clients. In particular, I specialize in treating complex and co-occurring conditions, mood disorders, trauma-based and anxiety disorders, psychosis, interpersonal, and occupational problems.

AUTHENTICITY, ALIVENESS, and CONNECTION are vital ingredients to living a healthy and meaningful life. Unfortunately these qualities do not always receive the proper attention needed to thrive. As a result, we develop coping strategies that often lead us to not getting what we want in life, leaving us feeling stuck, anxious, depressed, and hopeless. Therapy provides a unique opportunity to explore the unconscious patterns that keep us stuck. Therapy can help you make meaningful change to live the life you wish and to create the relationships you long for.

I believe that every person has the potential to grow, heal, and live a happier and more fulfilling life. I am passionate about helping my clients understand themselves better, find ways to improve their relationships, and nurture their own personal fulfillment and happiness. I work with adults, adolescents, couples, and families who are struggling with a range of challenges including: life transitions (both big and small), uncertainty, low self-esteem, relationship complications, anxiety, depression, and trauma-related symptoms.

I provide adults, adolescents, couples, and families with humanistic, client-centered services. I available for in-person session in Santa Barbara. Online appointments are also available for California residents. If you find yourself wanting more from your life, I will make sure that you have the tools, guidance, and inspiration that you need. I am a culturally compassionate clinician, and I welcome and celebrate diversity.

Welcome to my practice. I have over 30 years of experience providing therapy to individuals and couples from very diverse backgrounds with regards to ethnicity, religion, age, country of origin, and sexual orientation. The therapy I do tends to be short-term, "here-and-now" focused, goal oriented, and skills based. I believe my clients want to change their behaviors, and not just "talk" about what's going wrong. My therapeutic style is collaborative, non-judgmental, warm and compassionate. I'm not a "one size fits all" therapist because every client is unique. I offer a Good Faith Estimate at the client's request.