AEDP Therapists in Davis, CA

Have you ever felt like you talk about a painful issue over and over but nothing changes? Are you ready to start your journey to real transformation? Therapy helps us shift underlying patterns that cause distress, heal from past wounds, and mobilize inner strengths, so that we experience greater freedom and fulfillment. For 20 years, I’ve helped clients heal and grow, and cultivate lives of meaning and joy. I offer a holistic approach to counseling, which means I draw on multiple healing modalities, and support you in feeling healthy in all ways. I love this work, and am dedicated to helping you create lasting positive change.

I collaborate with individuals and couples to change old, destructive patterns into mutually beneficial ways of relating. With presence, curiosity & humor, I offer a healing relationship as the path toward greater self-acceptance, fulfillment & freedom. I help you ground in your innate capacity to feel more in charge of your life, which includes being able to identify and express your feelings, needs & desires. My practice is oriented toward: emotional experience; people in the midst of life transitions, including new parents and parents of older children; those experiencing grief; & individuals who have previously been in therapy.

I work from a trauma-informed, relational space of deep listening, in an open, accepting, and non-shaming manner—welcoming of all that you bring to our session. I believe that each human being is perfectly imperfect. I hold a deep curiosity for my clients’ inner worlds and an ability to hold space for difficult material without shame or judgment, seeing the patterns my clients’ stories, beliefs, and feelings weave and sharing those insights and reflections in our process. Based in the San Francisco Bay Area, I work with adolescents, young adults, and their families, and see adults individually and in group settings.

For nearly 20 years I have worked with teens and adults in a variety of settings to help them navigate challenges in their lives and build more meaningful relationships. I work from an integrative approach using Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) with a focus on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), Relational Psychodynamic Therapy, and Accelerated Experiential Dynamic Psychotherapy (AEDP). Likewise, I am trained in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) and related somatic-based interventions.

Do you want to experience life with less burdensome patterns getting in the way, meet challenges with less anxiety, and heal from limiting self-criticism and shame? I will help you meet all of the parts of yourself with reverence and compassion as we tend to the wounds that are ready for healing.

I offer psychotherapy to individuals and couples who reside in California or Oregon. I offer clinical supervision to associates residing and working in the state of California. As a psychotherapist, I am flexible and tailor my approach to the need of each client. I have been trained in many modalities that offer various benefits, depending on your needs and preferences (EMDR, AEDP, Sensorimotor, Psychodynamic/Psychoanalytic, Somatic). As a clinical supervisor, I supervise from a primarily psychodynamic orientation. My practice is anti oppression and trauma informed.

Therapy is an opportunity to address problems we want to change, gain insights into our concerns, and develop new ways of being. My approach to therapy is best described as integrative with a strong grounding in psychodynamic, relational, and multicultural principles. I draw on cognitive behavioral therapy, dialectical behavior therapy, and accelerated experiential dynamic psychotherapy to co-construct effective strategies for everyday life beyond the therapy room. I strive to provide clients a safe space to increase awareness, make meaning of the experience, and begin to cope and overcome life's difficulties. I provide individual and couple's therapy. I speak Mandarin and English.

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 specialize in working affirmatively with sex and gender diversity and sex-positive communities (LGBTQ*, non-normative relationships, open/non-monogamous, burners, polyamory, polysexuality, asexuality, intersex, gender nonconformity/fluidity, BDSM/kink, leather, fetish, HIV+, HepC+, Herpes+). I welcome clients with issues around minority stress, neurodivergence, depression/anxiety, trauma, grief/loss, couples/multiple-partner relationships, parent/child relationships, family counseling. I also welcome those looking to heal sexual trauma or those working through sexual difficulties. I'm a well-trained integrative sex therapist.

Having a guide who has experienced life's traumas, and hardships, provides a level of understandings that fosters caring insights. Which encourages deep exploration toward self-discovery. Uncovering internal wisdoms. Where personal courage can lead, allowing an authentic way of being, which becomes the healing process.

As we embark on this therapeutic journey together, please know that this is a safe space, a place of acceptance, where we can openly explore your thoughts, feelings, and experiences. We will collaboratively address the challenges you're facing. Recognizing and embracing the role of our cultural backgrounds and life experiences in shaping us, I always strive to bring a culturally sensitive and inclusive lens to our interactions. I believe that our diverse backgrounds aren't just an important part of our identities, but also contribute to our resilience and capacity for growth and change.

Maybe you are stuck in patterns that do not serve you. Maybe experiences and relationships that should give you pleasure leave you wanting. Or find yourself ruminating about the past or worrying about the future rather than living expansively, now. While many people can identify "the problem": alcohol and drugs; the death of a loved one; the end of a marriage, etc. Sometimes our inability to live fully confuses us. Together we can look at what is getting in the way. As a guide and companion I can help you heal past wounds and open to the joy and possibilities your life has to offer.

Welcome! Do sadness, worry, anger, and/or shame consume you? Is a sense of dread stopping you from making some difficult decisions? What about your sense of connection, happiness, and fulfillment? I know how frustrating and exhausting this is. How and when will this change? First of all, you have made the healthy and brave choice of looking for help. Accept that you are not fundamentally flawed or a finished product. Commit to developing and putting into action the changes that will provide you the safety and security we all crave. Individual sessions are 50 minutes and couples/family sessions are 80 minutes.

Using a warm, open, non-judgmental and direct approach, I support my clients in connecting with their feelings (not just thoughts), and from there, what will be healing and right for them, in all aspects of their lives. I specialize in adults and couples (all sexual orientations; all types of relationships). My goal for you is not only to reap the benefits of feeling better because your depression has lifted or your anxiety has quelled, but to connect with yourself in such a way that you feel empowered to live the life you choose.

Hello, you are here because something in your life does not feel right, there is something in the way, blocking you from living the life you want. Let's work together to help you feel connected and whole. You are someone looking to improve your relationships and heal from the past. Through a supportive connection in therapy you will tune into your inner experience, leading to lasting growth and change. I believe the therapeutic relationship is valuable and an integral part of successful therapy. My areas of interest are relationships, life transitions, anxiety, grief & loss, trauma, prenatal/postpartum support & personal growth.

My typical clients suffer from shame and perfectionism, preventing living fulfilling lives. When stuck in shame, people may question if they're “good enough” in multiple areas of their lives, which creates a cycle of shame that is difficult to get out of alone. I specialize in areas of insecure attachment, attachment/family trauma, CPTSD, grief and loss, sex and gender, obsession/rumination, and anxiety. I am trained in Accelerated Experiential Dynamic Psychotherapy (AEDP), Emotion-Focused Therapy (EFT) and am certified in EMDR.