Compassion Focused Therapists in Aptos, CA

If you have been living with chronic pain or illness your relationship to your physicality may currently feel jarred, broken, or thrown off course. You may be grieving the life you thought you would have, or feeling weighed down by addressing day to day challenges. If you are seeking to repair your relationship between yourself and your body, gain new coping skills, and challenge current paradigms, I would be a great fit for you!

In my practice, I draw upon evidence-based practices and support a holistic approach to therapy. Every intervention I offer is carefully tailored to honor the unique essence of every individual. Whether gently weaving in somatic-focused techniques, navigating interpersonal dynamics, or gently guiding mindfulness practices; my intention is to create a nurturing space for you to make meaning and increase your quality of living.

Without mincing words, I'm a very good therapist and I love my job. With 28 years experience at 3 youth and adult clinics, including 10 years now in private practice, I've met with such a variety of people in about 34,224 sessions over this time! Educated at Harvard, Penn and CA State Chico, I have remarkable ability to see through a person's upset to your wonderful spirit and strengths. I'm a great detective at identifying the core issues. I'm romantic at heart, so I love getting people through difficult periods to come out shining! I congratulate you for your courage in seeking help. Call Me!

In our busy lives we often don't have the opportunity or permission to express our deepest fears, the paralyzing effects of shame, disappointments, regrets and confusion. I am a firm believer in creating optimism by encouraging and gently challenging clients to reach for their goals; always looking at possibilities and opportunities.

Issues stemming from anxiety, stress, depression, and trauma can get in our way of living a satisfying, fulfilling life. But it doesn’t have to be this way. We all have within us the capacity to cope with, and even grow from, hardships and challenges. With my guidance we will explore and process the underlying fears, unmet needs, and negative beliefs that keep you “stuck”. We will cultivate your inner strengths to help you become healthier, more resilient, and enjoy more positivity in your life and your relationships with others.

Hello and welcome! I'm a clinical psychologist specializing in supporting adults and elders. My therapeutic approach is creating a safe, non-judgmental, and empathetic supportive professional relationship. I offer compassionate therapy that caters to your unique needs. Through a client-centered approach, I will work to help you navigate life's ups and downs. My work focuses on using evidence-based techniques, including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Mindfulness, to expand your coping skills.

It can be really difficult to ask for help. Even when a helping hand is extended, it can be even harder to hold on and trust. I believe that healing is not a linear process. There will be inevitable ups and downs going through the healing journey, which is where the real progress is made. Continuously being asked to find the courage to get back up over, and over, and over again is where you will find your true inner strength. How do we keep moving forward when it all just feels like too much? Every passing moment is temporary, but it is how we cope with those challenging, stressful, and even scary moments that matter.

I am committed to helping you find the best clinician for your needs. Feel free to reach out to me and I will listen to your needs and help connect you with someone who can help--whether that is me or another clinician.

I’m here to help you Create your Dream Life by setting & achieving your goals, overcome blocks, set new patterns & tap into your Alignment, Embodiment & Empowerment. My focus is on guiding you to your inner wisdom, transforming your relationship to self, forming new beliefs & patterns while rediscovering your unique talents. By working together my aim is to support you in achieving your hearts desires, achieving success & helping you flourish in your life. We will take a holistic approach that respects the interconnectedness of mind, body, and spirit. I believe in your innate wisdom, wholeness, resilience, and capacity for growth.

People experiencing sensitives, trauma, depression, anxiety need supportive facilitation. Compassion, honor of the unique individual, plus methods to navigate positively, heal wounds, make valuable shifts offered. People seek ways to change emotional, spiritual and mental habits internally, while navigating real life difficulties. Respect for uniqueness and privacy given. I have effectively helped people from a vast array of cultural backgrounds with positive life change. Go deeper than talk therapy with tools. IFS, EMDR, hypnotherapy, somatic, expressive arts, cognitive/emotional, spiritual, and additional modalities offered.

I believe healing happens with a holistic integration of mind, body, and spirit. I support each person to express their authentic selves and needs, through several therapeutic modalities, including Expressive Arts, Somatic Techniques, CBT, EMDR, Parts Work, and Mindfulness. I am also trained in Brief Therapy methods for those who want support with a specific challenge or prefer therapy in small pieces at a time. My style is directive- I give feedback, ask questions to evoke clarity of where/how current maladaptive reactions/patterns came from, utilize reflective and active listening, and give weekly homework assignments.

I want to reflect the wholeness that exists within you at this moment, even with the challenges and stuckness you might be experiencing. I believe healing begins with creating the space for a different kind of relating with yourself and your life that honors your innate wisdom. One that is fed by curiosity, compassion, and loving presence. Through supporting the wisdom of your body-mind-spirit-soul, it is possible to move beyond "managing" painful symptoms and stuck patterns that often emerge from past overwhelming life experiences and trauma into true healing, authentic vitality and engagement with life. Healing is possible.

From authenticity, compassion, and loving-kindness, I offer you a safe place to be heard and understood. Then together we can create strategies to manage your emotions, have meaningful relationships, and enjoy more your life. As a bilingual/bi-cultural psychotherapist, I can relate to ethnic and racial discrimination.

If you work with me, I start with the basic premise that you are already whole, precious, and loveable. You have all the goods to make it in this world. Our job together is to uncover how to connect you with who you actually are, so that you can be with yourself and others in a way where you like how you are being and live the life you actually want to live. I specialize in addressing the impact of traumas and reorienting clients toward their innate wholeness. You may feel limited or stuck in cycles of anxiety, depression, or general off-ness. Together we can explore your patterns and develop new ones.

Walk talk therapy is a unique approach to therapy that combines the benefits of physical activity with the power of conversation. Instead of sitting in a traditional therapy setting, clients and therapists engage in sessions while taking a leisurely walk outdoors. This form of therapy not only provides all the psychological benefits of traditional talk therapy, such as improved mental health and emotional well-being, but it also incorporates the physical benefits of exercise. Walking side by side, clients often find it easier to open up and express their thoughts and feelings.

I have been working with people to achieve happier and more contented lives and relationships for more than 20 years. I have a particular interest in working with people who are interested in changing habit patterns that are familiar but not working.We all have habitual patterns of doing, being, and relating that may not be what we want in our lives today yet they persist as they have been reinforced over time. Some habits we have learned stem from childhood, others we may have developed as adults.

As I see it, the primary role of a counselor is to serve as a mirror to help reveal what the client hasn't yet been able to see-especially those patterns of relating to self, others, and the environment that might be causing suffering. At the same time, the counselor is there to reflect, affirm, and strengthen the client's unique gifts and talents.One of the biggest impediments to healing, growth, and creativity is shame. To help clients move through this debilitating emotion, I use a combination of mindfulness, body awareness, and other healing modalities.

Are you in emotional pain, numbed out, or in conflict and want to change that? We all learn patterns of relating to ourselves, others, and the world that may no longer work. This can show up as relationship difficulties, depression, anxiety, grief, emptiness, confusion, or a lack of direction and meaning. I help folks experience more ease, joy, connection and the ability to live the life of their dreams. I am a relational therapist, curious and compassionate. I facilitate exploration, healing and growth, as we uncover your powerful, authentic self from which you are able to live your best life and contribute your unique gifts.

I am honored to work with individuals; including teens, young adults, children and families, providing a space to understand their inner world. It is in therapy that we invite all parts of the self into the light, and a new perspective emerges. I believe we are all continually moving toward healing. Clients often share that I have a warm, accepting and supportive approach that welcomes and validates all aspects of the inner landscape.