Psychodynamic Therapists in Fair Oaks, CA

I can help you discover and strengthen healthy boundaries, guide you to take action on your personal values and life goals, and teach you how to regain your emotional balance when life is working your last nerve. Be kinder to yourself, have greater patience with loved ones, your family of choice, friends and co-workers, and decrease the overwhelming sense of loneliness that you may have felt during this crummy pandemic.

I understand how complicated life can become, leading to such challenges as divorce, struggles raising children, blended families, difficult relationships, trauma, and loss. The ways you have adapted to those challenges may no longer work for you and we can discover new strengths and interactional patterns that can make life easier and simpler. I have helped individuals deal with anxiety and depression, and move through times of loss and trauma. I approach people with authenticity, honesty and openness.

“We are all going through something.” – Anonymous. Feeling stuck, overwhelmed and unable to move forward and live your best life? Oftentimes it’s about your relationships, communicating with your partner, major decisions, or facing life’s unexpected challenges. Every so often it can even be those long-standing issues that you’ve been able to deal with, but this time, you just need a little help. To be human is to be in a relationship. Relationships can be with your spouse or partner, with your family, or even with Yourself.

When it comes to our mental health and our relationships, often we believe that it is better to say nothing and go with the flow. That enduring through difficult times and biting the bullet is better than using our voices to disrupt the cycle of dysfunction around us. Using our voice can be incredibly difficult and at times feel so awkward because we have become used to suffocating our emotions. It is okay to have feelings. It is okay to want change. The true measure of strength is not our ability to endure dysfunction but having the courage to stand up and say, “It stops here.” I can help.

There are times in our lives when we feel like things are falling apart. But what if they were actually falling into place? In a safe and caring space, and with compassion and grace, we could explore those areas of your life that have made it difficult (and sometimes impossible) to experience hope, peace, or purpose. Whether we go on a journey to explore your past to heal wounds or remain focused in the present, together we can discover the path forward.

I work with adolescents, families and adults struggling with a variety of emotional, psychological and behavioral issues. I provide both therapy and assessment in my practice. I focus on symptom management and reduction, coping skills, emotion regulation, distress tolerance, mindfulness, healthy living practices, and interpersonal relationships/effectiveness. I use different approaches to help clients work through individual and interpersonal difficulties and believe strongly in the concepts of self determination and self actualization. I also provide divorce mediation services.

I believe that obstacles in the journey of life are opportunities for learning and growth. My goal is to help facilitate the process of self discovery and understanding in order to promote healing and change. Often times, many of the challenges we face can be relational, and it is through mutual exploration that we can begin to foster growth within a relationship. Whether working with a couple or individual, I take a client centered approach through active listening and curiosity to foster insight that is tailored to help each client safely and authentically explore their world, build resilience, and adapt to life’s challenges.

I enjoy working with couples and families via telehealth to improve communication, rebuild trust, connection and intimacy while decreasing conflict, working toward compromise, and mutually feeling heard and understood. I work with couples and individuals to teach communication and conflict resolution skills, coping skills to manage stress, anxiety, and depression. I particularly enjoy working with individuals who are ready to understand and change their relationship patterns and/or wanting to heal through past relationship trauma.

Are you seeking more connection within yourself and in your relationships, but you are often feeling disconnected and confused about what’s going wrong? Perhaps you struggle to feel secure with your partner or in your friendships and you experience feelings of hopelessness or worry that make daily life a struggle. Peace may seem far away, but it is possible to reconnect, and for those of us who have never known safe, authentic connection, it is possible to connect for the very first time.

I help those who wish to overcome the myriad cognitive and physiological influences of interpersonal trauma. My practice concentrates on victims / survivors of domestic violence, as well as abusive partners who wish to grow and enhance the quality of their lives and relationships.

You looking for a better relationship with your spouse. You need help connecting, communicating and growing closer. There been a betrayal of trust. We help both partners feel heard, understood, and get to the underlying emotions and needs that aren't being met so they can have exceptional relationships. If you have experienced infidelity, are divorcing, need co parenting help we can help. Come in together or by yourself - it can make a difference either way. Decrease the disagreements and resentments and build and increase the love and passion. Don't wait until it's too late. Therapists are trained Gottman Method.

Things look pretty good from the other side of the street. Most see you as “having it altogether.” After all, you’re the driven, reliable one everyone turns to. But underneath, you feel disconnected, numb and alone. Sure, you can pull it together when you need to, and the drugs and alcohol help, but you know this cycle can’t last. To top it all off, you feel guilty you can’t be everything, to everyone, all the time. You know it’s time to make a change.

I provide safe, accepting, and mindful environment as well as culturally sensitive services for children, adults, and families who are experiencing difficulties with emotional stress such as anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress, behavioral issues such as ADHD, defiant, and oppositional behaviors, culture-related stress such as immigration and issues regarding identity including gender variant clients. I love helping couples and use Emotionally Focus Therapy in addition to CBT techniques.

Wouldn’t it be nice if life felt like taking a well-traveled path – full of signs, directions and even tour guides to help us when we get lost? For many of us, life does not feel that way; it can even feel like we took a wrong turn along the way, and suddenly we are on a cliff-edged trail that is getting narrower and narrower. When we experience chronic stress – whether it be from trauma, relational issues, anxiety, depression or even sensitivity – life can feel hard. As pressure mounts, we can find ourselves reacting to daily experiences through outbursts of emotion, impulsivity, agitation or even numbing out.

I have had the honor of working with adults/couples that have been wounded as children which can create wounded attachment patterns in their present life(s). Because these wounds can be experienced so young, an individual can be unaware of the pain and anger these unhealthy patterns bring to their present lives/relationships. The courageous adults that I have been privileged to support and help heal from situations of early trauma/abuse, whether it be inconsistent care-taking, abandonment, rejection, etc., have achieved success in facing all of life's challenges as a "whole" self versus a "partial" self.

It is often when we feel the most overwhelmed __ when we have "tried everything we know" to feel better, to make changes, to break out of bad habits or unhelpful behavior patterns __ that we find ourselves the most open to growth and change. This is the purpose of psychotherapy. To provide us with the opportunity to open to the process of self-discovery __ to explore our thoughts, our feelings, and our behaviors and to find or regain our essential wholeness and sense of well-being.