Somatic Therapists in Lafayette, CA

Our pursuit of a good life can be deeply affected by the current world situations. We may be struggling not only in our personal lives but also by difficult worldly events such as climate change, the economy, retirement, health care and many more. When the world doesn't feel safe, it's more difficult to tolerate the emotions, sensations, and thoughts arising inside of us, making us turn toward old coping mechanisms This will not heal us. We need to build the confidence to be with and understand our inner experiences no matter what! This is our pathway to truly heal and live a more peaceful and meaningful life in the world.

Providing Somatic Psychotherapy, EMDR, Ketamine-Assisted Therapy, and Psychedelic Integration. Therapy can support a deeper understanding of ourselves and help manage life challenges. You may struggle with issues that are getting in the way of relationships, home life, dreams, or career goals. Perhaps you just have a general sense that your life could be fuller or richer than it is right now. No matter where you are on your journey, I am here to support growth and change. We work together to support shifting thought patterns, maladaptive behaviors, and strengthening a positive sense of Self. See my website for more on how I work.

I am passionate about helping others live more authentic, satisfying and functional lives! With almost 20 years of experience, my work draws from the latest research and extensive training in mind/body health, neuroscience, attachment and relationships, complex trauma and PTSD and mindfulness practice.  My goal is to create a supportive and enriching environment where we can address your needs in a thoughtful, compassionate and effective manner.

My perspective embraces self-awareness as one of the main instruments in helping free up trauma. Fuller awareness removes the fear of the unknown, gives us distance from distress and the ability to disconnect from automatic behaviors that perpetuate negative reactions and feelings. In the words of international trauma experts “its teaching our clients how to focus on new stimuli they normally might not have noticed...” with “conscious inhibition of old responses”(Jana Fisher and Pat Ogden, March 2011). The intricacies of our humanness prevents freedom from all depression, anxiety, neurosis and traumatic bodily sensations. Yet.....

Maybe your goal is to get tools to help you with your anxiety and learn how to manage feeling overwhelmed, or to get support through life transitions or maybe you'd like to get therapy to help better understand yourself. I specializing in providing therapy for women in all stages of life. I can offer you support with anxiety, overwhelm, life transitions, motherhood/parenting, and/or navigating relationships with yourself and others. My intention is to provide compassionate therapy, that can allow you to feel safe enough to explore your internal and external world that can be useful not only in session, but in your everyday life.

Trauma and other difficult experiences can impact the way we view our relationships, the world, and ourselves. I support clients in processing traumatic experiences, identifying triggers, and reclaiming their sense of safety and joy. I work with teens, adults, couples/relationships, and families of all kinds. I welcome and affirm non-traditional family structures (donor, adoption, foster, blended families), members of LGBTQ+ community, neurodivergent individuals, and people who have had negative experiences with therapy in the past.

Do you feel unsettled in relationships? Or limited by other peoples’ ideas of who you should be or how you should act? Is it hard to turn off that critical voice inside? Do you feel exhausted putting other people’s needs before your own? Do you seek a greater sense of authenticity in yourself and others? Sometimes we don't have the words to describe our experiences and that's ok. Together, we can find solutions. Whether its clarifying what you need, improving communication, or getting past whatever is unresolved, my goal is to support you and help you learn more about yourself and your most important relationships.

As a psychotherapist, I work to create a warm and safe environment where it is possible for you to be seen and understood. In my work I combine insight oriented talking therapy, with more cutting edge Somatic and Energy therapies. I will help you explore your beliefs and unconscious/habitual responses that are born from your original relationships. In exploring the positive and negative ways in which these beliefs and responses play out in your interpersonal relationships, you will understand yourself in new ways. It is out of this context that healing can take place.

I have been a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in private practice in the East Bay for over 30 years, providing psychotherapy for adults, couples, families, adolescents, and groups. I work from a holistic perspective, creating a safe environment to encourage the therapeutic process. I specialize in working with: relationship issues, recovery from sexual, physical, and emotional abuse and other childhood traumas; depression; anxiety, low self esteem; codependency issues; parenting concerns; compulsive eating patterns; body image dissatisfaction, chronic illness, and perinatal loss. I integrate in-depth psychotherapy with EMDR, Expressive Arts Therapy, Somatic Experiencing, Jungian Sand Tray, and Dream Work.

In a life transition? Not feeling your best? Want to improve your relationship or recover from a stressful one? I can help you reach your goals. Check out my website and schedule a complimentary session!

The most important journey you may make in your life is the journey of building an honest and compassionate relationship with yourself. From shame, pride, trauma, and introjected "shoulds" there are so many reasons that we often operate from a partial and compassionless understanding of ourselves. These blind spots can cause us anxiety, depression, addictions and a multitude of other symptoms that we mistake to be "who we are". I have faith in the human condition and the ability our heal into our own fullness. Therapy is the place to make this journey.

Do you feel alone in the midst of overwhelming emotions? Or maybe you feel lost, numb, or not fully alive? When we experience loss, grief, trauma, or any number of life transitions, we often experience disconnection and dis-integration: from within ourselves and in our relationships with others. This may help us to temporarily from feeling pain, but it also severs our connection to joy and spontaneity. You are not alone. Let me help you find your way back to wholeness through integrating your whole being, your relationship with yourself, and your connection with others.

You are doing the best you can. If you could snap your fingers and stop the obsessive thoughts and worries you would, right? If could make yourself quit retelling negatives stories about yourself and your life, that would have already happened, right? The truth is life is as challenging as it is remarkable and respecting how trauma, abuse, neglect, or illness is showing up in your body and experience is paramount to healing. Trauma can show up as patterns of protection that keep us stuck in feelings of anxiety, depression, anger, hopelessness, and fear. And keep us from enjoying secure and loving relationships with others.

Are you stuck in behaviors that hurt your health or risk your relationships? Are you caught in self-defeating habits? Many of my clients pressure themselves into doing it all, which can lead to problems at home or work. Some want resolution of trauma or mysterious health issues and don't know what to do next. Others turn to food, wine, pills or poor relationship choices to manage their situations. My Habits Into Health System is a skills-based model that helps ease emotional symptoms, quiet busy minds and invites soulful action. This approach can help you unwind outdated patterns so you can form a more peaceful and powerful future.

Are you feeling stuck? Cynical about relationships? Anxious? Troubled by anger? Confused? Overwhelmed? By building on the power of the therapeutic relationship, I encourage self-discovery, authenticity, and offer coping skills that help people work through these challenges. use a personally tailored approach designed to promote clarity, insight, and growth. Let's find your blindspots. My special interests are: EMDR for trauma; life transitions such as aging, grief, divorce, and retirement. It's time to break old habits and get off of automatic pilot! "An unexamined life is not worth living." --Socrates

Many of my clients report that our work has changed their lives. Clients share that they moved from feeling hopeless to feeling happy to be alive; from being overwhelmed by grief to feeling joyful again, even as they carry their grief; and they share how good and empowering it feels to live from the heart. 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 thrive, in every way.

Therapy is an incubator for change. It's where you workshop how to initiate it, and digest the changes that have happened. As a therapist, I am 'issue agnostic' and willing to work with most challenges. What's important is your desire to create a change, and readiness to collaborate with someone to create it. Equally vital to me, as a therapist, is that you feel actively heard — something sorely missing for many of us. I feel that we need to be heard and our experience recognized, before we can move on to any sort of change.

Counseling can help you through challenging times and be life changing. I have dedicated myself to helping adults with serious life challenges by providing therapy and education to empower my clients to: make sense of their feelings, not feel alone, hurt less, re-frame their life narratives, develop healthy coping skills, and feel more confident. I specialize in life transitions, grief, loss, health issues, depression, anxiety, family conflicts, immigration issues, domestic violence/abuse, and death & dying. Typically, my clients decide to work with me because they trust me to guide them toward a place of peace and hope.

All services are online via secure video call! If you feel overwhelmed by anxiety, high sensitivity, loneliness or relationship problems, or if your child or teen struggles with excessive worry, moodiness or sadness, you don't need to manage alone. We are a group of authentic and interactive therapists who are strengths-based in our approach. Let us help you (or your child, teen, family member) gain insight and understanding, learn emotional regulation, improve your relationships, alleviate stress and anxiety, improve satisfaction at work/school, and experience well-being, exuberance for life, and empowerment. www.TheraThrive.com