Therapists in Monterey, CA

I have been in private practice for over 30 years helping children, families and adults. My clinical work includes a Jungian orientation to therapy, including non-verbal Sandplay Therapy for children and adults,dreamwork and somatic awareness. It is also includes extremely practical perspectives. I am accepting new referrals for children, adults, and families as they move through life transitions, trauma, depression or adjustment difficulties. I am a certified Teaching Member of Sandplay Therapists of America.

How can I help you? Was there a crisis, or an unexpected, yet, traumatic event that has happened in your life? Maybe you're just feeling lost, tired, overwhelmed, in-shock, and just in need of some extra support. Maybe it was an ultimatum, "Either we go to therapy, or we're done..." that motivated this decision. So here you are... reading this... are you ready? As your Therapist I will listen, be supportive, and help you deal with the crisis, trauma, and stressors in your life. I provide a warm, inviting, safe, and non-judgmental space where you and your healing are my main focus.

I believe that everyone could benefit from therapy, there is no problem too big or too small to be brought to session. I can help you explore and discover new insights in order to understand the roots of your current problem and learn how to develop new ways of being.

Searching for a therapist? I offer counseling services to individuals, couples, and families. I use evidence based counseling techniques with a personable approach to help you make changes in your life. I am easy to talk to and have a passion for helping others.

I work with people to help them create meaning and connection in their lives to achieve their goals. Each person has unique desires, goals, and values that are meaningful for them and contribute to their behavior. Human beings also share the same basic needs for living a life that is sustaining for health, safety, and wellbeing. A healthy curiosity to understand the reason for the development of our thinking patterns, respect for our feelings, and a willingness be open to new experiences with kindness to ourselves gives us courage to grow and change.

My focus as a therapist is solution oriented, accessing inherent strengths to face the struggles we all encounter in life with new skills and insights. I enjoy working with clients who seek greater self understanding and changes in how they relate to themselves and others.

I welcome anyone who is looking to enhance and make meaning of their life. Unhealed wounds of abandonment, abuse, betrayal, loss and neglect lead to feelings of shame and fear, which keep you from having the relationships, resources and overall life experience that you want. I have expertise in identifying these core sources of pain, healing those wounds, understanding how they currently impact your life and, of course, changing those life patterns so you can experience something new!

I am an empathetic, client-centered, nonjudgmental listener with a passion for health, fitness, and personal transformation. I encourage mindfulness to calm the mind and meditation to relax the soul for growth, success, and positive change. I love to combine therapy with coaching to help people reach their full potential while enjoying life with zest, peace.

Are you experiencing anxiety, depression or feeling lost? Are feelings of codependency, addiction or preoccupation crippling your ability to live your life to the fullest? Are you feeling overwhelmed and cannot currently identify your emotions? I am here to support you in self discovery and finding a way together to explore what may be blocking you from living your most authentic life.

I work with a wide variety of people with varying mental health conditions. With individuals, I work with people experiencing effects of trauma, anxiety, phase of life changes, men's topics, depression, and anyone who is interested in deeper self reflection and understanding of self. With couples, I work with people struggling with communication, attuning and understanding one another, affairs/infidelity, sex and sexuality, and pre-marital counseling. If you are searching for relief from current symptoms and are seeking a deeper understanding of your self or your partner then I can help.

When people make a choice to utilize therapy to change their lives, I believe there is no greater gift they can give themselves. I am so lucky to have made helping people change their lives into my full time career.

Promoting healing & trustworthy engagement for children, youth, their families, adults who come seeking shelter, emotional safety and refuge (see abbeypsychservices.com). Even the youngest demonstrate remarkable strengths with precise, attuned, attention to their levels of awareness, given new experiences to help transform distorted cognitive appraisals of themselves, others, relationships, the world. Working together, we cultivate more accurate appraisals of internal/external experience, shift into clearer, more realistic thinking, enhanced empathy, healthier, more effective coping styles. We co-create new, hopeful, cooperative stories to replace hopeless, repetitive, "traumatic reliving" within the safety of a predictable, nurturing, skillfully maintained therapeutic environment.

The first step in healing is finding a safe environment to seek support. You have found that safe place! I am here to support you through your journey in achieving balance through connecting your body, mind, heart, and spirit. I specialize in working with people who are experiencing depression and anxiety. I also have specialized training to work with clients who have experienced any kind of trauma. Other areas of expertise includes addiction and grief, Dialectal Behavioral Therapy and Trauma Focused Behavioral Therapy.

Imagine for a moment feeling more calm and at ease, connected to your body-feeling like you understand yourself and can meet your own needs. What if you didn't have to hide or feel small anymore? Instead of the constant chatter that you are not good enough or the never ending battle with your nerves, consider what it would feel like to experience a calm body and quiet mind all while feeling energized, trusting yourself, sleeping great, feeling good in your body, and feeling more connected in your relationships.

Do you battle with feeling anxious, panicky, sad, trapped, or helpless? Is it hard to enjoy things that you used to do? Anxiety and depression can affect every aspect of your life - your relationships and family life, your work or schooling, even your self-care and physical well-being. Since 1990 I have helped hundreds of people find greater understanding of their frightening or demoralizing feelings and learn the skills they need to become confident, engaged, and even passionate about life. There are things in life you can't control...anxiety and depression are not among them.

Do you have fears or concerns about your relationship that keep you up at night? Do you ever feel that your partner rarely hears or understands your real concerns? Do you avoid certain topics that always lead to conflict? Do you have issues in your relationship that have been unresolved for years? Do you sometimes feel hopeless? Please call me - help is available! I provide Couples Counseling and I am dedicated to helping you bring peace and joy back into your truly most important relationship.

Break The Cycle: Addiction~Abstinence~Recovery~Relapse ... Addiction permeates every pore of our lives: our relationships, our well-being and our sense of self. Yet recovery is possible no matter what stage of the cycle you find yourself.

My focus is working with adults who are striving towards a healthier and happier version of themselves. In many cases life stressors, major changes, and relationship stress can impact our overall wellbeing and can lead to feeling overwhelmed and lost. My goal is to work along side you to build confidence, identify unhealthy patterns, learn to cope with difficult life transitions, and to incorporate healthy lifestyle changes into your daily life. I work primarily with adults who are experiencing anxiety, depression, shame, low self-esteem, and relationship issues.

Family life is both rewarding and challenging. Raising children is an important job and it can feel overwhelming at times. No two people parent the same way and how to blend two different life patterns and meet the needs of an individual child, while rewarding, can also feel frustrating. Having tools to navigate these challenges can help you feel confident and deepen your self-awareness. Working as a team with you and your child we will build on strengths and develop strategies for solving issues.