Parenting Therapists in University South, Palo Alto, CA

Are your seeking a more peaceful and harmonious life?  One that can hold both the challenges and the goodness?  Therapy can help. My style is warm, empathic, and collaborative.  I use evidence-based techniques such as cognitive behavioral therapy, mindfulness and brain science. I would like to help you tackle what is impeding you and open up new options so that you can make good decisions and create more happiness for you and your loved ones.

I enjoy working with adults and families who desire change, but aren't sure how to make it happen. For some, it means a change in relationship dynamics or parenting style. For others, it means collaborating on complicated life issues, such as difficult teenagers, substance abuse, or co-parenting. If you are looking to leave a long marriage, I can help you navigate that process. I also enjoy working with individuals in their 20's and 30's trying to figure out this thing called adulting. I split my time between Steamboat Springs,CO and northern California, and am licensed to see clients in California, Colorado and Utah.

I'm a licensed psychotherapist experienced in working with individuals of all ages, as well as couples, and families. I also provide parent guidance to assist parents in promoting their child's well being and improve family communication. I see my role as helping people recognize underlying core issues and blind spots that may be preventing them from achieving a sense of peace and fulfillment. Learning new ways of coping, and of relating to self and others, can further improve confidence and vitality, as well as the capacity to engage in satisfying personal and professional relationships.

Richard is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist with 45 years of experience specializing in individual and marriage and family counseling, adolescent psychotherapy, job and management counseling. He has been trained in multiple approaches including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Collaborative Problem Solving, and significant Family Therapy strategies for resolving couple as well as parent child conflict. He has taught many parenting workshops throughout the Bay area. He is a Member of the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists (CAMFT).

Wouldn't it be nice to become clear about how you want to live your life? The dynamic process of a patient and therapist working together so that troubling thoughts and feelings, unrealized dreams and hidden fears can emerge in the therapy session strengthens the ability to grow in meaningful ways, and in intimate relationships. Working with the concept of how individuals balance both the need for autonomy and the need for connection, I will help you sort out how to relate and hold on to yourself.

How Can I Help You? ...by being a therapist you feel comfortable talking to. If you are having trouble relaxing, are worried about a loved one,are facing divorce or major illness, are feeling irritable, confused, depressed,lonely, are concerned about your teen taking risks or a child hating school talking with me can help. Talking can give you objective perspective, help you develop coping skills, lessen the isolation that makes people feel"crazy" and reduce inner turmoil that can lead to physical ailments. We work together to identify and build on your current personal strengths in this healing process.

Are you or loved ones facing challenges you want to work through in safety and confidence? Reacting to life events with worry or sadness? Ready for a new beginning? For better or worse, our experience is shaped by expectations and habits that are maintained by loyalty to important relationships, and by cycles of confirming experience. They affect our happiness, our relationships and the success of our endeavors. Therapy can help. In a safe empathic relationship, unhelpful expectations and habits can be retired, and happier habits of relating to life and others can be learned, chosen and implemented.

Wherever you find yourself right now, I am here to support you in your journey to connect with yourself or others, gain understanding, experience relief, and, ultimately, build a more satisfying life. Whether you are struggling with depression, anxiety, or feelings of being stuck, therapy presents an opportunity to shift your experience. Little by little, we can work together to increase the degrees of freedom available to you, making once unthinkable choices or ways of being in the world feel newly possible.

I offer holistic integrative psychotherapy for adults and couples, helping bring integration and wholeness to all major dimensions of our humanness: mind, heart, body and soul. My style is warm and unconditionally accepting, open-minded and open-hearted. I am always honored to be of help supporting each person in her or his unique journey towards happiness and life satisfaction. I have been fortunate to receive the 'Best of Palo Alto' Psychotherapist award for 2014 and see clients in my Rockridge-Oakland and Palo Alto offices. My approach is both pragmatic, offering near term relief, and deeper change, growth and transformation.

Welcome! I provide a safe place to explore what you are going through. Perhaps you haven't found the relationship you want or you are up nights worrying about the future. You might be working through childhood trauma, religious trauma, or trying to let go of a toxic relationship. You may be a new parent who feels overwhelmed and wonders "why did I do this?" Therapy is a wonderful place to find help! If you are an adult or teen struggling with your life I can help you feel like yourself again. Take a look at my website and schedule a free 15 minute consultation. www.calmingconnection.com

Do you find yourself asking “Should I be worried about this?” in regards with your child? Are you struggling to determine whether your child’s behavior is “normal”, a phase, or something that needs additional support? Is your adolescent’s inability to put his emotional experiences into words resulting in him communicating his inner turmoil through actions (i.e.,arguing, acting out, distancing from you, disengaging with academic responsibilities, etc.). I have a deep passion for working with youth and parents and have had the pleasure of working with children, adolescents, parents, and families from diverse cultural backgrounds and with various stressors since 2006.

My focus and goal as a clinician is to create a warm, safe and supportive environment for clients to explore their personal issues and find meaning and purpose in their lives. I specialize in working with young children, parents, couples and individual clients going through significant life transitions. It is in the therapist/client relationship where my clients can begin to explore their issues, challenges and needs and also discover their strengths and internal resources in order to have a better understanding of who they are and reach their goals.

Becoming a mother, whether for the first time or again, can be a difficult change that can often lead to unwanted anxious thoughts, depression, and self-doubt. You may worry about getting it “right” or feel overwhelmed. Before you were a mother, you had another identity and may be trying to get back to yourself. Some moms struggle to bond with baby, but you can learn to nurture a trusting attachment. Becoming pregnant and giving birth can be a powerful experience and you may want to feel more prepared or process a traumatic birth. You deserve support and skills to ease the unique challenges and vulnerable moments in this journey.

A good fit is one of the most important aspects of therapy. I seek to understand my clients individual goals and needs, and collaboratively work with them to get the most out of each session. I help my clients learn the skills they need to improve their quality of life. My training at Stanford has taught me the importance of providing high-value, high-quality therapy.

Life is complicated and sometimes we need a little help. Therapy provides a safe space and the support you need to navigate the challenges and stress you are experiencing. As we work together, you will learn strategies to help you cope and feel better.

If life were simple, there would be less need for confessional booths, principals' offices and psychotherapy. Things happen along the way, get set aside, accumulate and catch up. Some "stuff" gets passed from one generation to the next. Many people delay indefinitely effectively dealing with difficulties, pass them on to others or deny they exist entirely. When you are ready to sort through such matters give me a call. I am curious, patient and enjoy helping others move forward. I share observations and clarify situations while clients work to increase enjoyment of life. It might be easier than you think.

It is my firm belief that people do their best with the situations life hands them. My goal as a therapist is to help people work through their stuck places, let go of old behaviors that helped them survive in the past but are no longer useful, and learn new behaviors that will contribute to greater enjoyment and connection in their lives. I see myself as an active guide in this process, and I am enriched by seeing people learn to accept themselves and others, and thus live the fullest and most satisfying life possible.

My psychotherapy practice is for adults of all ages, couples, and families. I can help you discover the tools you need to develop and sustain satisfying relationships, respond positively to your environment, cope with stress, trust in yourself, actualize your dreams, and live your life with purpose, hope and integrity. Whether you are adjusting to one of life's transitions (new baby, mid-life, new job, divorce, loss, marriage), struggling with anxiety/depression/anger/self-doubt, or attempting to conquer your fears or past trauma, I can provide a safe and trusting environment to help you discover healthy and productive ways of moving through life.

LCSW & coach in mental health, medical, well care, EAP & business. My practice is solution focused & eclectic: active, direct, conversational, compassionate and supportive. Therapy is for anxiety, depression, mood dysregulation, stress, & life transitions. We collaboratively identify core issues & goals. I see adults of all ages, older teens, couples, & families to navigate life transitions, wellness, and illness to achieve an integrated balance of mind, body & spirit. I work with a diverse and international population as a therapist & coach in education, career, & employment pursuits. I provide situational assessments & referrals.