Therapists in Castro, San Francisco, CA

I founded the Gay Therapy Center in 2015 because I believe in the healing power of LGBTQ+ people working with LGBTQ+ therapists. It's very important in therapy to know for sure that your therapist really "gets" you. ALL of our therapists are LGBTQ+. We've now grown to become the largest private LGBTQ therapy provider in the country with 40 therapists in CA, NY, WA, and DC. We personally match you to the therapist we think will be particularly good for you-we don't believe in using algorithms to make matches! Check out our over 1,000 wonderful reviews on our website to see what clients are saying about our services.

I'm a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist based in San Francisco and Sebastopol, California. I specialize in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Psychodynamic Therapy, Narrative Therapy, and EMDR. I work with individuals and couples to treat depression, anxiety, bipolar, and other mental health issues, as well as substance use and within the LGBTQ+ community.

Therapy provides a space to speak freely and be heard with care that can provide a person with more internal space for lived experience, emotion, thought and desire. In psychotherapy, you can express your thoughts and feelings and gain insight into the unconscious sources of your conflicts. With warmth and curiosity, I will provide an attentive ear and a thoughtful mind.

I believe that we all deserve a safe space to process our experiences, and my primary goal is to provide you that space. I offer safe and affirming couples and individual therapy for adults, teens and couples of all identities, with a specialty in working with LGBTQ+, Trans, and Non Binary communities. I work with clients who struggle with self-identity, self-worth, anxiety, codependency, relationships, and trauma. I pull from my training in gestalt, mindfulness, emotion-focused, IFS and attachment theory to create an environment that allows you to develop a greater understanding of what’s holding you back from the life you want.

There are many factors that can lead a person to therapy. Perhaps you’re experiencing a persistent feeling of fear, loneliness, or anxiety, but can’t quite put your finger on where it’s coming from. You may have experienced a recent change or loss of a loved one, relationship, or job that is profoundly impacting you. Or, it could be that the voice of your inner critic is so loud that they/she/he is all you hear.

Have you been struggling with anxiety, loneliness, confusion, or grief in this time of human uncertainty? Do you feel the swirling emotions around you and have trouble controlling your own? I can help. I specialize in supporting people who have experienced trauma or just have that nagging sense in the back of their mind that something isn’t quite right. I enjoy supporting people on developing self-esteem and strengthening their relationships. I also train and supervise associate therapists in my group practice.

Human connection is the catalyst needed to explore any underlining psychic distress. In my psychotherapy practice, I prioritize fostering a collaborative relationship to provide emotional and personal safety, allowing you to dive beneath the surface to better understand the underlying causes of your personal distress. The goal is, through exploration, to create opportunities for you to become more self-aware of your own thoughts and feelings, empowering you to re-create new ways of connecting to yourself and loved ones

Are you struggling with anxiety, panic, phobias, OCD, stress, self-criticism, shyness, or excessive worry? My goal is to help you break out of old, unproductive ways of dealing with these problems and find more flexible and effective ways of responding and healing. I am an experienced and caring therapist who is supportive, engaged, and interactive. Together we focus on what matters most to you and help you move towards what you care about most deeply in your life.

Are you a gay, bi or queer man struggling with a major life transition, anxiety, depression relationship issues, or feel isolated and disconnected from our community? If so, I can help. As a gay therapist, I understand our experiences are as diverse as everyone else's, and at the same time, there are aspects of our lives and community that our unique to us. During our work together, I will help you gain deeper insight into your problems, develop the skills necessary to change unhelpful patterns, improve your ability to cope with challenging situations and emotions and ultimately achieve the happiness and fulfillment you want.

I aim to bring heart, presence, connection, and meaningful guidance to all who choose to work with me. Some of my main areas of focus with clients are navigating relationship issues, building healthy self esteem, anxiety and stress management, and working through trauma. I also have specialized experience working with LGBTQ+ clients, individuals and couples navigating polyamory and open relationships, gender identity (non binary and transgender), sexuality and sacred sexuality, and non traditional spiritual practices. I enjoy working with clients who have a general interest and motivation towards self-reflection and personal growth.

Expansive Therapy is a 100% LGBTQ+ owned and focused therapy practice. We wanted to go beyond checking a box for queer affirming therapy to creating a practice that was committed to the community, where queer people could bring their whole selves into therapy. Queer theory asks that we look at the world in a new way, not through a heteronormative lens, but from each individual perspective which is unique and perfect. We are passionate about understanding the unique challenges of our community and helping our queer clients to heal.

I provide individual therapy for adults and adolescents, and relationship therapy for adult couples, polycules, and friends/chosen family. I work with clients to navigate issues related to relationships including polyamory/consensual non-monogamy, anxiety, trauma and personal development. I work with clients who claim a variety of social identities. I hold space for LGBTQIA+ clients who struggle disproportionately due to cultural and societal challenges in their personal and professional lives, and I am deeply committed to working with this population to provide opportunities for greater healing and growth.

Thank you for taking this important step on your journey of healing and well being. My name is Stephen Gundlach. I am a psychotherapist working with individuals, couples, and teens. I see therapy as a process in which the therapist walks alongside you as a mirror and a guide to your own unfolding understanding of yourself and your unique story. In this process inner strengths and resiliencies are identified, habitual patterns that are no longer helping come to light, and desired growth and change become possible.

I put an emphasis on the working relationship between client and clinician. This allows me to have a warm, interactive, strength-based and client-centered approach using a variety of modalities. In my work with youth, I also gained experience and insight into the patterns we fall into as children/young adults (based on a multitude of events or traumas in our lives) and how these can later have an effect on our adult selves. I believe that bringing awareness to these patterns and unpacking their origins can be incredibly helpful. I also bring a queer, feminist, trauma-informed, and culturally sensitive/curious lens my work.

Calling all over-thinkers, perfectionists & people pleasers! If you feel bound by the shameful “shoulds” that keep you stuck in cycles of problematic patterns, bad habits, unfulfilled relationships & addictive behaviors - I see you. As a gay man and US immigrant, I have lived the “othering” that comes from not belonging to the dominant norms and culture; and I recognize the deep sense of isolating loneliness that follows rejection, harsh judgment & low self-esteem. A recovering perfectionist myself, I get it. I am here to help. Living our lives for others is exhausting. When will enough be enough? When will YOU be enough?

Bring it on! I offer uniquely tailored psychotherapy & sex therapy. Please talk about everything & anything, particularly topics that other therapists don't understand or won't hear. I'm said to have a large capacity for care, compassion, & candor while also being a straight-talker. I synthesize depth psychotherapy, sex therapy, coaching, counseling, and more. Sexual diversity, erotic pleasure, and relational intimacy are areas in which I thrive. We'll forge a deep therapeutic alliance and find, confront, address, and overcome the obstacles keeping you from being the very best version of yourself possible.

I work from a trauma-informed, relational, and client-centered lens. I integrate psychodynamic and attachment based theoretical approaches. I believe the relationship we build as client and therapist, as well as exploring your relationships outside of therapy, are important avenues for growth. You are the expert on your own life; I am here to listen to you and work collaboratively to empower your inherent strength and resilience. I use warmth, compassion, and humor to cultivate an affirming, non-judgemental, and trusting connection with my clients.

Everything is easier when you feel confident that your partner is in your corner. Sharing the weight of your struggles and amplifying life's joys in what makes relationships worth all the work. Our greatest emotional wounds come from our relationships, and our romantic relationships hold the most healing capacity for not only our collective healing but our individual healing as well. If you're looking for better communication, repairing trust, or throwing out the rulebook and creating your own new paradigm, I'm here to help.

Affirmative, interactive, client-centered therapy can help you address depression, anxiety, and destructive behaviors. I serve heterosexual, gay, lesbian, bisexual, queer, trans, non-binary, and polyamorous individuals. I practice individual therapy, relationship counseling, and sex therapy. My experience includes working with substance use issues from a harm reduction approach, regardless of whether my client's goal is abstinence or substance use management. I love to help people address trauma, improve communication, take control of their lives, gain sexual confidence, and get their needs met.