Therapists in Presidio Heights, San Francisco, CA

Do you feel that your everyday challenges are beginning to overwhelm you? Have you set goals for yourself, but you have not been able to achieve them? The solution is in sight. With skill, professionalism, empathy, and compassion I can help you to achieve your goals and the life that you want. Because you are a unique individual, I will tailor my treatment methods to fit your unique situation and needs. I believe that we all have what it takes to meet and conquer life's many challenges and difficulties.

Are you a parent of young children who feels the stress, anxiety and depression related to parenting during a pandemic? Do you need support alleviating these conditions, improving communication and parenting skills and connecting more with loved ones? I help moms and dads of young children strengthen their connection with their children, their partner and themselves.

Thank you for your interest in my practice. I am a Clinical Psychologist and Psychoanalyst. I specialize in helping patients to resolve conflictual or unsatisfying relationship patterns, problems with a sense of identify or low self-worth, and difficulties arising from navigating life challenges such as loss, divorce, or illness. I put an emphasis on establishing a trusting working relationship and typically see patients multiple times per week. This more intensive treatment approach is useful for resolving long-standing issues that may not have been addressed by past therapies.

I have extensive experience providing individual therapy. My clients are often struggling with unhealthy or unsatisfying relationships. They may be having difficulty setting boundaries or are limited due to fear of closeness. I also work with students and professionals who are experiencing dissatisfaction, burnout, or imposter syndrome. Together, we work to identify and remove barriers that are getting in the way. I work best with clients who are interested in understanding themselves, their histories, and patterns of thought and feeling. Through therapy, people are able to make lasting, meaningful changes in their lives.

I am here to tell you, you are not broken, even if your mind may tell you so. When we are anxious or in despair, we can’t think straight or engage our usual survival strategies. It can impact our health, body, emotions, relationships, perception of self and reality. We can't make sense of the distorted thoughts alone. We need a therapist to help guide us. I often help young women who are feeling shy, anxious, obsessive, depressed, struggling with perfectionism or life transitions. I enjoy helping girls and women achieve developmentally appropriate social-emotional, verbal and non-verbal communication skills.

I help individuals who are feeling anxious, lost, disconnected, overwhelmed, unstable, or alone. These feelings may be related to a specific season of life or could be ways that you’ve felt for a long time. My areas of focus include anxiety, depression, developmental trauma, identity exploration, survivors of intimate partner abuse, life transitions, and relationship issues. My approach is compassionate, engaged, and warm.

Are you concerned about your child's development? Is your child experiencing learning difficulties? I conduct pediatric neuropsychological evaluations to help understand how your child learns best and then provide recommendations based on that learning profile. My goal is to bridge the gap between neuropsychological assessment and educational/treatment programming. I am not only a pediatric neuropsychologist, but have a master's degree in special education. This enables me to better integrate the neuropsychological assessment and educational programming. Integral to my approach is translating the neurocognitive profile to parents, educators and physicians in a meaningful, practical and collaborative manner.

Feeling stuck? Struggling to navigate transitions and change? Want to set healthy boundaries in your relationships? I'm here to support you in your journey ahead! I specialize in supporting teens, young adults, and adults navigate change, embrace new beginnings, and build healthier relationships. Let's partner together to explore how your unique gifts can guide you towards a life aligned with your values!

Underneath depression, anxiety, marital conflict, eating disorders, substance abuse, and other troubles there lies a single, painful, relentless problem: self judgement. Feelings are transient, and there are not good ones or bad ones, but we are not all raised to understand that. Encouraged by our culture to appear strong and happy, we feel pressured to hide our true feelings from each other. But when we take the time and care to pay attention to our authentic experience, it is possible to grow an enormous love for ourselves and great tenderness towards others, and even deep inner peace and great humor.

Here's what I believe: Your emotionality is one of your greatest resources. When we can understand our emotions as information, not instructions, we have access to all of the rich insights they provide to us about ourselves and the world around us. As a holistically oriented therapist, my work weaves together Western psychological theory with Eastern traditions of spirituality, infusing sessions with practices to assist you in developing self compassion, mindfulness, Emotional Fluency and a reconnection to your body and it’s wisdom.

I am licensed clinical psychologist and school psychologist working with preschool children through adults. Clients who usually fit well with me have often reached a point of thinking that enough-is-enough, whether that is problem behaviors with a child, teens who are anxious/irritable/depressed, college students who are having major life changes, or adults who are having work or personal difficulties. I particularly specialize in the treatment of Trauma & Stress-Related Disorders. Clients who allow me to look out for them the way they do for their friends/family often find our work together to be helpful.

My services provide a safe space to explore and empower yourself and learn to overcome obstacles getting in the way of living your most fulfilling life. Clients come to me for treatment of a wide range of symptoms and disorders, including stress, anxiety, depression, PTSD, ADHD, performance psychology, concussion recovery, and executive coaching. Whether you are seeking targeted coaching on work performance or exploration of your past and current life circumstances, I offer a compassionate but focused approach to increasing fulfillment and success.

We humans are relational. We all need support, and this is a meaningful step -- choosing to enter therapy and accept that support. As an LMFT, my emphasis is on relationship. That could be relationships to anyone and ultimately it is relationship to oneself. I work with empathy, partnering with you in your growth, with the aim of expanding your love of self and life. I ask that you join me in being curious about you and to treat our work as a lab for learning which you can take outside of our sessions and apply to your life. We are all naturally striving toward greater health and aliveness -- it is the thrust of life.

Have you been strugging with Depression, Relationship issues, or Life Transitions? I can help you find a place of acceptance and healing through our relationship and work together. I have been helping people change their lives for 20 years. I use an interactive, relational approach to help guide you toward a higher level of self-awareness, and improved self-esteem. I believe therapy works through exploring your relationships to others, and by developing our relationship and connection to each other. I provide a safe, non-judgmental space for us to explore who you are and who you want to be.

Feel better today. I help people change self-defeating behaviors into life affirming actions using solution focused evidence-based therapies. If you want effective, rapid results and feel ready to get to work, please contact me.

I'm Dr. Ana D. your supporter towards personal growth, resilience, and wellbeing. I serve as the Clinical Director at the EAP at UC, San Francisco, and also maintain a fulfilling private practice. My mission is to foster a authentic and empathetic environment where individuals can explore and grow in various aspects of their lives. My approach is straightforward and compassionate, centered around your personal evolution. I provide a space where you can openly express your thoughts and feelings, knowing they will be met with respect and non-judgment.

I think I work best with clients who are motivated to address specific issues in their lives that hold them back in some way. Having a goal and wanting more for themselves in their personal lives, and work lives, gives the therapy the direction and purpose that increases its effectiveness. People are complex and everyone deserves to be treated as unique individuals with their own set of needs, preferences and interpersonal styles. My job is to fit into their psychological world to understand how to help them best--an "informed collaboration" that is purposeful and intentional.

If blocked parts of us remain unexpressed, we can become frozen, or overwhelmed by our feelings, and sometimes develop addictive or unhealthy behaviors, or patterns that impact our lives in harmful ways. Sometimes we just need a space to share and unpack an issue and look at it from a different perspective. I am passionate about producing safe spaces where folks can step outside of their everyday experience and get back in touch with forgotten or unknown parts of themselves.

Is it time to hit the refresh button on your life? I understand and I'm here to help. As a California board-certified clinical psychologist, I have over twenty years experience working with adolescents, adults, and couples. My modern and approachable style combines extensive training in psychodynamic and relational theories, Cognitive-behavioral treatment, mindfulness, and strengths-based treatment, with a passion for helping clients gain insight into their struggles and obstacles, to live more authentically.