Gottman Method Therapists in Santa Cruz, CA

Life can be overwhelming. It can feel like you’re slowly sinking into an ocean of worries and despair. You just want to catch your breath. It can keep you awake at night, or make you not want to get out of bed. I’m here to provide a safe and supportive therapeutic relationship so you can find relief from your struggles.

Having relationship issues? I am here to help! I am Level 2 Gottman Method Couples Certified. Let me evaluate your communication and share effective tools that will help your relationship to thrive!

Are you and your partner struggling with communication? Do you feel like you’re having the same fight over and over again, constantly walking on eggshells to avoid an argument? Has trust been broken and you are wondering how to repair it? Are you wondering if the relationship can be saved. I provide couples/marriage and individual therapy to address relationship issues, trauma, infidelity/affairs, anxiety/depression, infidelity, navigating open relationships/polyamory.

Since 1992, I have counseled families, adults and children. I am an EMDR Institute consultant and facilitator, and use EMDR therapy's adaptive information processing to help clients master the challenges encountered in their lives. I received my PhD in international psychology with trauma focus. My specialties include Trauma, Acculturation and Attachment Disorders in clients of all ages. My immigration experience from Germany has prompted the exploration of the crucial part played by our cultural roots in our decision making process and in our lifestyle choices. I speak English, Spanish and German.

Whatever your struggle, the first step of reaching out can be daunting. Each of us is unique. Our stories are our own. Our challenges are deep and personal and are like ice burgs, mostly hidden from view. Sometimes we need someone to help navigate these depths, to help process the present, and the past and to renegotiate the future. This is the path to authenticity, contentment and freedom. This is true for us individually and in our relationships.

Seeking therapy can be the first step on a healing journey and I hope to walk alongside you as you pursue personal growth. I believe that therapy can be a great way to access some of the tools that are already within us but that we may need help employing. I understand the importance of intersectionality as a queer Black woman and therapist and can understand how necessary it is to acknowledge the impact of intersecting identities when working with clients. I use an integrative approach to help clients feel empowered to re-frame their narrative and identify and process complex emotions.

I work with individuals and couples to untangle from patterns of drama, criticism, and codependency. I teach clients how to turn arguments into proactive conversations with win-win solutions. Our work together can include healing past hurts and trauma, feeling more sexually connected, and creating positive life changes. I am most interested in supporting my clients in finding relief from suffering and being truly happy.

My current work focuses on Individuals, Couples, Families, Groups, Active and Retired First Responders and Military facing Crisis Situations, Relationship Issues, Trauma and Stress, Anxiety, Depression, Personal Growth and Self Exploration, Severe Mental Illness, Dual Diagnosis, Addiction & Recovery. I utilize approaches including but not limited to CBT, Systems, Somatic and other models. While I will use pieces from the above mentioned models and theories each individual client will require a different mix of psychotherapy approaches. Individual treatment plans and various interventions will be used to assist each specific client.

We are a non-profit counseling agency with locations in Santa Cruz, Watsonville, & Monterey. We provide high quality, affordable psychotherapy and counseling services to individuals, couples, families, and groups. Our fees are set on a sliding scale, based upon your income. Our services are provided by Licensed Marriage and Family Therapists and Master's level Interns and Trainees who are under the supervision of a licensed therapist. We would love to answer any questions you may have, or schedule an appointment to meet with you. Simply call or send us an email today!

Maybe NOW is the right time. Maybe I am the person. Do you need support and strategies to help you through a difficult time or address a particular problem? Let me help. It is an honor to connect with you and work together to help you overcome obstacles, adjust to transitions, and help you become the person, couple, or family that you want to become. Benefit from my 18+ years of experience, as well as my lifelong active and vital pursuit of knowledge and well-being. Compassionate, effective, intelligent and holistic. Let me help and support you in moving forward.

As a professional who deals with complexities, you may be feeling overwhelmed, anxious, or even depressed while juggling multiple responsibilities. It can be challenging to achieve a balanced life, but taking action towards a fulfilling life is achievable. My expertise can be particularly helpful for clients who are leaders, high achievers, and have accomplished a lot in their lives. Despite their external success, they may want to look more deeply at their inner lives and explore their emotions, values, and goals. In couples therapy, I work with supporting you to communicate more clearly, share power, and honor each others desires.

I believe that every person carries the potential to heal and grow from the challenges of life. We are all experts in our own lives, and my job as your therapist is to help guide and support you on your path toward reconciling past and present in order to create a better future. Healing blossoms from connection, collaboration, compassion, and the courage to explore our innermost selves. I love working with adolescents, young adults, couples, and polycules. As someone who identifies as non-monogamous, I am dedicated to providing therapy to the CNM community because I know firsthand the struggles and joys of this relationship style.

Sometimes hurts get stacked on each other & we assemble a life that protects against the pain, so it doesn’t ever hurt like that again. But in that process of armoring ourselves, we build a structure that also limits our capacity to enjoy life. We each have a much more unconstrained life that wants us to live it. By knowing ourselves through discovery, we work to be accountable to our own position & condition in life, forgive ourselves & others, & create a life that rewards us for this beautiful & courageous effort. Sessions will likely include mindfulness, humor, creativity, compassion, empathy, accountability, & problem-solving.

Our mission is to provide quality online mental health and substance abuse services while breaking down the barriers of traditional, office based therapy. Traditional mental health and substance abuse treatment tends to focus on what makes you sick, what you are lacking but at The Mindful Lemon, our clinicians let you sit in the driver’s seat, focusing on your strengths and assets to help you become the best version of you! This can be via traditional talk therapy, medication management, mindfulness techniques, an emphasis on health, wellness and fitness or any combination of the above.

We all have a need for connection, love and support. When we share our stories, we can form a new standpoint and choose different pathways to walk in this life. When we face life’s difficulties, I believe it is possible to find new perspectives and cultivate hope. Moving forward together, we can make a plan for change and recovery based on your goals. My style of relating to others is warm, caring, and collaborative. I offer a therapy experience grounded in respect, truth, objective reality, and compassion. I love to find the humor in everyday life, as humor can help us to withstand hardships.

Are you at a place in your life where you need some support and guidance to move forward? It may feel like you’ve done all you can, and you’re not sure what to do next. It may even feel like past patterns, keep repeating themselves. You’re not alone. Change is hard, and there are many reasons why our past and they ways we’ve learned to relate in the world keep giving us the same results. The good news is that we can always learn new ways of being and relating, ways to move forward, find new meaning and continue to learn and grow. I hope that you will take this next step on your path of healing.