Internal Family Systems (IFS) Therapists in Santa Cruz, CA

Welcome. If you’re reading this, it probably means you are looking for something different. If you are looking for individual therapy, I believe I can be of best support to those who have already begun their healing work and are ready to dive deeper. This might involve utilizing current high-tech approaches such as Internal Family Systems ( IFS ) or Somatic-based therapies, as well as mindfulness and present-moment focused therapy, or possibly delving deeper into your psychological history. However, I am confident, ready, and willing to meet people wherever they are at on their journey. Additionally, I enjoy working with couples.

I look forward to helping you through compassion, acceptance, and non-judgmental support. I can help you experience peace, balance and harmony using Art Therapy and /or Internal Family Systems Therapy. Both therapeutic approaches are an effective way to access empowerment, self-confidence, decision making ability, relieve undesirable behavior/thoughts, and engage both sides of the brain so that you are fully present. It increases awareness of self and others and helps you experience success. I can help you shift and rebuild the way you think about the various aspects of your personality, feelings, thoughts, and behaviors.

Your soul is ready to heal. Too many of us are suffering in isolation, with complex challenges and big feelings that we were never meant to carry on our own. Bring me your grief, your sadness, your anxiety and your overwhelm. Bring me your wounded parts, and let's hold them close, together. Once you have a place where you feel seen, heard and held without judgment, you naturally begin to heal. Allow me to be that place for you. I love supporting people with grief and loss, life transitions, anxiety, depression, trauma, and issues around self-worth and self-esteem. I am so glad you found me.

I offer a safe space for people of all ages (3-103!) to be understood and held as we learn together what helps increase calm and elevates their life. Have you ever wondered, "why did I just do that?" or felt a great conflict between different sides of yourself? My clients leave therapy with a better understanding of the parts of themselves at play, and feel relaxed and affirmed.

At points in life we all find ourselves in a place of not knowing. Not knowing how to manage feelings, thoughts, and experiences; not knowing what to do about or how to recover from life events; not knowing how to be with others or with the difficulties that arise from being alive and human. I view therapy as a tool for healing and healing as something that begins when we learn how to listen to and relate to ourselves differently. I help individuals, couples and families of diverse backgrounds and identities transform how they relate to themselves and to others in a way that opens the door for healing.

I am driven by a true affinity for people and a belief that we can all feel so much better. I want to help you lessen the stresses, anxieties, fear, and shame that weigh you down so you can feel more calm, confident and alive. I also support couples navigating conflict, communication challenges, sex and intimacy issues and increase their connection. I have a comfort level with a wide variety of symptoms and experiences. My work has taught me to believe in the good and inherent worth of each person and the innate capacity for healing.

Sometimes in an effort to manage painful experiences in life, we end up getting stuck in roles and patterns that do not serve us. Sometimes we don't know where to start, but we know we want something else. I will listen with curiosity and compassion and offer support in your journey to understand what serves you now. I can help with anxiety, depression, history of abuse, lack of motivation and self-destructive habits among other issues. I have a strong interest in healing the effects of trauma so clients can increase their sense of empowerment in the world.

It takes courage to make it here, and I’m so glad you did.

We all hit points in life where we feel stuck or uncertain of how to cope and move forward. As humans, stress and pain is inevitable, but you don’t have to work through it alone. I'm here to help you navigate your challenges and experience greater ease, satisfaction, and intimacy with life. My work is focused on supporting you to connect with your inner wisdom, shift how you relate with yourself, and remember your unique gifts. With a holistic approach, honoring mind, body, spirit, I believe that you are whole, resilient, and capable of growing and healing.

There is hope. I've worked with lots of folks who feel hopeless, anxious, upset, angry, or confused, and often their lives improve with positive support. My first goal in therapy is to listen with compassion and help build trust between us. We'll work in whatever way is comfortable for you, and when you're ready, we'll chart a course toward meaningful change. Whether I'm working just with you, or with you and your loved ones, I'll value each person's perspective and help look for positive solutions. To learn more me and about therapy, see my video "Why Go to Therapy?" at https://bit.ly/2UG9Aur

I bring a lifetime of spiritual practice, as well as the experience and privilege of having lived as a working artist in Europe for a number of years. I look forward to accompanying you on your healing journey, offering hope and validation, warm support, reassuring guidance. Whatever brings you to therapy - your relationships, stress, trauma, pain, fears, hurts - I will believe in you until you can believe in yourself - your wisdom, your capacity for healing, your inner strengths. You are entitled to experience your own delightful spirit, moments of wonder and aliveness, curiosity and spontaneity, finding joy and peace in your life.

Are you seeking a therapist who is attuned, invested, present and committed to supporting you on your journey toward growth, discovery, and healing? Having been a client myself, I have understanding and compassion for how challenging it can be to find a therapist who you feel really "gets you" and with whom you feel safe and comfortable being vulnerable and open. I focus on creating a foundation of presence, safety, and trust in the therapeutic relationship. I am here to see you, hear you, understand you, and support you. I will meet you with a non-judgmental, compassionate, and supportive presence as we work toward healing.

I help adults who struggle with complex trauma (personal or intergenerational), anxiety, or depression, to heal emotional wounds, transform self-defeating patterns into positive actions, and attain a sense of control, connection, and harmony. We will go beyond quick fixes and explore parts of you that carry burdens from the past, get to know them, and learn to understand how they developed and why, so they can be healed.

I integrate all my training in helping clients heal and transform their lives in the direction which honors living one's full potential/purpose. I work with individuals, couples and groups. The areas I have worked with include: mild - moderate anxiety, mild - moderate depression, stress reduction, communication skills, codependency, low self- esteem, relational issues, grief, social skill building, marital/divorce/relationship issues, women's issues, racial/ethnic/cultural concerns, meaning of life, life transitions, life purpose, identity questions, spiritual issues, and eco-related issues.

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!

Welcome and congratulations on taking a step towards reclaiming yourself and returning to wholeness. A person who reaches out for support is a person who believes in themselves, and a person who is capable of great change and possibility. I have helped hundreds of people learn to relate to themselves, and their life experience, in a more compassionate and workable way. With curiosity and courage, we can discover what your symptoms yearn for you to know, and how they hold the key to your soul's deepest desires. If you are ready to face your fears, you will heal and grow. You don’t have to feel this way forever, I promise.

I believe the brain constantly seeks healing and balance. In my experience, no matter what happens to a person, the deepest parts of oneself hold wisdom and strengths. Once we accept, appreciate, and access more of what’s inside of us, we can grow into the life we want and into our unique selves. I work from a client-centered, culturally competent, and strengths-based perspective. I meet you where you are; we identify your needs, perspectives, wisdom, and strengths, and collaborate on the goals you set for therapy. I provide a non-judgmental therapeutic space