Blue Shield Therapists in Santa Rosa, CA

Is your child struggling with too many worries? Is your son or daughter a different kind of learner? Are evening times filled with stressful homework battles? Do you wish you could better understand your child's challenges, find more time to enjoy family, rediscover the best and most creative part of yourself?

Whether borderline, narcissistic or simply toxic, wounded and self-centered parents create wounded children. And these children grow up without the basics of warmth and kindness, acceptance and encouragement. In order to survive, we adapt to the needs of our demanding parents. That might mean we learn to parent our parent. Or we develop antennae and quickly respond to their changing moods and needs, simultaneously ignoring our own. We hope if we do and say the right thing long enough, then one day they will be strong enough to finally take care of us. But that day may never come.

I enjoy working with couples. The areas of upset often are a map, pointing us to possibilities of potential growth. Your difficulties can become a catalyst for increased intimacy. It's easy for any couple to get off track in efforts to communicate - slipping into blaming or power struggles, rather than your true communications, which can bring you closer and into deeper intimacy and trust. My job is to work together with you to help you develop skills that help reclaim happiness - communication skills, skills in understanding yourself and your partner, skills for building and rebuilding the life you want .

My specialty is Domestic Violence -child abuse/sexual assault. I have been working with VOC from the DA's office for over 10 years providing services to both men and women/children in crises situations. I work with CCC Superior Court, Family and Criminal to help individuals seek visitations with their children after an arrest or involvement with CFS. I also perform as a 730 expert. I provide couples therapy, reunification therapy. I see teens who are having trouble in school and at home. I work with whole families to teach communication tools and implement behavior modification tools. I am a systems therapist.

I work with children, adults and couples addressing their emotional issues from an attachment oriented perspective. I have training in Dialectical Behavior Therapy, Emotional Focused Therapy and Somatic Therapy. I respect for Carl Roger's work and also Gestalt Therapy and am a Humanistic therapist. I like working with the child within with my adult clients, helping to heal the emotional wounds from the past. I like mindfully being aware of what is happening in the present moment and connecting with my clients in a caring way. I work somatically focusing on what emotions are present in the body.

I provide guidance towards building trust and balance, by forming a growing alliance with you. Together, we find a pathway to renew your mind/body/spirit connection. We access your inner resources, to create a unified sense of self. If you are experiencing depression, anxiety, fear, isolation, anger, trauma, we pay attention to these signals. We meet vulnerability with a gentle rhythm, so the heart can release these emotions. Our intent is to nurture a relationship to yourself, based on self acceptance, honor and respect. Our focus is to create a feeling of safety within yourself, security in the world, and an opening to wholeness.

Have you ever felt like the stresses in your life were overwhelming? Do you sometimes feel unprepared to deal with the demands of parenting? Are there challenges or conflicts within your family? Are complex changes in your life confusing you about what to do? Are you searching for understanding, some new tools or some new ways to create more peacefulness in your life?

The poet, Mary Oliver, asks: "Tell me, what is it that you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?" I am so honored to walk with my clients in a skill-based approach as we explore these kinds of questions and access that deeper wisdom available to us all. The human psyche is such a magnificent entity--your search for an ultimately satisfying life deserves to be witnessed and supported as you move through it! I believe that as you recognize patterns which may be limiting your life and release them, you will find the source of true empowerment as well as our interconnectedness with it.

Having been in practice for 30 years and married for 46 years. I believe that I have with wisdom, training and experience to effectively to a wide range of difficulties that people encounter during the lives. I work with marital difficulties, OCD, anxiety and depressive disorders using a range of therapeutic interventions but CBT is often the treatment of choice. I believe that change is difficult, uncomfortable and takes time, but lasting change is possible. Encouraging people through these difficult changes is an important part of the process. My special area of interest is parenting and child related issues.

I believe we all have multiple aspects to our personalities shaped by our years of living. Together, we look at how past experiences influence one's current choices and feelings. Sometimes it can be difficult to regulate all of these feelings, which can affect relationships, parenting and self esteem. I provide a safe, nurturing therapeutic place to explore these issues, and help restore happiness to one's life.

Are you overwhelmed and stressed with life's challenges? Are you seeking relief from the constant worries or sadness that keep you from feeling satisfied in your life? I offer a warm and compassionate space for you to share the challenges you are facing. It can be a great relief to know you are not alone, grappling with life's complexities. Together we can explore the patterns of thinking, feeling, and behavior which may be keeping you from stepping into more fullness in your life and relationships.

I focus on the underlining structure that contributes to a person's symptoms of anxiety and / or depression. During my 30 years as a therapist I have found that once an unworkable pattern is revealed and the emotions connected to that are expressed, your authentic self is more available. As the internal conflicts fade; relationships become more fulfilling and the meaning and purpose of your true nature becomes evident. I assist each person to create a plan that reflects their values and unique contributions in order to achieve that goal.

Proactive counseling for body, mind and spirit! With more than 30 years of experience, I combine a range of modalities in a supportive counseling atmosphere that combines elements of life coaching with deeper reworking of old patterns that no longer serve. I am a highly interactive therapist, who will give direct but caring feedback about changes you may wish to make in your life and obstacles standing in your way. I believe that one key to success is breaking behavioral change into bite-sized, manageable increments so the client is not overwhelmed and has the opportunity to enjoy consistent success.

I am specialized in the treatment of older persons. A major issue in aging is the Life Review, and working with persons involved in a Life Review is a primary focus of treatment with me. Erik Erikson has identified the need to resolve the crisis between having an awareness of having lived a meaningful life versus the sense of despair that comes with the feeling that one's life has been meaningless.