Cancer Therapists in Santa Rosa, CA

I believe there is goodness, beauty, and incredible value at the core of every individual, as well as opportunities for change. I specialize in working with individuals navigating work/life/family balance, older adults, sleep issues, teen girls, cancer patients, fertility/pregnancy, significant illness, and bereavement. A strong value I have is developing a meaningful relationship with my clients built on security, respect, compassion, and healing. It is also critical to develop goals that are important to you and ensuring you feel heard and your needs in treatment are being met.

I specialize in the treatment of anxiety disorders, mood disorders (depression), trauma (post-traumatic stress disorder), and eating disorders. I also specialize in health psychology, which involves psychological treatment for those dealing with medical conditions, such as cancer , obesity/weight loss, chronic illnesses and/or pain. Everyone faces challenges in life that can be overwhelming at times. My goal is to help you navigate these challenges to gain insight and develop resilience.

Life can be so challenging - bills, relationships, health, children. Oftentimes, it is natural to need help, and therapy can be just what you need to get refocused, increase your stamina and well-being, or simply live your life more richly and joyfully. I have been through my share of challenges, and am so thrilled when I am able to help another navigate and feel better! I mix my clinical skills with my compassion, empathy and personal experience to give clients a professional package that is real, rich and therapeutically sound.

Hello there! I am Marlene Wendel, a telehealth-based LCSW working out of Santa Rosa, California. I'm here to help you heal through your challenges with anxiety, depression, grief and loss, and PTSD. Over these past 7 years of my career, I have been focusing more and more on helping my clients shed burdens from the past and gain a sense of mastery in their lives. I use modern and effective approaches like EMDR, IFS, ACT, CBT, mindfulness, and somatic therapies which, in combination, really get at the source of our stuck-ness to find that there's a healthy, centered sense of self inside us that can meet the challenges of life.

Making that first call to a therapist can be frightening. Feelings of pride embarrassment, shame and or financial issues can get in the way of living a more fulfilled life. My focus is to provide a welcoming and safe environment and to lend support to couples, individuals and families who are facing life's many challenges. My specialty is in working with couples and relationships. I strongly believe that providing an opportunity for one to experience intense emotions along with the ability to communicate these feelings in a non destructive and respectful mannor is the first step in healing and strengthening a relationship.

I understand that human beings are multifaceted. It can be hard to understand why you think and behave the way you do. You may experience conflicting feelings that lead you in circles or undermine your deepest wishes or goals. You may also be grappling with loss, life transition, family conflict, and the end of a relationship. You may struggle with a new role as a step-parent or new spouse. Life events and transitions can be disruptive and confusing. In therapy, we discover that challenging times lead us to grow into ourselves more fully and authentically.

At times in life we experience suffering and struggle. Therapists can help navigate the complexities of life, our patterns, struggles, and pains. I can help clients find balance and relief as well as a sense of hope and purpose in life. For thirty-five years I've helped many find their curious and awake mind, and the wisdom of the body experience. The process of unraveling struggle, reprocessing trauma, learning skills, and awakening is a beautiful life-affirming one. I use ancient traditions such as mindfulness, and current findings to help my clients find their vitality, awareness, and well-being.

I offer a warm, relational, effective approach to therapy. So much can be healed with the careful attunement of a skilled therapist, and with the trust and safety that can built in the room together. I work as an integral therapist, combining modalities as needed for each Cl, including working with childhood wounds, with mindfulness, and depth work. I also utilize Brainspotting, a deep brain technique to efficiently process deeply rooted traumas and bring safety and relief to your nervous system. I draw on research in the areas of trauma, attachment, and the brain to ground my practice.

My clients have different abilities of all kinds (don't we all?). My clients wish to learn how to engage in intimacy, communication, and sexuality in a fulfilling way without shame or reaction to societal stigma. My clients may also be dealing with grief from loss of functionality or from loss of a loved one. My clients wish to regain self-expression and engage in creativity though art, hobbies, and using their whole selves to feel and share joy with others.

Individual and couples psychotherapy to resolve current and long standing issues that compromise personal happiness and success.

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.

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 .

Psychotherapy can offer a process to better understand the relationship between our thoughts, feelings (emotions and physiology), and behaviors. I work with people from all walks of life and specialize in treating anxiety, depression, grief/loss, trauma, career/identity issues, and adjustment difficulties related to life transitions and illness. Some of my therapeutic goals include helping clients manage symptoms of distress with healthier coping, improving relationships (with self and others), and exploring the ways in which current problems may be linked to unresolved issues from the past.

Now licensed in California and Oregon. When we allow ourselves to connect with our physical experience it often allows us to move through our emotional experience with more ease. Life is full of big emotions. Using tools like mindfulness and body/mind awareness, I help clients build a library of coping strategies for various challenges to empower them to manage the big feelings that arise. This framework works aids in improve a variety of issues and difficulties, but some of the challenges I work with people most often in are anxiety, depression, life transitions and repatterning behaviors and relational interactions.