Women's Issues Therapists in Santa Rosa, CA

Do you often feel like something is holding you back from your fullest potential? Are you stuck in repetitive patterns that don’t serve you? Do you want to have a better relationship with yourself? In my therapy practice, we will feel into these questions as well as look at and build on practical ways to work with life’s many challenges. Through mindful inquiry, curiosity and kind humor, we’ll together create a space that is safe and expansive, that will allow you to find yourself in new and exciting ways.

I work with many older adults who are challenged by their life's circumstances, whether it be social isolation, financial worries or health problems or other age related concerns. I believe having emotional support during this time, is very important to help us age as best we can. I enjoy working with women of all ages, ethnicities, and sexual orientations as I feel being a women is wonderful but not without some unique challenges. I truly enjoy the energy and power of women and feel honored to be a part of their growing journey. I feel the same about my work with those who have a chronic illness or chronic pain.

I’m passionate about working with adults to support wellness and healing. My goal is to be effective and authentic as I offer space to reflect on your past and present, as well as explore the different parts of yourself in order to grow toward the future that you want. I believe that every person has the capacity for healing and growth and its my job to be your %100 partner in your process. I often offer an internal focus in the therapeutic process as I have seen it can provide a very impactful experience for clients.

I specialize in supporting women during life transitions. This might be due to welcoming a new child into your home and relationship, life stage (perimenopause /menopause), ending a relationship or a chronic illness. You might be experiencing a sense that you have lost a part of yourself. Maybe your anxiety or depression is preventing you from enjoying your life fully, or feeling overwhelmed with how to move forward with the life that you want. Often during life's transitions it is a powerful time to take a pause and reflect. I am here to support you as a guide back to your own inner wisdom and path home to yourself.

If you are on this page, you are struggling with some kind of emotional issue such as stress, anxiety, or depression. I am here to help. I am particularly dedicated to helping people experiencing depression and trauma. I enjoy helping women strengthen their self esteem and assertiveness skills. Over the years clients have told me that they appreciate my relaxed style, and that I am easy to talk to. I also think that there is room for humor, as well as tears in therapy.

I think therapy has a lot to do with the "art of conversation" and how we relate to one another. My goal as your clinician will be to hear you, understand the world you live in and support your efforts to improve your sense of self, life-functioning skills and overall happiness. I use acceptance, empathy and compassion with my clients, emphasizing how their current strengths can support them when facing difficulties and challenges in their lives. I encourage my clients to be the experts in the room and work to support, guide and aid them toward happier and healthier lives.

My 31 years of experience have entailed providing both psychotherapeutic counseling as well as case management support to disabled & elderly clients, Hospice & dialysis social work. I work with adults of all ages. Each decade has its own challenges. Anxiety, depression, addictions, insecurities, relational issues, health and other issues of all kinds can hamper us at any age. For my clients, I love to use my heart, experience, training & faith practices to create a safe place and provide support to overcome what’s holding them back---to help empower them to reach the fullness, freedom and joy of their own lives and relationships.

Online therapy appointments available and easily scheduled through www.parheliawellness.com to make the process of getting help easier. You are the expert of you. As such, collaboration and trust are key parts to helping you guide treatment to suit your needs and meet your goals. In our first appointment, I hope to work with you to help you decide your next steps. To schedule an online appointment, click on the "website" button where you can click on "request appointment."

Becoming a mother is a transformative experience. While pregnancy and motherhood can bring immense joy, that joy can also be coupled with feelings of worry, sadness, overwhelm and self-doubt that can feel hard to express to others. If you are experiencing this, you are not alone. The transition into parenthood causes a tremendous shift in our lives.

Do you find that you just can’t let go of your thoughts, feelings, or behaviors? Wouldn’t you like to just put it all behind you and move on to living a happier and fuller life? I can help you do just that. I help people who are struggling with anxiety, depression, anger, grief and loss, PTSD, trauma, behavioral challenges, stress, and much more. Whether caused by natural disaster, childhood abuse, domestic violence, sexual assault, betrayal, divorce, death, critical illness, military combat, violent crime, LGBTQ struggles, relationship issues, or something else, I understand, I care, and I have the clinical expertise to help you.

I work with adults experiencing a wide variety of issues: relationship issues, romantic as well as difficult parent dynamics, career stress, life transitions, pandemic stress. I have speciality working with PTSD and Substance Use Disorders, and PMS/PMDD. My practice is informed by trauma research in the neurobiological processes involved in healing, which privileges addressing present day struggles over re-telling and risking re-living the difficult or traumatic past. We reference the past enough to address its impact on the present. My practice is guided a by a commitment to social justice and an anti-oppression framework.

We all have times where we could use some extra support. I offer a warm, engaged presence to help foster healing and growth. I believe we all have the capacity to heal but that we sometimes need a partner or guide to help us look deeply at the parts of our lives that need attention. I feel honored to be able to provide compassionate psychotherapy to individuals wanting to gain insight into old patterns, heal from past trauma and make needed changes in their lives.

We often seek out therapy in the harder moments of life. These moments leave us feeling broken or stuck and can emerge as a result of anything from challenging personal relationships and life transitions to systemic oppression. I view my work as a therapist as an opportunity to enter these places with my clients—finding beauty in the shadows and guiding you back to remembering your inherent wholeness.

At certain times in our lives, we become aware of uncomfortable feelings, and it may begin effecting our mood, sleep, relationships and general well being. We are living under very difficult and unusual circumstances that make life really hard sometimes. I can offer you a comfortable space to simply talk about what is bothering you. Together, we can explore what is happening in your life, and ways to work through the difficulties that are keeping you from the happiness you so richly deserve. I work with adults, always doing my best to provide all of my expertise in understandable, and helpful ways.