Therapists in Scotts Valley, CA

I support clients to live happy and meaningful lives and help them make changes that bring about well-being and transformation. I have a passion to support individuals, couples and families through many different life transitions (from adjusting to college, marriage, divorce, births, loss, retirement, coping with illness, and caregiving). I help clients with a range of relationship issues—from marriage/romantic partner conflict, communication issues in relationships, resolving issues in friendships, co-parenting, parent-child issues, loss of relationship & grief work, contemplation of separation, and exploring unhealthy patterns.

*ATTENTION* : Due to COVID, I am currently working exclusively online only. Telehealth can be powerful and effective. Welcome, and congratulations on taking the first step toward creating change. Seeking a therapist can feel like a big deal, so it's important to find one who is a good match. I am here to help you, by creating a warm and collaborative therapeutic environment that honors each client's unique intuitive wisdom. I offer a non-pathologizing and empowering understanding of human issues, assuming each person has the capacity to transform, both within themselves, and in their relationships with others.

Hello. I have been a therapist for over 25 years and to this day I absolutely love meeting people, hearing their stories and helping them make peace with their past. I work to help people to increase their emotional health and become more effective in their current lives. I specialize in helping people with depression, anxiety and all types of food, weight and body image issues. I work primarily with adults and young adults. I also help parents to understand their kid's eating disorder and give them tools for dealing more effectively with their kids. [Please Note: I am out of the country and will be back in February 2022.]

If you're on the autism spectrum, difficulties navigating the social world might be a source of anxiety, confusion, disappointment, fear, or sadness for you. You don't need an official autism or Asperger's diagnosis to benefit from working with a therapist who knows how to connect with clients who have autistic traits. I want to help you feel more comfortable in social settings so you can have more fulfilling connections at home, at work, in your community, and with yourself. About half of my clients are women, and my practice is as gender-diverse as it is neurodiverse.

I am a licensed clinical psychologist and have been serving the needs of children, adolescents, and adults for over 20 years. I grew up in the Santa Cruz area and I am thrilled to be serving our beautiful community. I provide both therapy and psychological testing to children and adults in order to help my patients grow into their full potential. Oftentimes, problems that seem insurmountable are due to the ways in which we perceive them. Feeling as though we lack the power to change keep us locked in old, unproductive patterns. Understanding what is holding you back is often the key to growth, change, and greater life satisfaction.

Are you feeling stuck like stagnating water of a creek that no longer flows? Or are you struggling in your relationships? Certain seasons test us to our core. My experience as a therapist and as a client shows me that we have the capacity to recover our vitality. I am here to support your journey of healing and growth. Even after traumas, losses, oppression, and experiences that are too painful for our bodies and spirits to carry alone, there is a path of healing that can re-energize your life and spirit. While you are the expert on your life, I am here to facilitate awareness, self-compassion and inner shifts. Your new life awaits!

With 35 years focused on recovery in Codependency and Addiction, most people seek my services due to suffering the affects of being in relationship a Narcissist or Sociopath. With simple willingness, you can open a channel to a new way of feeling, thinking and acting that is generated from your truth, which I can teach you to find. I also work with people who have had Near Death Experiences, who’s numbers now count in the millions. Most NDE experiencers need a safe, supportive and nonjudgmental ally to help make sense of the profound journey they have found themselves in. That has become one of my life’s purposes at present.

You’ve read all the self-help books, listened to podcasts, and have been in weekly therapy, but still feel like you are just trying to survive between sessions. You feel like your relationships are really suffering because your traumatic experiences get in the way of feeling safe with others. You continue to feel triggered by things that you thought you had worked through. All this work has not gotten to the bottom of your symptoms, difficulties, or negative self-talk. You need help right now and you don’t want to continue to spend months or even years in weekly traditional talk therapy.

Perfectionism, procrastination, social withdrawal, and oppositional behaviors can be a common part of child development in today's culture of hyper-achievement combined with technology. Child and adolescent behaviors viewed as problematic are frequently communications to those closest to them about a difficulty they are experiencing in their world. I work with children and with families who are struggling to understand their child's academic, behavioral, and emotional struggles.

Anxiety is awful: the constant worries, feelings of fear and discomfort in your body, and the continual striving for peace of mind that seems just out of your grasp. Telling yourself to just "calm down" doesn't help. For many sufferers, the behavioral effects and consequences of anxiety; including poor relationships, hair pulling or skin picking, low self esteem, shame, and/or obsessive tendencies can be devastating.

My therapeutic approach to treating clients is individualized and eclectic, emphasizing strengths and encouraging self exploration as a means to discover solutions to issues brought to therapy. I believe that life is about relationships with self and others and that our desire to be loved, accepted and understood are some of the driving forces in how we interact with ourselves and others. I want to assist you in trying new approaches to the issues and relationships in your life and help you understand how your life experiences shape your world view. You have the answers; let's find solutions!

My focus is to help adult individuals heal, recover, and feel empowered. I specialize in treatment for those recovering from eating disorders, trauma, depression, addictions, intimacy and attachment disorders, and codependency. Additionally, I provide gender-affirming care. It is my philosophy that each one of us has our own wisdom and capacity to heal. I am of the belief that no one is broken, nothing is missing, and people do not need to be fixed. Instead we need to learn the skills to trust ourselves and strengthen our ability to extend compassion inward so that we can recognize that we have been complete within all along.

I enjoy working with individuals, teens & children who experience fear, anxiety, obsessions, trauma, depression, ADHD & learning disabilities. I also enjoy supporting parents through their children's struggles including the need for 504s/IEPs as well as adult’s late diagnosis of ADHD. I've been doing couples work for over 10 years using the evidence-based research of John Gottman PhD which I find to be highly effective for couples. Its tools allow for comprehensible & practical use outside of therapy that help improve communication & closeness, & strengthen & repair relationships.

I believe that healing happens with an integration of our minds, bodies, and spirits. Coming from a holistic background, philosophy, and lifestyle, this integration is focused upon in your therapeutic work. In supporting each person to express their authentic selves, needs, and desires, I utilize several therapeutic modalities. Some of these modalities include Expressive Arts, Body-Oriented Psychotherapy, Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy, Humanistic Centered, EMDR, EFT, IFS, and Mindfulness. I am also trained in Brief Therapy methods for those who want support with a specific challenge or prefer therapy in small pieces at a time.

I believe that every individual possesses the strength and resilience to overcome life's challenges. My passion and commitment lies in helping you discover your inner resources and guiding you on a path towards healing and personal growth. I have experience working with diverse individuals facing various issues including anxiety, depression, personality disorders, grief and both acute and cumulative trauma. My approach is rooted in empathy, respect, and a deep understanding of the unique journey each person undertakes. Therapy is a collaborative process, and I am here to provide a safe and nonjudgmental space where you can explore.

I love working with people to help them build a deeper relationship with themselves – their inner world and emotional core. By learning how to connect with and attend to what lies within, clients develop the skills to lean into personal challenges, transform them, and understand their deep yearnings in the process. In turn, clients become empowered and build lives that are aligned with who they are and what they want for themselves. I strongly feel that therapy is a collaborative process, and the “work” a client engages with in their day to day life is also so important.

You deserve to be respected as a unique individual, regardless of your age, race, religion, sexual orientation, or gender identity. I believe that each and every person that comes to counseling has a unique life experience and unique concerns that they bring into the counseling room. My goal is to meet each client where they are, and work along side them to help them achieve the goals they have come to counseling hoping to achieve. I enjoy working with individuals, couples, and families, drawing from a variety of research-based treatment modalities based on the needs of the particular client.

I am a compassionate, professional psychotherapist with an individualized way of treating each client. I believe each person has the strength inside themselves for change and healing. It is my role to identify your personal style and help you find the clarity you need to make necessary life changes. In doing so I utilize many theoretical approaches including; psychodynamic, existential/humanistic, solution focused and cognitive behavioral.

I have been told that I bring hope to situations, experiences and behaviors that often feel hopeless. Specializing in working with families, children, adolescents and parents, I work collaboratively with client/s to identify and develop goals, and a road map of how we will know that these goals are being met as we work together. I work actively with clients using their knowledge and strengths towards reaching their goals.