EMDR Therapists in Sebastopol, CA

We work with all different types of people and issues. Kinship Counseling Collective's mission is to provide our clients with culturally relevant therapy, creative choices, and genuine connections. We want to inspire you to deepen and lead your healing journey and acquire the tools to live a more liberated life.

Don't know which way to turn? I'm convinced that part of you DOES know. If you're depressed, anxious, frustrated, confused, or in emotional pain, I will sit with you in that place with love until you hear your own inner wisdom guide you. I will help you access that knowledge through focusing your attention on your emotional body, listening to your unique story, and in many other ways holding a mirror up to YOU. We'll look at unhelpful mental habits you've picked up to survive in this world, and figure out what would work better.

I welcome whatever you bring and offer an open compassionate space to explore those parts of yourself wanting attention. Through focused inquiry, you will gain a deeper sense of understanding and acceptance.

Beth Buchanan L.M.F.T. is a skilled therapist with over 25 years experience using Marriage Family Therapy, and Movement/Somatic Therapy, for personal integration.. My style combines warmth and respectful listening while being active in your treatment. I am able to hone in on the issues you want to target, help you discover solutions, and give you the space to explore new territory. I have worked in private practice, at nonprofits, at Kaiser Permanente in Psychiatry and in Health Education with clients of all ages. I enjoy working with any issue of concern to you; therapy is tailored to your particular needs, not my agenda.

My therapy approach is client centered and relational and helps to resolve childhood and adult traumas, decrease stress, lessen grief, clear phobias, free creativity and enrich relationships. I believe that therapy is a joint effort and a relational process. You will provide the material and we will work together to help you heal old or stuck emotions, beliefs and behaviors that impact your life today. Through your work in therapy, you can change negative beliefs to positive self concepts, find humor and change unwanted behaviors. I will witness, accompany and guide you on your journey.

Many of my clients are people who despite their successes, still find themselves saddled with a fierce inner critic. They may struggle with feelings of anxiety, or low self esteem. Sometimes people begin therapy with me because they feel disconnected from their passion and purpose in life or they wonder what holds them back from having more satisfying relationships. With help you can learn how to feel calmer and tame the critic. By paying skillful attention to your feelings we will uncover the blocks that keep you from being fully engaged, allowing you to reclaim your zest for life.

I practice patient centered, trauma and activation informed, strength based, culturally and somatic approaches to therapy. I tend to make it a practice to approach my relationship and connection with clients from a place of kindness and care. I collaborate with people as active participants in their life to support empowerment and movement towards equity and justice. I focus on consent, agency, pacing, empathy, sensation, and connection to self as well as the world around one self. I am a licensed marriage and family therapist who sees clients only through Teen Clinic at West County Health Center in Sebastopol, California.

I always begin with careful listening to your needs. Our relationship, and your understanding of yourself, are the keystones. These are much more important than the labels which have been placed on your problem. You may have already received "good advice" from friends and family. A trained and caring professional can help move you beyond the cycles you are stuck in. This is true whether you are seeking couple's counseling or individual therapy. My primary therapeutic perspective is Internal Family Systems (IFS), which is not about external family, but rather your internal family of parts.

My main approach to counseling is establishing a collaborative, strength-based, and goal-focused relationship. I believe we all have the capacity within ourselves to address roadblocks in our lives, heal from emotional wounds, and move towards growth and contentment. We also all feel stuck at times along the way and can use a little help. I work alongside my clients on identifying clear goals to strive for and by which to measure success. I highlight my clients’ strengths and areas of progress during this work, as a large part of that feeling stuck is the harsh perceptions we tend to have about ourselves.

I've been doing therapy with kids and families since 1988. Individuals and couples now form a significant part of my practice. I can help you resolve conflict, build more loving relationships and address issues like depression, anxiety, parenting, addiction, sexuality and communication. Having difficult conversations requires skill and empathy which I can help you build. I'll work with you to develop practical solutions to real problems. I believe my role is to be strong and active as a therapist in order to create a safe place. With compassion, awareness and even some humor, growth and healing are possible.

I believe that the answers are here within us, and real change is possible when we have real support and guidance. As a therapist, I approach my work with radical acceptance and deep respect for the unique and ingenious resilience that each person possesses. Through collaborative processes of self-exploration and compassionate self-awareness, clients are able to heal past wounds, move toward what they care about, and experience more connectedness, fulfillment, wellbeing, and joy. My current orientation and training is primarily focused on Accelerated Experiential Dynamic Psychotherapy (AEDP), a mindful and embodied approach to healing.