Therapists in Sonoma County, CA

My name is Tanya Ward, and I am a licensed marriage and family therapist. I embrace a compassionate and client-centered approach to therapy and am committed to fostering a safe and nonjudgmental environment. I encourage individuals to explore their authentic selves and collaboratively address the challenges and obstacles hindering their personal growth and well-being. I specialize in working with trauma, anxiety, depression, and couple's issues.

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. I use emotion-focused, somatic, and psychodynamic approaches. I have completed the EFT (Emotion Focused Therapy) externship training program in couples therapy.

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.

Do you miss your partner and the relationship that you used to have? Do you wish that you could feel more sexually connected? It might feel like, over the years, you have lost your passion and that intimate, sensual spark that first brought you together. The loss of connection may have stemmed from past breakdowns in communication, painful experiences such as infertility, addictions, or grief, or struggles with body image or shame around sexuality. When you try to talk about sex or your relationship, it may feel like you are just going around in circles and you don’t know how to get back to that closeness that you used to share.

Deciding to start seeing a therapist can be a difficult choice in anyone's life. I provide a service that aims to put clients at ease while challenging themselves to understand difficult topics in order to positively move forward. I provide an authentic, caring, and transparent therapeutic style for my clients, being their empathetic guide toward increased self-awareness. I strive to listen, understand, and help people find new perspectives to positively move forward.

I am a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. I began my clinical training journey in 2014. Over the years I have gained clinical experience working with adults, teens, and families. In addition, I have supported a variety of populations that include victims of human trafficking, individuals with eating disorders, and adolescents struggling with mood and behavioral challenges. The clients I worked with reported symptoms of trauma, depression, anxiety, stress, work-life balance, and other personal stressors.

My clients are NeuroDivergent individuals or their families and supports whose experience of the world is overwhelming. They are in need of hope, encouragement and direction in order to feel whole and valued. Their overwhelm has led to frustration and uncertainty over possibilities, and what to do next. They arrive, feeling unsafe in their environments, unable to communicate so they are understood, and unappreciated for who they truly are. By establishing a safe relationship and working environment we create the tools necessary to be heard, seen and appreciated. These are the missing cornerstones of their growth and expansion.

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.

We all have times when we need help finding our authentic voice. We crave connection and a sense of belonging and balance in our lives. Choosing to begin therapy requires a big commitment to yourself. It means that the discomfort you have been feeling has finally reached a point that requires change. I see therapy as a process of self-discovery: a careful, supportive exploration of how you act, think and feel. I'm a firm believer that telling the truth, first to ourselves and then to others is the starting point for a balanced life.

Like many people, you may be feeling sad, anxious or alone. These feelings can be overwhelming. You may be struggling with self-esteem, relationship challenges, or a general lack of fulfillment. You want to feel better, but where do you start?

Finding safety and the conditions in which to explore all aspects of your experience are vital components in the therapeutic process. The introduction of art, play, and somatic therapies may provide additional ways to bring creativity to the exploration of the material at hand. I work with children and adults and I specialize in exploring and reconnecting to one's core self. Trauma, illness, and anxiety can disrupt this essential connection - it can be regained.

You’ve been struggling in your personal relationships, you find yourself second-guessing your decisions, you just can’t seem to figure out how to break free from the spot you are in. You’re not happy. Your nagging thoughts don’t seem to stop and they keep you from relaxing. You are struggling at work, not able to focus and find that you second-guess yourself here too. You find your confidence is non-existent, you’re lost. You want to feel calm, more confident in yourself and your relationships, and you want to thrive. I can help you get back on your path and live the life you want to live.

Psychotherapy aims to equip us with tools for the difficulties of life. Anxiety, depression, stress, addiction, identity issues, and evidence of abuse may place demands on our ability to cope, and a trained professional is here to help. Couples therapy can create lasting positive change for couples encountering communication or intimacy roadblocks. It helps to identify patterns, triggers, and blindspots, and then provides approaches to help you feel understood and respected.

Ready to move forward in your life, rather than feeling stuck? Are you looking for new ways, since old ways no longer work? Do you want to step up to a new level of satisfaction and interaction? This is what I help people do. My aim is to help you get quick relief and balance in your daily life now. Then to help you have a full felt-sense of the patterns and beliefs that hold you back currently. With this deep understanding, you can try out sustaining choices that come directly from your experience of your own life wisdom.

I believe the mind knows how to heal. Given the right conditions, our own wisdom guides us back to what makes us feel alive and whole. Therapy can be one of the conditions we need for healing. By becoming familiar with what blocks us and aligning with what we value and love, we begin to untangle the past and create the life we want.

I believe how we perceive and response to daily interactions effects the relationship with ourselves and others. These moments, whether you are experiencing joy or discomfort are opportunities for personal growth; practicing kindness and compassion to all. I assist clients with learning and practicing mindfulness; paying attention to the present moment, enabling them to see clearly what is needed in the moment to make wise choices. These choices and actions will help them overcome the obstacles keeping them from the life they seek.

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.

Tired of talk therapy? Are you looking for a dynamic, empowering approach to counseling? Maybe you are noticing that the natural felt sense of joy, aliveness and peace is eluding you. There are times in life when we all need support. As a seasoned Transpersonal Therapist with over forty years of contemplative practice, I bring an intuitive sensitivity, trained attention and wisdom to our work together and support you in awakening to a deeper awareness of Self, that will radically transform your experience of daily life. This naturally results in greater creativity, aliveness, inner strength and courage.

I am a licensed psychologist. I see both children and adults in my private practice. My work with children and adults utilizes our human ability to express ourselves through imagery in art, play, imagination, and dreams in ways that catalyzes healing and inner transformation. With children my work includes collateral sessions with their parents. With adults I also draw on my many years of spiritual practice, using such techniques as mindfulness and Yoga Nidra with my clients.