Teletherapy for Soquel, CA

Do you want to understand more about how and why you are the way you are? Are you contending with difficult and painful symptoms in your emotional and mental life? Do you need a safe, neutral, and compassionate third party to hear you, reflect your story, offer feedback, and try to make sense of your life together with you? Everyone contends with painful experiences and emotions in their lives. Often times we are confused by our pain because despite our best efforts, we can’t seem to make sense of why we are hurting so much or what to do about it. So often the pain in life is a result of unconscious energies within us.

I'm an experienced therapist of over 25 years having spent thousands of counseling hours with individuals, couples and groups. Women's issues such as sexual abuse, miscarriage, abortion, traumatic events, marital/relationship issues, depression, anxiety, grief and PTSD - are my specialty. I have counseled hundreds of couples to improve communication, intimacy/connection issues, trust; and to heal from infidelity, addictions and wounds that threaten the relationship. Issues of teens and young adults are important to address early in life: school, career, sexuality, relationships, traumas. Better to get help sooner than later!

I am a compassionate, empathetic, engaging, and challenging therapist. I utilize the many disciplines I have integrated over the almost 30 years of practicing as a Licensed, Marriage, Family therapist. I am also a Certified Addiction Specialist #C-4020. I tailor treatment to each individual, couple, and family. I will help guide you on your journey of change.

I believe that therapy is a partnership between the therapist and you, the client. I will work with you to support the process of growth and discovery as well as to work toward the goals which brought you to therapy. In my work with couples, individuals, families, and children, I use a strengths based, collaborative approach. Whether you want to improve your relationships, learn new coping skills, develop your parenting skills, or work toward other personal goals, I encourage you to give me a call so we can develop a plan which will work for you.

Anxiety, depression, transitions, and other difficult situations are all a normal part of experience, but as life would have it, they don't always show up at the most convent of times. You are likely reading this because it is one of those times. The question now is what do you do about it? It may just go away or it may not. Consulting with and then finding the right therapist is a good place to start.

My work as a therapist is to create a safe, supportive space for clients to open up, experience life as it is right now, and explore whatever is calling out for attention from within or from outer challenges. This work is empowering to my clients as they connect with a flow of healing and transformation from within themselves and learn new tools for living more fully-tools that they can carry into their lives long after our time together has passed.

I support adults, baby boomers, & elders in their move toward HAPPINESS. FREE 15 minute consultation. I invite you to my peaceful, hilltop office to explore & work through feelings of loss/grief, non-acceptance, feeling less-than, life transitions, dissatisfaction, helplessness, & pain. I can help you with empowerment, insight, & moving beyond impeding obstacles. With empathy & sometimes humor, I will guide you through life's crises & challenges. You can learn to stay mindfully in the present, an antidote to fear & helplessness. Life can always be better & we can remember to be thankful for the beauty & the good. I work with individuals & couples.

When a couple comes to see me, there is most often a feeling of safety. Because they know that the model I use for the healing of couples' relationships brings such a high percentage of satisfaction. The model is EFT ( Emotionally Focused Therapy for Couples). Even though EFT does not need the teaching of communication skills, I am also, a communication teacher. For the couple and myself, it is always thrilling to see workable interventions that give them more freedom and safety because life is so much easier living within a secure relationship.

“Why?”, you ask, “does my life seem so hard?” Anxiety and depression, constant companions, you wonder why you aren’t feeling better after all the hard work you have done on yourself. The voices in your head - “You’re not good enough” or “No one cares” are getting louder - again. You are certain others will see through you and your “imposter syndrome”, get annoyed, and eventually leave. Most of the time you're taking care of others' needs. Often a welcome distraction, you're tired of feeling invisible to those closest to you.

I am currently only accepting new neurofeedback clients through the Santa Cruz Neurofeedback Center, www.scneurofeedback.com. I will be supervising a LPCC Associate starting Fall 2023. + + Feeling overwhelmed or stuck? I can support you in the process of moving forward. Using present moment experience, we'll explore how you relate with yourself and others. In this way, you can learn to set boundaries, expand your emotional capacity, as well as give and receive love more deeply.

Entering into the right therapeutic relationship is the first step toward healing and change. Working collaboratively we will explore the origins of any problems or pain you have be struggling with, at a pace that is safe and comfortable for you. As mental and emotional material is explored, the ability to experience greater freedom and enjoyment in your relationships, work, and family life will become more readily accessible and tangible in daily life.

Walk talk therapy is a unique approach to therapy that combines the benefits of physical activity with the power of conversation. Instead of sitting in a traditional therapy setting, clients and therapists engage in sessions while taking a leisurely walk outdoors. This form of therapy not only provides all the psychological benefits of traditional talk therapy, such as improved mental health and emotional well-being, but it also incorporates the physical benefits of exercise. Walking side by side, clients often find it easier to open up and express their thoughts and feelings.

Therapy is a chance to explore your feelings and thoughts, to gain a better understanding of yourself, and to make positive changes that will allow you to experience life more fully. I will provide a safe environment for your exploration, and draw on my knowledge of theory and technique to help you access untapped or forgotten resources. I believe that through a respectful therapeutic relationship you will be able to explore beliefs that limit your life, and ultimately you will be able to choose, with awareness, how you want to be in the world.

Sometimes life presents seemingly overwhelming challenges. Answers to these questions lie within us. I can help you find solutions drawn from your own innate wholeness, wisdom and intelligence. Working together we can make significant steps along this journey to greater well being and more satisfying relationships. Allow me to accompany, guide and support you along your way. I bring over 30 years of professional experience and training in addictions, couples work, LBGT issues and trauma recovery to our sessions. I offer humor, empathy, a highly engaged style and a deep respect for the courage, resources and depth of each person.

After 25 years of hearing from clients that I help them to grow, change and solve the problems that bring them into therapy, I take pride in being a caring, compassionate and skilled therapist. Research has demonstrated that successful therapy depends upon the relationship between the therapist and the client. You can trust me to respect you, understand you and guide you in a collaborative therapeutic process. You can safely bring your frustrations, sadness, anxiety, shame or other feelings into therapy as we work through them in ways that improve your happiness and sense of well being.

How can I be of help to you? What has you looking through these profiles? If circumstances are overwhelming you, loaded with challenges coming too rapidly, and you're doubting your ability to handle it all, this may be the right time to enlist the dedicated help of a trained and caring therapist. Depression and anxiety are common reactions when change, loss or discouragement overwhelm you. I work with each client to assist him or her to see their own value and strength as well as the blindspots that can sap your energy and joy.

From a spiritual reality, I believe that we humans are "gems of inestimable value". Coming to therapy to learn about your own gem-like nature is an act of courage. I ask curious questions and wonder about non-verbal signals, so that you may safely explore the depth and breadth of your own nature. My background is in Process Oriented Psychology (with Jungian roots) and Developmental Psychology. I'm excited to include Internal Family Systems and Intimacy from the Inside Out. I'm passionate about helping you discover your inside parts and access your own Self energy to aid you in your healing journey

I provide counseling for people of all ages who are struggling to find peace within themselves. We often find ourselves stuck within the grip of anxiety and depression due to the impact of unresolved trauma. These traumatic events can be either "big" or "small," yet they can interfere with the ability to live and love fully. It is possible to learn to love the unlovable and accept the unacceptable through a growth in awareness and compassion towards all that we are. I specialize in the treatment of trauma using EMDR therapy, the Hakomi Method and a compassionate presence.

Humans are creatures of habit, but not all habits support us in being the best versions of ourselves. Want to feel better? Want to do better? Want to feel like you are thriving and not just surviving? Learn more tools for speaking, listening, feeling, experiencing and healing. Feel more calm and increase your sense of connection to yourself, family and friends. Learn how fear can be overcome through strategic action and utilizing growth mindset strategies.