Photo of Dietmar Brinkmann, Marriage & Family Therapist in San Francisco, CA
Dietmar Brinkmann
Marriage & Family Therapist, MA, LMFT
Verified Verified
3 Endorsed
San Francisco, CA 94114
Are you overwhelmed by emotional turmoil? Is a relationship causing you pain? Do you feel stuck in anxiety or depression? As an expert in emotional resilience and relational wellbeing, I help you get in touch with what you deeply want and uncover internal resources that have been buried. I assist you in developing communication skills to navigate the complexities of friendship, family and work. From this place of strength, we create together a safe space in therapy to experience and express the full range of human emotions so that even the most difficult experiences and traumatic events can be processed.
Are you overwhelmed by emotional turmoil? Is a relationship causing you pain? Do you feel stuck in anxiety or depression? As an expert in emotional resilience and relational wellbeing, I help you get in touch with what you deeply want and uncover internal resources that have been buried. I assist you in developing communication skills to navigate the complexities of friendship, family and work. From this place of strength, we create together a safe space in therapy to experience and express the full range of human emotions so that even the most difficult experiences and traumatic events can be processed.
(415) 639-9029 View (415) 639-9029
Photo of Milam Freitag, Psychologist in San Francisco, CA
Milam Freitag
Psychologist, PhD
Verified Verified
San Francisco, CA 94104
Whatever your current struggle, loss, transition or self-limiting behaviors are, I am committed to helping you access your own wisdom and healing potential. I am interactive, supportive, engaged and solution-based, tailoring interventions to your personal needs. Goals can include helping you: Find personal freedom, hope, and self-compassion that are the calling beneath fear/anxiety; Become happier and stronger as you navigate through loss and change related to career, relationships, aging, etc; Find balance in your life and what really brings you passion and joy; Relinquish problematic behaviors and beliefs and find a more workable and heartfelt connection to yourself and others.
Whatever your current struggle, loss, transition or self-limiting behaviors are, I am committed to helping you access your own wisdom and healing potential. I am interactive, supportive, engaged and solution-based, tailoring interventions to your personal needs. Goals can include helping you: Find personal freedom, hope, and self-compassion that are the calling beneath fear/anxiety; Become happier and stronger as you navigate through loss and change related to career, relationships, aging, etc; Find balance in your life and what really brings you passion and joy; Relinquish problematic behaviors and beliefs and find a more workable and heartfelt connection to yourself and others.
(415) 630-2959 View (415) 630-2959

Online Therapists

Photo of Kathryn Hedjasi, Marriage & Family Therapist in San Francisco, CA
Kathryn Hedjasi
Marriage & Family Therapist, MA, MBA, LMFT
Verified Verified
Palo Alto, CA 94306  (Online Only)
Do you find yourself struggling? Hurting? I can help you feel better! You have the ability to THRIVE regardless of your circumstances armed with my support & many new tools in your arsenal. I can help you tap into your own resilience & ability to heal. Wherever you are at in life, whether satisfied but looking to improve, struggling daily & feeling as if the floor is about to fall out, in crisis-mode, on a journey of self-discovery, or simply looking for support from a fully present empathetic skilled partner in your personal, interpersonal & professional goals. I AM HERE FOR YOU!
Do you find yourself struggling? Hurting? I can help you feel better! You have the ability to THRIVE regardless of your circumstances armed with my support & many new tools in your arsenal. I can help you tap into your own resilience & ability to heal. Wherever you are at in life, whether satisfied but looking to improve, struggling daily & feeling as if the floor is about to fall out, in crisis-mode, on a journey of self-discovery, or simply looking for support from a fully present empathetic skilled partner in your personal, interpersonal & professional goals. I AM HERE FOR YOU!
(650) 262-4006 View (650) 262-4006
Photo of Maggie Homsy, Clinical Social Work/Therapist in San Francisco, CA
Maggie Homsy
Clinical Social Work/Therapist, MSW, LCSW, SEP, NARM-T
Verified Verified
Middletown, CA 95461
I specialize in treating trauma and chronic stress, in particular developmental trauma. I work holistically and incorporate the body-mind perspective in my work. I have completed the three-year (216 hour) training to become a Somatic Experiencing Practitioner (SEP), which is a short-term naturalistic approach to healing trauma. I have also completed the two-year (144 hour) training in the NeuroAffective Relational Model (NARM), which is a treatment approach that addresses developmental trauma, i.e. childhood trauma. I am currently studying Psychoanalysis at the Psychoanalytic Association of California (PINC).
I specialize in treating trauma and chronic stress, in particular developmental trauma. I work holistically and incorporate the body-mind perspective in my work. I have completed the three-year (216 hour) training to become a Somatic Experiencing Practitioner (SEP), which is a short-term naturalistic approach to healing trauma. I have also completed the two-year (144 hour) training in the NeuroAffective Relational Model (NARM), which is a treatment approach that addresses developmental trauma, i.e. childhood trauma. I am currently studying Psychoanalysis at the Psychoanalytic Association of California (PINC).
(707) 394-4074 View (707) 394-4074

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Chronic Pain Therapists

How does chronic pain therapy work?

Engaging with a psychotherapist to help treat chronic pain does not mean that one’s pain is all in their head. Therapy for chronic-pain patients has been shown to benefit both the mind and the body, targeting physical symptoms and increasing daily functioning. In other words, for many, addressing their emotional health through therapy affects their physical health. A therapist can help a client challenge unhelpful thoughts about pain and develop new ways to respond to it, such as distraction or calming breathing techniques. Studies have found that therapy can be as effective as surgery for certain cases of chronic pain and many doctors recommend trying psychotherapy in advance of considering invasive surgery.

What are the most effective treatment options for chronic pain?

Stress, anxiety, depression, catastrophizing, ruminating, lack of activity, and social withdrawal all make chronic pain worse. Addressing these issues, research shows, can help people gain control over their pain symptoms. Therapeutic approaches such as cognitive behavioral therapy, biofeedback, and mindfulness-based stress reduction, along with greater pain-management education, have been found to help people reduce fear and disability.

Are there new treatments for chronic pain?

Many cases of chronic pain, particularly those involving back pain, remain medically unexplained. But there is evidence that changes in the brain or nervous system are caused by previous physical ailments such as tissue damage; in such cases, the brain may continue to send out pain signals despite the physical cause having healed. To aid patients under these circumstances, a recently developed treatment known as pain reprocessing therapy (PRT) is designed to help the brain “unlearn” this response. A PRT practitioner helps individuals to reduce the “threat value” of their ongoing pain signals until they can reappraise them as less threatening and fear-inducing. They also help an individual to develop new emotional regulation skills.

How long does therapy for chronic pain take?

There is no set timeline for recovery from chronic pain, especially as there may be a range of physical and psychological causes for any individual’s discomfort, but most patients should expect to see a therapist for a number of weeks or months, typically spanning at least 12 sessions. Studies of pain reprocessing therapy found that many individuals’ experience of pain lessened in eight sessions over four weeks.