Therapists in Hopland, CA

Neurodiverse Couples Are you feeling a lack of emotional support in your relationship? Is there a disconnect between you and your partner? I can help you recognize the differences when approaching challenges in your relationship. We can explore how they may be related to neurodevelopmental differences between you and your partner.

If you are feeling disconnected from yourself, your partner, or from others, that the weight of the past is becoming too heavy to carry on your own, or that your life is missing flavor or joy, I would like to work with you to support the change you seek.

Amber Garman is passionate about facilitating therapeutic work with children (10+), teens, adults, families, couples, and groups, especially those interested in moving inward toward transformation and healing. Growing up a local resident in Morro Bay CA, Amber attended California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo where she earned a Master of Science in Psychology with Distinction. Currently as an Associate Marriage and Family Therapist, Amber is experienced in the domains of trauma informed care, sexual assault and intimate partner violence, death/ grief/ dying, and living with disabilities.

My focus is to help individuals and families heal from anxiety, depression, trauma, and relationship/family issues. As the therapeutic area of concern is introduced, we can begin to work together in developing empowerment of self as we set up together healthy and achievable goals. I aim to establish include compassion, good communication and trust. In our relationship then I will work alongside you to develop your own coping tools. My approach is a person-centered (positive type) direction to further your strengths and resilience which is tailored towards your specific goals and needs.

I believe in the powerful abilities of a positive therapeutic relationship. I want clients to look forward to coming each week and to feel safe in our space. I appreciate when clients are not afraid to admit what they don't know and are open to new perspectives or experimenting with new ways of doing things. I do not have all the answers and it will likely be you, with my guidance that taps into the answers that are already there. I have a good sense of humor and believe that using a mix of humor, honesty, reflection and compassion can have the greatest impact on helping us heal our hearts and live our best lives.

Difficulty can show up in our lives in many different ways. You might experience conflict with your partner, struggle to balance work and personal life, have difficulty experiencing joy; have grief over a loved one or are broken-hearted over a divorce or breakup. Or perhaps you are dealing with a medical condition that is making it difficult for you to do the activities you used to do. When we are struggling in these ways anxiety can be excruciating and depression can be debilitating. You don't have to face it alone. I work with individuals and with couples.

I am an experienced clinician and gauge our work by the progress you are making towards your treatment goals. I have extensive experience as a clinical consultant and provide consultation for clinicians. I have supervised clinicians in treatment settings ranging from the counselor's office to acute mental health facilities. I have a professional background in the arts and work with self defined meaning, identity and creative processes. My work specifically is in Lacanalysis and I am in ongoing formation as such with Jacques Siboni at Lutecium Paris, www.lutecium.org.

I work with clients who need support in making positive, lasting changes. Making change is simple, but not easy. I've helped many individuals over the years reach personal goals such as: healing trauma, rebuilding after loss, learning coping skills to manage anxiety, maintaining sobriety, setting boundaries in relationships, identifying & communicating feelings, & developing self-compassion. In our sessions, you can expect me to be relational; clients have described me as warm & easy to open up to. I'm passionate about helping people as they transition through & process difficult experiences.

My approach to therapy is to help people heal and work through their life experiences. My expertise is working with individuals, children, families, and couples. I work with clients of all ages. My experience comes from working in rural communities, providing 10 years of psychotherapy, training other clinicians, and providing integrative care. I use CBT, mindfulness, trauma-informed CBT, brain-spotting, EMDR, play therapy, and other modalities.

Choosing to see a therapist is about you wanting to make some changes in yourself or in your life. The most important job I have as your therapist is to provide you with a non-judgmental space to explore your issues, your feelings and to help you find a solution that will ultimately make you feel better.

I am passionate about working with those who struggle with relationships and boundary setting, and clients who struggle with balancing differing sets of expectations due to cultural, physical, or mental factors. I also work with couples from differing backgrounds to deepen mutual understanding and couples struggling through a difficult phase in their relationship looking to increase communication and understanding. I work well with people from diverse cultural backgrounds, immigrant and first and second generation individuals and families, mixed race or multicultural individuals, and those who are struggling with chronic illness.

I am glad you are here! I am a licensed clinical psychologist specializing in working with individuals and couples. I aim to help you get unstuck and enliven the direction you want to go with compassion, humor, and my clinical experience that spans over a decade. I enjoy working with a wide variety of clients, including first-generation, LGBTQ+, or those lacking a sense of belonging at times. I work from a social justice framework to help clients dismantle internalized systems of oppression in order to live meaningfully, despite us having to exist in these realities.

"Ease" is not a keyword for our "Bay Area"! My practice is a resource library for real lives. Whether you're highly visible, invisible, or both--you want some life change. You want a hands-on, motivated professional. Stress shouts out. Anxiety, Depression, Panic, Confusion, Conflict, Addictions/Compulsions come forth. You want strategies for sustained change. Or, you want short-term problem-solving for yourself, marriage, family, workteam. My approaches are eclectic, as we define your needs, goals, and choices. You're motivated to start; and I'm honored to be on your whole-person team!

Through therapy, I help you develop the tools and skills for deeper understanding of how and why you get stuck in pain, self-defeating behaviors, relational problems, or internal/life struggles. Working together, we go to the root causes of different diagnoses: anxiety, depression, PTSD, dissociation, addictive behaviors, and relational difficulties. We work on transforming the patterns, beliefs and emotions that interfere with living your greatest potential. My deep approach and your consistency can change your neurobiology (nervous system and brain) resulting in increased clarity, self-love, peace, courage, and other strengths.

My work is integrative, blending depth psychology with studies in attachment, neuroscience, and relational and developmental psychology. I am influenced by analytic traditions which contain a focus on trauma, and studies in contemporary neuroscience, which show how our brains process our affective (emotional) experience, particularly in the context of relationship. In addition to discussing your current and historical life experiences in our sessions, we may incorporate your dreams and somatic (body) mindfulness practices, such as exploring body sensations and their emotional counterparts.

"Truly, it is in darkness that one finds the light, so when we are in sorrow, then this light is nearest of all to us." - Meister Echkart. I am an integral psychotherapist who specializes in working with adult individuals and couples. My approach is person-centered, and I believe that clients benefit most from the truth that they, themselves, discover. My training is grounded in transpersonal psychotherapy, which is informed by depth psychology, existential/humanistic perspectives, and perennial philosophy.

I imagine you are looking through this list because you've become stuck in something. Something big or small but it feels bad and you want help getting unstuck. It might be something new and unfamiliar or something too well known and you're tired of history repeating itself. I believe history does not have to repeat itself. Emotions can shift and patterns of behavior can change. It's not simple, easy or fast. There is comfort in the familiar and it takes bravery to change. But in the right environment, with the right help, change is possible.

The toll of trauma, stress, anxiety, & depression builds over time, things that once seemed manageable turn into a life that's not our own, because we're stuck in survival mode. It's exhausting. As a therapist, my goal is to collaborate with you to safely navigate your inner landscape and put pieces together so you can uncover your unique abilities and create a mental health toolkit that will carry you through a lifetime. I am here to support you in working through unresolved feelings and conflicts and guide you toward healing. Therefore, you can feel empowered, rejuvenated, and enthusiastic about life again.