You thought you had a pretty good lid on things, and then Covid hit. You feel lost, and there is a chaos inside you now. You used to be a little irritable, now the anger is white hot. When not angry or depressed, you are anxious and have a hard time concentrating. When you’re at work, you wish you were home, but when you’re at home, you can’t relax. Maybe you even have flashbacks. Maybe you drink too much. Things just keep on coming up, and your family and friends are kinda fed up too. They tell you not to worry about it, or even to just get over it! But you’re stuck.

Seeking therapy is a brave choice and a valuable step in the healing process. If you are pursing therapy for support through a difficult time or transition, for healing childhood wounds, if you are feeling emotional pain or hurt, having trouble navigating a difficult relationship, and/or seeking deeper self-exploration, betterment and growth, I commend you. This is a courageous first step.

I am offering online sessions to support the community during the COVID-19 pandemic. Please contact me for more information.

Are you struggling with what to do about your child's emotions and/or behavior? Are your child's difficulties causing stress in your relationship or problems at school? Are you wanting to find new ways to connect with your child and create more joy within your family? This is a safe place where you can talk openly and honestly about your challenges.   This is a fun place where your child can engage in play as a way to process events and learn new skills. This is a nurturing place where we will partner together to build upon your family's strengths and nourish your parent-child relationship.

I've found EMDR therapy to be effective and efficient in helping people who are wanting to let go of heaviness and fatigue related to intrusive or self limiting thoughts, often brought on by disturbing childhood events. For couples, I've found the John Gottman, Phd Marriage Institute material in giving couples the insight and tools the need to to get them "unstuck". With children age 2-7 years of age, I've found that they can "play out" their inner conflicts through Non-directive Play Therapy and find new levels of self-awareness, self acceptance and self control.

I have over 20 years of experience providing individual, couple, and group psychotherapy to adults and older teens. My orientation is eclectic, drawing from psychodynamic, humanistic-existential, gestalt, cognitive-behavioral, and internal family systems models. This means I have a variety of tools and approaches with which to help my clients understand and resolve the issues they face. Among the many issues and concerns I have helped people with are depression, substance abuse, relationship problems, affairs, sexual addiction, anxiety, grief, and personal growth. I am board-certified by the American Board of Professional Psychology (the "ABPP" after my name).

Everyone has the capacity to make positive changes whether they be large or small if they are motivated to do so. Therapy can be a helpful tool to help you acheive your goals and/or explore emotions that are difficult to deal with alone. I prefer to work collaboratively with my clients to develop a treatment plan that works. Therapy can be hard work and it's important that you are comfortable with how your treatment is progressing.

I became a therapist to help individuals and couples successfully navigate the difficulties of life and relationships. I provide a safe, compassionate, and confidential environment for each of my clients so that they might move towards healing and growth in their lives. My passion is to help individuals and couples find the intimacy they desire by uncovering specific patterns and obstacles to intimacy and building on their strengths so that they have the relationships they truly desire.

Sometimes life, our feelings, our minds can become overwhelming. Many of us have been through things that make it difficult to understand our own thoughts and actions. My vast experience with a broad spectrum of human challenges has led me to develop a keen intuition. I strive to connect with my clients' inner world. Many clients tell me that they feel like I am "the first person that really understands" them. Working together, I will endeavor to accurately conceptualize the various aspects of your life in order to increase self awareness and maximize personal growth.

Thanks for visiting my profile here. I'm an experienced psychologist with a small part time practice in both San Luis Obispo and Santa Maria, CA. I conduct psychotherapy with individuals, couples, families, and groups. I work primarily with older adolescents and adults. I approach therapy from a gestalt perspective which means a level of depth and connection in therapy. Also, I am not on any insurance panels at this time. I also train and do therapy with other therapists interested in improving their functioning in life or their work. You can see more information about what I do on my web sight centralcoastgestalttherapy.com.

Many people struggle with finding their way in life. It is very hard to do it on your own. Therapy is one of many tools that people can use to create and sustain change. My practice tends to draw individuals, couples and families who need support with a variety of different challenges and conflicts.

As a Certified Gottman Therapist, I specialize in helping couples navigate their relationships by applying advanced skills to explore their stuck places and rejoin in the friendship that brought them together in the first place. Over my 15+ years as a Marriage & Family Therapist, I have witnessed the kind of pain that couples experience in the repeated and frustrating tension cycle of “Here We Go Again”. This perpetual cycle includes each partner having a dream and not being understood - causing for a stalemate and disconnection. I sit with couples that need to explore their cycle for greater clarity and have a goal of change.

Sadness, grief and worry are normal human experiences. However, when they endure for long periods of time or when you are overwhelmed by the effects of stress or trauma, if you have difficulty sleeping or concentrating or you feel hopeless or helpless, then it may be time to visit a skilled therapist.

Life can be so unfair and being human is incredibly difficult, yet there is also so much beauty in life to experience as well! It can be exhausting to feel like you have to put on a front and be filtered in order to do life while suffering. Learning to find a way to hold and make sense of these contradictions can be a painful, confusing and complicated process! We often view things as being “either/or” when much of life is actually "both/and." My desire is to create a safe place for you to JUST BE…unfiltered…to help process, and receive rest for your soul and mind in order to heal and live life as your best self.

Do you seek more balance, understanding and freedom in your life and relationships? I create a safe and supportive environment to help you through difficulties to find a more positive place. Whether we work to create boundaries, increase self-esteem, decrease destructive patterns, or move past painful life experiences, together we will process what you are going through in order to obtain clarity, solutions, and personal growth. My hope is that we can find contentment in our present moment & live fully in that moment each day.

Thank you for exploring my profile. To begin, I am accepting new clients during the quarantine utilizing Zoom videoconferencing, even if you are not currently living in SLO. Licensed for 15 years, my training and experience is specialized towards working with couples and families, as well as adolescent and adult men. I utilize a direct, no-nonsense approach with notable success in treating addictions, family issues, anxiety (generalized, social, panic, etc), depression, trauma, and relationship problems. I am one of the only practitioners in San Luis Obispo County who specializes in working with men and who does family therapy.

Are you struggling with anxiety, low self-worth, or having relationship problems? Or, perhaps you just can't shake the feeling that there should be more to life? Together we can focus on your healing, replacing any negative patterns, and promoting a more positive future. You deserve support and guidance towards achieving your dreams. I invite you to visit my website at www.brighterlifestyle.com.

I have been given the greatest opportunity to be welcomed into my clients' lives and assist them in creating their definition and plan for a well life. I focus on the working relationship between my clients' and I, where theory and practice only enhances the work done in session. My goal is not to be a client's therapist every week for the rest of their lives, but rather to have them create the strength and determination to leave my office applying it to their everyday lives.

Hello! Are you looking for a confidence booster, a sounding board, someone to listen to your story? Are you dealing with coping issues, anxiety, depression, or low self-esteem? Struggling in a relationship with others or yourself? The possibility is there for relief. I offer a safe non-judgmental space to work through what is lurking and holding you back from truly living and being YOU.

I am accepting new clients and provide Teletherapy sessions during COVID-19. The heart of my work centers around helping support you to identify negative, self-defeating beliefs and to help you develop skills to work through challenging life situations. I work collaboratively with my clients so that together we can determine the most effective approach to treatment. Using a combination of therapeutic techniques I am able to help support you to identify and process through these areas that you feel are impacted negatively in order for you to build coping skills to empower and support you to move forward in a healthy way.