Family Therapy in San Francisco, CA

You don't have to be in crisis for therapy, it's good just to have someone to talk with. I believe Psychotherapy can be a “point in the right direction” to bring change, healing, and a new sense of hope into your life. This is a place you can talk about anything, where you can explore fears, frustrations, hopes and all the parts of yourself. I am a deep and attentive listener, as well as interactive. One of my goals is to give you my "toolbox" so you can manage life outside the office. My niche is couples therapy, relationship issues, family systems, communication and individuals who want to reach their potential.

I believe in meeting the client where they are, facing the issues presented with an open mind, and to always establish healthy boundaries. My approach is to help manage life's transitions together in a way that provides a nurturing & empathetic experience.

I trust that people come to therapy seeking a more authentic happiness; and I work as best as I can to help clients let go of concepts and mistaken views of themselves that have led to more pain and confusion. I work with individuals, couples, children and families, bringing warmth and understanding to the relationships and life problems that surround us. Sometimes the first call is the most difficult. I am often available to speak briefly or will return your call as soon as possible, making the next steps and new perspectives possible.

Hello, I'm Michael F. Stample, PhD, Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist. I work extensively with individual adults, couples and families. My primary expertise is in mood and anxiety disorders, OCD, dual diagnosis, LGBTQ+ and transgender healthcare. I mostly work with adults over age 17 or 18, through the later years. While psychiatric diagnoses have their uses, I prefer to see my clients as dealing with "problems of living." I work comfortably with psychodynamic, cognitive behavioral and other evidence-based therapies. My early training included internship at the Jung Institute of Los Angeles.

Video and Phone Sessions available to all California Residents - A lot has changed about life as we know it. As someone who usually is able to manage, support others, and be on top of things you may now be feeling overwhelmed, exhausted, and even unsure what to do. The ways you know to take care and succeed are not available now or have deeply changed. People may even be reaching to you for help. Yet, you yourself are feeling scared, worried and isolated. You also need a safe space to process, make sense of what's happening, and only have to pay attention to you. I can help.

Many people, perhaps like yourself, find relationship issues with family, spouses, work colleagues very challenging and often these relationships evoke anxiety, anger and fear. Some people have had very difficult upbringings, and while they appear to cope, they are often emotionally surviving rather than thriving. This is a valid reason to seek therapeutic attention.

For over 20 years, my work with individuals, couples, children, and families has been based on the belief that change is possible and most likely to occur when people feel comfortable and safe in relationship, both with themselves and others. My relational, warm, collaborative and accepting approach is strengths-based and fosters connection with each person to promote progress and success in therapy. My clients have been been impacted by trauma, loss, and adversity. I help them find ways to manage anxiety, depression, interpersonal conflict, and grief and deal with emotional challenges from childhood and life transitions.

Peace with ourselves and positive connections with friends, partners or lovers, families of origin, chosen families or communities, allows us to lead more satisfying lives. Psychotherapy can lead to healing emotions and traumas that block those connections. I provide a safe and compassionate space and support the fullest expression of your true self. I assist you in identifying and addressing problematic internal messages that impact your current relationships, your work life, your well being.

I specialize in supporting adults, older teens, and couples facing difficult life transitions, relationship issues, intergenerational/ historical traumas, grief/loss, depression and anxiety. I provide support from a multicultural lens, taking into account physical, mental, spiritual, emotional wounds. My work is deeply rooted in empowering and supporting individuals on their journey of healing. I sit alongside them as they mend emotional/behavioral wounds and uncover inner strengths, insight and increase awareness about themselves.

Are you not feeling like your usual self? Are stress, work, family pressure, relocation and/or life overwhelming you? Is there simply too much going on? Sometimes our brain won't turn off worrying, sometimes it is difficult to get out of bed or get a good night's rest, other times it is tough to buckle down and focus. If you'd like to feel more calm, more relaxed, less upset, and more happy - let's chat. Therapy can help, even if you're not sure how. My approach focuses not just on having fewer negative emotions, but also on experiencing more positive emotions. I see mental health as part of one's overall wellness.

I think I work best with clients who are motivated to address specific issues in their lives that hold them back in some way. Having a goal and wanting more for themselves in their personal lives, and work lives, gives the therapy the direction and purpose that increases its effectiveness. People are complex and everyone deserves to be treated as unique individuals with their own set of needs, preferences and interpersonal styles. My job is to fit into their psychological world to understand how to help them best--an "informed collaboration" that is purposeful and intentional.

I work with passionate people who deeply want to feel connected and loved, but find themselves hurting in relationships. My clients come from backgrounds where they weren’t taught healthy relationship skills, and they realize they're stuck in patterns they want to change, such as self-judgment or blame, self-sabotage, avoidance, relational anxiety, codependency, or abuse. My mindset is everyone is doing the best they can with what they know. With a curious mind and multicultural lens, I help make meaning of your experiences, shed light on what exists outside your awareness, and help you learn new ways of feeling connected and loved.

As parents and clinicians, we know it is hard to have a unique brain in a typical world. We know you need different navigational tools in these turbulent waters. So, we designed a program based on well-researched therapies for all ages that will strengthen core brain functions - attention, memory, processing speed and problem-solving - and increase social skills. For parents, we work together to find the right community supports and develop the skills you need as a parent to support a calm and thriving family life.

I obtained my Doctorate/Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology with an emphasis in Child and Family Psychology, from APA-accredited Palo Alto University, Pacific Graduate School of Psychology. My Postdoctoral Residency was completed at the Psychiatry Department in Kaiser Permanente, San Rafael. I hold a B.A. in Psychology from the University of California, Berkeley. I have worked in a variety of clinical settings with children, adolescents and adults providing individual, family, group, and couples therapy. I provide evidence based treatment from a strengths based perspective and have specialty training in CBT and DBT.

I am passionate about working with children, teens, families, and couples. I believe therapy should be accessible for everyone and use a sliding scale model based on income to find a fee that works for you. I am trained in EMDR and am a certified Somatic Experiencing Practitioner. I interweave these modalities, along with exercises from IFS, DBT, psychodynamic therapy, and Gestalt therapy, to help you work through issues relating to attachment in relationships, depression, traumatic experiences, anxiety, complex PTSD, grief, addictive patterns, codependency, and LGBTQ+ issues.

In a field with very few recognized experts, Dr. Lee is an acknowledged professional in the assessment and treatment of persons with addictive sexual disorders and domestic violence.Clients come to us for professional and compassionate guidance in creating the most appropriate treatment plan for their success.

Do you feel as though your anxiety and depression are unmanageable? How about feelings of sadness, hopelessness, or helplessness like you’ve hit rock bottom and are struggling to find hope for tomorrow? Once we start to unravel the details of our past and trauma we give ourselves the ability to process feelings that we have long suppressed. I aim to collaborate with you and provide tools to decrease the challenging feelings you are currently facing and achieve a more integrated and balanced sense of self, leading to emotional healing and personal growth.

My goal is to provide a non-judgmental, and collaborative setting for my clients to share their thoughts and their feelings and feel safe while doing so. It is important to allow each person to feel empowered, to let them know how resilient they are, and to be better equipped to handle life's everyday stressors. Seeking out mental health services can be overwhelming and scary at first. But it is my goal as a therapist to help my clients feel safe and to allow them to truly be themselves.

Psychotherapy can provide a place to help people achieve their life goals, make life changes, move through difficult life transitions, or better understand ongoing relational concerns. My work is based on the belief that we are each influenced by a variety of factors including larger social contexts, individual family histories, and unique life experiences. An increased understanding of ourselves and the various influences on our lives can allow us to make more conscious choices and changes.rnrnMy commitment is to provide a collaborative and supportive environment to explore your life circumstances and better meet your life goals.