Interpersonal Therapists in 94620

My approach balances compassion with being direct. My clients experience care, acceptance and belonging, while also feeling challenged the right amount to grow, change and decrease suffering. I offer empathy while actively engaging my clients by setting weekly treatment goals, building coping tools/resources, and providing skills/knowledge to build self-awareness and integration. We are deeply influenced by our cultural identity and heritage. I am committed to the values of respecting and celebrating diversity, and supporting social/political policies of equal rights and opportunities.

I greatly enjoy working with the process of self-discovery and meaning making. This involves a passion for helping those who feel stuck to identify and remove the barriers toward change so that they can live a more fulfilling life. I take a relational approach to psychotherapy in which I believe it is the therapeutic relationship that heals. Through an exploration of your life, I enjoy learning about the relationship you have with your struggles, the purpose to be had within them, and the agency you have in the process.

Selecting the right therapist is essential- here is some information about me and my practice to help inform your decision. I am a licensed clinical psychologist with over 15 years of experience working with children and adolescents. I work collaboratively with parents in creation of goals and throughout the course of treatment. Through play I help children to; express difficult feelings, resolve internal conflicts, learn adaptive ways to cope, and to develop resiliency. I offer free phone consultations in order to help determine if I am the right therapist for your child.

My therapy practice will provide you with a safe environment to examine thoughts and behaviors that may be holding you back from the happiness, peace, and success that you want. I specialize in working with adults in the treatment of anxiety, depression, and relationship problems. Additionally, I am a certified anger management facilitator.

"In every person there lies buried deep in the heart a desire for a certain sort of life: a life that is free and unencumbered, a life that is full of beauty, joy and fulfillment" (A H Almaas). Are you experiencing relationship challenges? Do you feel overwhelmed by anxiety or fear? Did you suffer a loss? Are you struggling to find meaning in your life, or are you still troubled by the effects of a difficult childhood? Psychotherapy can offer a path to healing where you can get back in touch with your true nature, and experience this as inherently healthy, whole, and a source of compassion and intuitive wisdom.

Life is full of challenges that generate varied degrees of stress, anxiety and depression, even substance abuse. Challenges may include: Personal and family relationships, finances, career, illness and loss of creative engagement with your self and the world. Psychotherapy can offer time and a special place for self discovery, reflection, revitalization, resilience, insight, empowerment and access to your creativity; creative expression and creative living. Our lives can be what we imagine and want them to be. We can develop our active imagination to envision a life of purpose, meaning and the joy we are meant to have.

I believe my job is to create a sense of safety in which we can think about the things you might have trouble thinking about. There may be parts of your history that are difficult and frightening to contemplate on your own. Together, we can help you begin to understand yourself, trust yourself, soften toward yourself, validate what is true for you, and eventually accept all the parts of you. I’ll want to understand your current difficulties in the context of your personal and family history, and will listen with curiosity and warmth to understand the way in which your history may be affecting your current situation.

It can be vulnerable to start therapy; it takes courage. I believe it can be very rewarding and is one of the most powerful paths of transformation. Being in therapy is an opportunity to look at your life, and to learn new ways of relating to yourself, to others, and to your circumstances. This process can ease the pain of whatever difficulty you may be going through. It is an opportunity to not have to be alone with your pain, but to have the support and guidance of someone who is familiar with the terrain of the human psyche.

With over 25 years as a licensed therapist, I am a skilled and compassionate guide in helping people feel better, function better, and have more fulfilling relationships. I am able to understand people from multiple perspectives, how their family system has shaped them, how their attachment style impacts them, how their connections with others cause them joy and pain. I am very present in sessions and have an interactive style, giving direct feedback. You won't find me just listening and nodding, I am there to understand you and collaborate on a plan with you for meeting your goals.