Therapists in Palo Alto, CA

Self growth and healing take immense courage and I commend your decision to start on this journey. This process isn't always easy but it is especially helpful to have a guide and a coach to help you through the difficulties. I have extensive experience working with individuals who are suffering due to trauma, grief, anxiety disorders, mood disorders, or feeling stuck in life. I specialize in working with Silicon Valley Professionals, People of Color, LGBTQ, and Immigrants. My focus is to view you as a whole and help you cultivate self compassion and self love.

Whether you are having a hard time sorting things out for yourself or communicating with your partner, coworkers or family members, I believe I can help you feel better and improve your relationships. Extensive training and experience in Clinical Psychology and Marriage and Family Therapy has given me the expertise to conduct psychotherapy both at an individual and at a relational level. Integrating the theoretical orientations most appropriate for solving particular issues, I generally achieve good results within a reasonably short time. I also specialize in issues of acculturation and cross-cultural interactions, both at work and in interpersonal relationships.

I am a licensed clinical psychologist with extensive training and experience helping people confronting challenges including anxiety, stress, depression, relationship issues, and life transitions. I work with adults, adolescents, couples, and families. As an integrative therapist, I draw on techniques from cognitive-behavioral and interpersonal therapies to help people lead more fulfilling, meaningful lives, sharpening coping skills and facilitating improved self-understanding. My style is relational, and I find that working collaboratively with my patients to identify treatment priorities and course helps make the experience most beneficial and rewarding. I believe that a strong therapeutic fit is paramount.

When we feel overwhelmed by feelings of sadness or our inability to cope with everyday life problems, often our interpersonal relationships suffer, or we may face difficulty in concentrating on work or studies. We either end up internalizing our frustration and become withdrawn, irritable, anxious, or addicted. Or we may externalize and become aggressive or abusive, etc. Further, sometimes there are certain unresolved/unidentified issues that may have been silently creating conflicts in our lives, and as a result, may have been holding us back from performing at our best.

Each person has unique strengths and needs that can change over the course of therapy. My approach is collaborative, emotion-focused, interpersonally-oriented, and culturally responsive. I believe that no matter the struggle or mental health challenge, everyone has the capacity to grow, change, and find a meaningful life. I value working with you to chart a path for therapy that draws on your lived experience and my expertise in evidence-based treatments, so that I can walk alongside you as you move courageously toward the life you want to live. My work includes individual psychotherapy, trauma treatment, and couple/family therapy.

Do you find yourself having a difficult time coping with anxiety, depression, and trauma? Do you have a hard time communicating and setting boundaries with others? Life is full of obstacles and hardships that may be difficult to overcome without the right tools, resources, and, guidance leading to the manifestation of these symptoms. I specialize in working with adults, couples, and adolescents using a Psychodynamic approach to explore unconscious thoughts and behaviors. In doing this, we are able to collaboratively recognize old ineffective patterns and process unresolved feelings and trauma.

Building strong relationships with clients is one of the unique privileges of this work. I work with individuals struggling with anxiety, depression, emotion dysregulation, interpersonal challenges, life stressors, and issues related to athlete mental health. With every client, I attempt to identify an effective way to discuss stressors that is both non-threatening and developmentally appropriate. I am committed to implementing tailored, evidence-based interventions, to affect meaningful change. In creating a collaborative environment characterized by genuineness and authenticity, I hope to empower clients to achieve their goals.

Life experiences shape who we are and influence how we see the world and people around us. Certain experiences can get in the way of us fulfilling our deepest longings, hopes and dreams, and of being the authentic, confident and happy person we always wanted to be. I work with a culturally diverse population of individuals and couples who may be struggling with interpersonal conflict, anxiety, anger, depression, panic, low self-esteem, procrastination, unexplained somatic symptoms, trauma, grief or loss. I am here to help you resolve the challenges that keep you stuck and make your life so miserable.

East Coast upbringing meets West Coast ideology! I currently practice in both Vermont and California, and am proud to blend the progressive nature of the SF Bay with my Northern Attitude and roots. I work with families, couples, and individuals, supporting folks through life transitions, work stress, tough relationships, and difficult adolescent periods. I approach our work with a sense of directness, candor, and humor. I promise I can not only handle your tough stuff, but help you through to the other side. Our work together will be fulfilling and never boring, and I'll help you take control of your life in ways you never dreamed.

I view psychotherapy as a collaborative process helping clients enhance their coping and adaptation. I have extensive experience using a diverse array of evidence-based treatment interventions, and often integrate strategies. Treatment goals are established with the client, using those tools that best fit client's goals, whether more limited or far reaching in scope. I work with adults, kids 12 years and older,adults, the elderly,and couples. For kids peer pressure, bullying, academic problems, self harm, developmental transitions, parenting issues among other problems are addressed . Please view my website for an in-depth view of how I work with clients.

I work with adults and teens who are coping with eating disorders, relationship issues, emotion dysregulation, depression, and anxiety. I'm well-trained and certified in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, Interpersonal Psychotherapy, and Family Based Therapy for adolescent eating disorders. Mindfulness practice is often integrated into therapy. Therapy is tailored to a client's needs and goals, and is provided in a supportive and collaborative environment.

Life can feel impossible to avoid struggling and we often don't feel we have the skills to cope successfully through. Unfortunately, sometimes we don't have all the resources we need for a given situation. Parts of us take on desperate roles trying to help us to survive. This might look like anxiety, depression, PTSD, addiction, and relationship/family issues. I aim to help you process unresolved issues and feelings and find solutions.

I offer holistic integrative psychotherapy for adults and couples, helping bring integration and wholeness to all major dimensions of our humanness: mind, heart, body and soul. My style is warm and unconditionally accepting, open-minded and open-hearted. I am always honored to be of help supporting each person in her or his unique journey towards happiness and life satisfaction. I have been fortunate to receive the 'Best of Palo Alto' Psychotherapist award for 2014 and see clients in my Rockridge-Oakland and Palo Alto offices. My approach is both pragmatic, offering near term relief, and deeper change, growth and transformation.

You find yourself worrying about things and it's difficult to stop. You are easily irritable/angered and emotionally reactive. Sometimes you just feel sad. On other days, you have no clue how you're feeling or what you're thinking. Memories and thoughts make it difficult for you to focus. By working together, you will learn how to gain control over your thoughts, feelings, and actions and build a foundation for happiness through emotion regulation, distress tolerance, and interpersonal skills.

Many of my patients are adults and older adolescents struggling with anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress, grief/loss, life transitions, and relationship challenges. My therapeutic approach is warm, genuine, and engaging and often combines interpersonal, cognitive-behavioral, and attachment perspectives within a safe and collaborative therapeutic relationship. I am passionate about helping my patients to identify their inherent strengths and motivations for change while also bringing awareness to obstacles that may be blocking them from experiencing lives that feel fulfilling and meaningful.

As an integrative therapist I combine tools from cognitive-behavioral, psychodynamic, interpersonal, and mood regulation therapies. I treat adults and older adolescents battling mood, anxiety, eating, interpersonal and life transition challenges. I consider treatment options as they relate to a patient's needs given the empirical support available. I find the psychotherapy process to be most effective when done collaboratively. For the past 22 years in addition to maintaining a private practice, I worked as a Clinical Associate Professor at Stanford's Department of Psychiatry until July 2015. I was trained at UCLA (Ph.D) and at Oregon Health Sciences University (post-doctoral fellowship).

Therapy offers an opportunity to move your life in more desired directions and to help you live with greater personal satisfaction and engagement. My therapeutic approach focuses on helping you more deeply understand possible causes of emotional distress. We work together to develop insights and strategies necessary for managing and potentially resolving both inner conflict as well as interpersonal dynamics. I tailor the type of therapy provided to suit your needs. Our work generally involves developing psychological perspectives necessary to reduce symptoms, manage stressors, and deepen and enrich your psychological life.

It's hard to accept you're at a point in your life where you're feeling stuck and you need help. And it takes courage to ask for it. My goal is to create a safe, non-judgemental space in which to help you explore the issues that brought you into therapy. To discover together the underlying patterns of thinking and acting which perpetuate your suffering. And to work towards increased awareness and achievement of your most deeply-felt personal goals.

Are you suffering emotionally? Are you having trouble functioning at work or in your relationships? My goal is to understand what you are struggling with and together, over time, we will figure out what you need and how you can be better. I will strive to help you navigate your challenges with emotional poise. I hope that you will be able to make positive changes to your life as result of the therapy process.