Preteen Therapists in Russian Hill, San Francisco, CA

I am an experienced therapist who has been working with teens, individuals, couples and families for over 30 years. I see therapy as a partnership: you enter this process with your particular issues and uniqueness and together, through building trust, being curious and using specialized techniques, you progress. My approach is based on my client's personal history and their needs and, in general, I am quite interactive. I provide short-term as well as long-term treatment.

Hello, I'm Amanda! I specialize in working with children, teens, young adults, and parents or caregivers. Drawing from my experience as a former school therapist, I possess a deep understanding of the unique challenges and support systems necessary for the growth and development of children and teens. My approach includes nurturing coping skills, emotional awareness, and social skills to empower adolescents and foster resilience. I work with individuals seeking support for a range of needs and challenges, including ADHD, autism, anxiety, and eating disorders, including Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID).

My education, training and professional experience are from a humanistic, person-centered orientation. What this means is that I practice from a strength-based perspective, which emphasizes first identifying the skills and abilities you already possess. What are your existing resources?

I believe in the transformative power of genuine connection, acknowledging the unique intersections of each person's journey and creating an affirming environment where diverse identities are celebrated. Together we will navigate the intricacies of relationships, identity, and personal growth in a holistic and affirming manner.

Hello, I’m Tessa! I believe that everyone's stories should be heard, their experiences valued, and their strengths recognized. My hope is to create an environment where you feel a deep sense of safety, understanding, and trust. My therapy approach is informed by my personal identities as a biracial Latinx cisgender female with a large blended family. My practice has been deeply enriched by working alongside youth and adults from diverse backgrounds navigating relationship challenges, life transitions, trauma, loss, and parenthood.

Through compassion, humor, and gentle challenge, I work to create a supportive environment to help individuals and families overcome temporary setbacks, heal old wounds, and change dysfunctional patterns. My areas of expertise include anxiety, interpersonal trauma, issues related to parenting, early childhood mental health, and disruptions in early attachment.

About me: I was born and raised in Santiago, Chile. I am a licensed Marriage Family Therapist in the state of CA (LMFT 102349). I hold a MA in Counseling Psychology as well as a BA in Latin American Literature and a Minor in German. I have also lived in Lucerne, Switzerland and Munich, Germany. While in Chile, I studied opera.

I facilitate client's healing and growth by creating a real partnership and a safe environment as well as by being authentic, supportive, compassionate and empathic within a nonjudgmental atmosphere. I feel honored to do this work and privileged to help individuals on their journey.

Welcome, I'm honored that you are viewing this page and discovering whether I might be a good fit for you. I have worked extensively with children, families, adults, and couples and am experienced in the areas of anxiety, depression, behavioral issues, attachment, matters related to self-esteem, relationship challenges, and life transition issues. I provide Individual, Couples & Family Therapy services and have worked with clients aged 4 and up since 2010. My approach is Strength-based, viewing my clients as the experts in their own lives. I utilize CBT techniques for skill building and Play Therapy techniques with children.

We often come to therapy in crisis. Something has gone wrong in a relationship. Major, disorienting life transitions are underway. Emotional experiences are becoming increasingly overwhelming. Life seems stuck, static, depressing. Anxiety is on the rise. A series of events have altered our course. We are feeling lost. Therapy can offer a soothing lifeboat for these rough seas. Often crisis is a wake up call, a time for necessary change, new growth, a reconnoitering of the landscape, a vivid reorientation. My practice is designed to move you from crisis to care, from care to confidence, confidence to creative, enlivening capacity.

Powerful Change and Success Is Possible! If you're feeling overwhelmed, discouraged, frustrated and without hope that your child will ever learn and behave I can help. In a few short months your child can become more empowered in all areas of their life and more self accepting of their gifts in order to take challenges and turn them into assets. I will share with you proven techniques so you can achieve amazing high-impact results in your child's behavior, socialization skills, and school performance using the fewest steps in the shortest amount of time.

AUTHENTICITY, ALIVENESS, and CONNECTION are vital ingredients to living a healthy and meaningful life. Unfortunately these qualities do not always receive the proper attention needed to thrive. As a result, we develop coping strategies that often lead us to not getting what we want in life, leaving us feeling stuck, anxious, depressed, and hopeless. Therapy provides a unique opportunity to explore the unconscious patterns that keep us stuck. Therapy can help you make meaningful change to live the life you wish and to create the relationships you long for.

My approach to therapy is integral; I work from an attachment and trauma informed lens with a deep grounding in relational psychoanalytic theory. I have experience with treating depression and anxiety, low self-esteem, questions of gender and sexuality, complex family dynamics, relationship issues, chronic pain, and grief work. My wish it to foster a therapeutic space that feels both challenging as well as safe so that we can work together to meet your treatment goals. In our work together I may bring in mindfulness techniques, parts work, attachment theory, dream work, movement, and myth.

Do you find yourself feeling alone or unfulfilled? Are you stuck in familiar self-talk or relationship patterns that are no longer serving you? Have you experienced loss or trauma, and feel groundless in navigating through? Perhaps the stress from work, family, or friendships is becoming overwhelming, and you’re finding yourself caught in a cycle of unhealthy behaviors, unable to untangle? Life transitions can cause discomfort, confusion, and disconnection, which prohibits our ability to live optimally. Working with a professional to help guide and support your path towards satisfaction can be a major step.

I believe that every person has the potential to grow, heal, and live a happier and more fulfilling life. I am passionate about helping my clients understand themselves better, find ways to improve their relationships, and nurture their own personal fulfillment and happiness. I work with adults, adolescents, couples, and families who are struggling with a range of challenges including: life transitions (both big and small), uncertainty, low self-esteem, relationship complications, anxiety, depression, and trauma-related symptoms.

I provide adults, adolescents, couples, and families with humanistic, client-centered services. I available for in-person session in Santa Barbara. Online appointments are also available for California residents. If you find yourself wanting more from your life, I will make sure that you have the tools, guidance, and inspiration that you need. I am a culturally compassionate clinician, and I welcome and celebrate diversity.