Therapists in Lafayette, CA

Being a human being is complicated, and complex, and can sometimes be overwhelming. It is therapeutic to have someone to share our true selves with free of judgment. I believe each client holds the answers, and in my work, I support you on your journey. I meet you where you are, and together we identify where you would like to go, and what parts of yourself you would like to call forward. I can help you explore your inner world, and help you connect your internal experiences to your external experiences. I support clients dealing with depression, anxiety, trauma, and relational dynamics.

I am a licensed therapist who works with adolescents, adults, and families, and am someone who believes in the resilience and innate healing potential in each individual. It is my job to work with my clients to come up with a plan to address their mental health concerns and to improve their well being. I have training in cognitive behavioral therapy, psychodynamic therapy, client-centered therapy, and family systems therapy.

The focus of my practice is providing mental health support to adolescents, young adults, and their families. My experience includes being a crisis therapist for youth and young adults with the Mobile Response Team in Contra Costa County as well as working in a college setting. My specialization is working with clients that experience suicidal ideation, depression, self-harming behaviors, anxiety, and trauma including sexual abuse.

I have 30 years experience in individual therapy with adolescents and adults. My approach is active and supportive - we will work together to clarify the changes you want and understand what causes your difficulties. Sometimes this involves exploring current situations and relationships; sometimes it means exploring aspects of your identity and how you feel about yourself. Sometimes a look at past relationships, family experiences, and early development can help to identify attachment patterns that are problematic. During this process we will support and develop your strengths and skills and discover what steps you can take.

I work with adolescents, and adults. It is my goal to work in partnership with you and the appropriate family and community members to consider all factors which may be influencing your mental health and well being. Together we will design a plan to support your own resilience and innate healing response. My philosophy is more pragmatic, than theoretical. The focus is not merely on the treatment of symptoms of the disorder, but on achieving health, and a renewed sense of purpose, meaning, and joy. I strive to provide responsive and effective assistance with compassion and respect.

I work with individuals, couples and families that are ready for help and wanting to make a change in their life. For almost 30years I've treated depression, anxiety, eating disorders, relationship problems, as well as difficulties stemming from past abuse or trauma. My philosophy about therapy is not one size fits all. I have been trained in Psychodynamic, Cognitive Behavioral, Dialectical Behavioral, Family Systems as well as other methods of therapy; and I draw on whatever techniques and methods work best for each unique individual or individuals with whom I'm working.

When you make the decision to further your understanding of yourself, you are one step closer to feeling empowered to living the life that you envision. With a compassionate mind, I am looking forward to supporting and guiding you through the changes that lead to positive growth. With a blend of psychodynamic, cognitive, and mindfulness-based psychotherapy approaches, I provide support and practical feedback to help you effectively address personal issues and life challenges.

I offer many treatment modalities, and specialize in EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing), an information processing approach which integrates elements of many effective psychotherapies: psychodynamic, cognitive behavioral, interpersonal, experiential, and body-centered therapies in a phase structured protocol. For over three decades,I have been helping adults of all ages deal with emotional difficulties including anxiety, depression, phobias, health concerns, grief, stress, and issues of aging.

Making the sometimes difficult call for therapy is the first step towards achieving a deeply needed change in your emotional well being. Anxiety, depression, sadness, feeling stuck, difficulty in relationships, are all painful themes that people struggle with. I bring to my practice over 35 years of experience in doing psychodynamic psychotherapy with a broad range of individuals and couples. I will work in a warm, direct, and collaborative manner with you to develop a deeper understanding of yourself, to help you resolve personal and interpersonal conflicts and to redirect your life positively.

My theoretical orientation is a combination of Psychodynamic therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, and mindfulness. What this means is we do spend time looking at our past, but also focus on what's not working in the present and building the skills you need in order to start making changes and to live a more fulfilling life.

Thank you so much for visiting my page. I am a Marriage and Family Therapist with over a decade of experience providing psychotherapy to adults, families, and children. I am a relational therapist, meaning that I deeply value the healing aspects of the therapeutic relationship, and work collaboratively with my clients to ensure therapy is meaningful and aligned with treatment goals.

In my practice of helping others strive for mental wellness, I believe in taking a holistic approach. I specialize in working with children, teens and adults with anxiety, depression and life transitions. I also work with parents in ways to effectively support their children and manage their own mental well-being throughout the parenting journey. In addition I have previously served hundreds of parents and their children in speciality areas such as teen anxiety, teen DBT, and pre-adolescence emotional regulation skill building. I also have specialized training in Perinatal Mental Health through Postpartum Support International.

Are you feeling stuck? Cynical about relationships? Anxious? Troubled by anger? Confused? Overwhelmed? By building on the power of the therapeutic relationship, I encourage self-discovery, authenticity, and offer coping skills that help people work through these challenges. use a personally tailored approach designed to promote clarity, insight, and growth. Let's find your blindspots. My special interests are: EMDR for trauma; life transitions such as aging, grief, divorce, and retirement. It's time to break old habits and get off of automatic pilot! "An unexamined life is not worth living." --Socrates

I SPECIALIZE IN WORKING WITH TEEN GIRLS AND ADULT WOMEN. I am a warm and compassionate therapist. I work with clients to promote understanding and awareness to be able to move beyond obstacles and find a level of acceptance and healing. It takes courage to come to therapy, to feel difficult feelings, to talk about them and to figure out how to cope with them. Therapy is a process, change/healing take time and commitment. I feel passionate about helping people know themselves and feel worthy. I continue to be in awe of people's bravery in the therapeutic process and feel privileged to be a witness.

​​I specialize in supporting parents. I help clients who are coping with stressful circumstances such as a challenging or neurodivergent child, a serious medical diagnosis, divorce, co-parenting, infidelity, a career crisis or the loss of a loved one.

Are you struggling in your life right now?  Are you going through a challenging life transition, experiencing difficulties in your relationships, feeling anxious or depressed? You are very far from being alone.  There are times in our lives when we all need support and guidance, and seeking therapy shows both your courage and your desire to create change in your life.  I work to create a warm and welcoming environment and bring both empathy and humor to our collaboration. My aim is to create a trusting relationship where my clients feel safe and heard.

I am passionate about helping others live more authentic, satisfying and functional lives! With 20 years of experience, my work draws from the latest research and extensive training in mind/body health, neuroscience, attachment and relationships, complex trauma and PTSD and mindfulness practice.  My goal is to create a supportive and enriching environment where we can address your needs in a thoughtful, compassionate and effective manner.

As a clinical social worker, I have an eclectic approach to treatment. I help you examine your life experience holistically. I walk beside you in treatment, support you in your endeavors, and cheer you on towards wellness. My therapeutic approach and compassion are rooted in my past work with the homeless population, foster youth, the severe and persistently mental ill, and survivors of rape, domestic violence, sexual assault, and child abuse. After receiving an M.S.W. from the University of Southern California, I practiced in the Los Angeles and San Francisco area.

Do you suspect something is “off,” that you could be doing better? Feeling better? You could, even, be happier? What’s stopping you? Sometimes, it is anxiety or depression. Often it is an addiction to something that for a while made things better - drugs, alcohol, spending, and others. These are false strategies that promised relief, but in the end, caused more suffering. They make anxiety & depression worse, taking one down into a spiral of hopelessness and despair, even shame. You don't have to stay here. You can change.