Relational Therapists in Fort Bragg, CA

You may be noticing that you are struggling with the stress and anxiety that life brings. You also may see changes in your mood, motivation, and self-worth because of it. Naturally, that may spill over into your work, personal relationships, and family relationships. You may also resort to unhealthy behaviors like substances, food, video games, etc. just to feel better, or not feel at all, only for a short while. You are not alone in how you are feeling, and there is also room for you to grow and heal to be your best and healthy self. You deserve better, and I can help you get to a place where you start to give yourself better.

Those in your life might think everything is fine, but inside you feel overwhelmed and stuck. Your anxiety is ramped up trying to control something that you cannot control. You find yourself not trusting yourself and seeking external validation frequently. Feelings of distraction are constant and worries take over your thoughts. You may even feel that your relationships have changed and that you need to protect the ones you love by hiding how you truly feel. Trying to stay "positive" just isn't working. If you are ready for change, you have come to the right place. I am not a smile and nod therapist and will partner with you.

When choosing a therapist, experience matters. As a seasoned psychotherapist, scholar, and consultant with substantial training, I know there is no set formula for you and your situation. My holistic approach includes attention to your unique circumstance and goals including emotional, spiritual, and psychological health from a mind, body, spirit, perspective. There is no substitute for working with a professional who is fully attentive and present to what you are bringing to the experience, whom you can trust in helping you meet your goals and enhance your life quality.

My work with young adult to elder individuals grounded in a nurturing and safe environment. I draw from therapeutic orientations of Object Relations Therapy, Solutions-Focused Therapy, Psychodynamic Therapy, Person-Centered Therapy, Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy, and Family Systems. Talk, relational, art, sand tray, and play therapies mediate the therapeutic process. Each client plan is individualized to the to fit the circumstances and needs. Biofeedback is not covered by Partnership HealthPlan, Beacon Health Strategies, or Medi-Cal. Check with your particular plan before. Payment is due at the time of service and I can supply a superbill.

Are you experiencing frustrating patterns of relational conflict? Do you have pervasive feelings of anxiety, worry, and dread? Do you want to understand yourself and your choices more clearly and in greater depth? Perhaps you sense that your past is impacting your current wellbeing, but you aren't quite sure how. One thing is certain: you want to feel better. You may want to feel more confidant, more connected, and more alive in your relationships. You may long to breathe deeply and move through your days with increased ease, relaxation, and personal agency. Therapy can help, and we can do it together!

I am here to help you listen to the signals of your body, mind, heart and relationship that are calling for a new way of being. Often these signals come in the form of conflict, sexual blocks, loneliness, depression, anxiety, addiction, grief; I believe they are an initiation. Something is out of sync: you know all the "right" things to do, and yet they still don't seem to get to the heart of the problem. You are beginning therapy because part of you knows it would be more uncomfortable to continue "business-as-usual" than to open to change.

Although fear, anger, shame, guilt, and sadness often prevent us from living each day to the fullest, each one of us is uniquely resilient. From a strengths-based approach, I work collaboratively with my patients to facilitate personal growth, healing, and the establishment of more meaningful and fulfilling interpersonal relationships. I utilize EMDR (eye movement desensitization and reprocessing) as a primary intervention in the resolution of trauma in individual therapy.

"I'm responsible for who I am. My task is to free myself sufficiently so that I can respond in the present moment not from past programming. That's what freedom is." Initially a practitioner in nonprofits and community behavioral health programs and more recently private practice, i have come to find as a more recent trauma-informed therapist, symptoms such as anxiety, depression, and relational issues are often expressions of unresolved grief and trauma. I am fascinated by the power of lasting change that comes from intentional, deep work.

It is within your reach to live a life that is calmer, more grounded and satisfying - where you're not overwhelmed or completely detached - no matter how you are feeling right now or what happened before. You feel on guard, emotionally and physically flooded, disempowered, alone, and hijacked by triggers. Maybe you feel like you cannot trust yourself or others, and your self-confidence is suffering. Whether you're here because of a traumatic event or you have experienced multiple hardships in life, it is possible to get through this, reclaim your spirit and self, and help your mind/body be here in the present moment.

We often seek out therapy in the harder moments of life. These moments leave us feeling broken or stuck and can emerge as a result of anything from challenging personal relationships and life transitions to systemic oppression. I view my work as a therapist as an opportunity to enter these places with my clients—finding beauty in the shadows and guiding you back to remembering your inherent wholeness.

Do you long to feel greater self esteem and ease? My experience helping many people has shown me that effective and worthwhile therapy unfolds by sensitive attunement to each unique client or couple. Healing has many facets: emotional, somatic, cognitive, energetic, and relational are important elements. I work with you as your skilled guide within a healing professional therapeutic relationship. If you are seeking transpersonal (spiritually inclusive) therapy I could be a great fit for you. As a long time seeker and practitioner I know well the gifts that come from the spaces where psychology meets spirituality.

Whatever I have to say about myself, our work is about you! It's about you having a safe, contained, confidential relationship with me. It's about you bringing your concerns for our consideration. I've been in private practice for more than forty years as a Jungian analyst. I work primarily with individuals. In addition to working with conscious relational material, I have been trained to work with unconscious material, dreams, daydreams, symptoms of all kinds to identify patterns that are not working and to discover with you new possibilities.

My practice specializes in mental health, family life, trauma and addiction recovery for teens and adults. I am experienced in treating co-occurring issues of addiction, depression, anxiety, grief, life transitions and trauma. I have worked with pervasive mental illness, substance abuse, eating disorders, mood and anxiety disorders as well attachment wounds and early childhood trauma. I help families and individuals untangle relationship and behavioral patterns and find new ways of relating to self and others, regulate emotions, identify core values and make meaningful and positive life changes.

I am a Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist working with children, teens, and adults. I am well experienced as a child therapist, and can provide parenting support. I treat issues such as anxiety, trauma, depression, life transitions, grief, divorce, blended families, self-esteem issues, ADHD, anger management, and behavioral issues. I have vast experience working in the public schools as a school counselor. I also have training in expressive arts therapy and yoga and mindfulness techniques. My unique training and life experience can provide insight to assist you with life's challenges.

Therapy is a collaborative process that can help us move through painful situations and challenging transitions, finding meaning even in darker places. As the poet May Sarton wrote, 'without darkness/nothing comes to birth/As without light/nothing flowers.' Constructing a safe and supportive container for healing allows us to explore patterns in a different light. In this renewed relational field, development and choices take root. Grounded in Somatics, an approach that builds awareness of links between mind and body, I am influenced by Jungian analytic psychology, psychodynamic, cognitive/behavioral, and family systems frameworks.