Individual Psychotherapy

We go to individual counseling because of grief and loss, the desire to heal from past trauma, relationship issues, depression, anxiety, or life transitions. Individual counseling allows you a time to focus on the issues that are foremost in your mind. It is your time.

I work with individuals from a strengths-based, integrative perspective, which means that your therapy is not going to look exactly like someone else’s. I am highly collaborative, incorporating your understanding of yourself and how you want to grow into my approach. You will not get quick advice from me, nor will you wonder where the therapy is going. I teach through authentic and open communication so that you can take the skills and knowledge you learn through our work back into the rest of your life.

Couples Counseling

Couples come to therapy for a number of different reasons, which can include being in crisis as a couple/contemplating the end of a relationship, working to heal a breach of trust/handling infidelity, improving communication and dynamics, and often attempting to manage life’s struggles together in as insightful a way as possible.

Whatever your reasons for seeking couples counseling, taking the time and space to intentionally work together can be a powerful way to demonstrate care, to show a desire to break difficult dynamics and to invest in your partnership. I am experienced both in working with couples and partnerships involving more than two people, I incorporate elements of the Gottman Method and Emotionally-Focused Therapy into my work, as well as mindfulness and good humor.

Adolescents and Young Adults

Adolescents often feel as though the problems and struggles they’re experiencing now will be permanent throughout their lives, which can lead to anxiety, depression and hopelessness. Seeing these difficulties as transient episodes in your life, while developing strong coping strategies and exploring what you ultimately value about yourself and who you want to be in the world, is an empowering experience for a young person. Being able to do this at a young age can be an extraordinary and replenishing source of strength that you can take with you into all the struggles that life has to offer.

When working with adolescents, I collaborate with parents and guardians to create a team of good support for your child. While sessions work best when they remain confidential, I do encourage adolescents and teenagers to find ways of communicating more openly and authentically with their parents/guardians, and I work with parents to make more space for that open communication.

Polyamory, Nonmonogamy and Kink

The stigma in society around being in a polyamorous or non-monogamous relationship can be a deterrent to both being authentic with who you are and seeking therapy. Unfortunately, some therapists operate from their own bias and lack of understanding about poly relationships and choose to focus on what they see as concerning in the dynamic. The same can be true generally in society of misunderstanding kinky folks and those who practice kink safely and consensually. My practice is a safe space to express and explore polyamorous, non-monogamous and kinky dynamics in whatever nuanced way you are experiencing them. Whether you are looking for a therapist who will understand the language and won’t see red flags where there aren’t any or whether you do have concerns about aspects of your poly, open or kinky dynamics, I can hold the nuances with understanding and curiosity.

LGBTQI+

I have spent my entire life immersed in and part of the queer community and have decades of activism, support and love for LGBTQI+ folks. I began my training as a therapist at the Pacific Center for Human Growth in Berkeley and many of my clients and colleagues there have remained part of my practice and life. Whatever your sexual orientation, whatever your gender identity, however you wish to express who you are, you will find that I do not need to be educated about it, that I understand marginalization/oppression and that we can simply proceed to the issues that brought you in to therapy.

I have also supported many coming out processes, with sexual orientation and gender identity, and understand that for some it can be intimidating to share what you are coming to understand about who you are, even with a therapist. Our confidential space is a space of thoughtfulness, where you will be allowed all the time and introspection needed to determine what you do or don’t want to share with others. I will never encourage you to move more quickly than is right for you.