Holistic therapy - San francisco bay area & california

My aim is to offer clients a uniquely supportive relationship that can resolve old painful patterns and support new, choiceful, and fulfilling ones

SPECIALIZATIONS

• Depression

• Social Anxiety and/or Shyness

• General Anxiety/Panic

• Emotional and/or Sensory Sensitivity

• Harsh Inner Critic

• Negative Body Image

• Trauma

• Self Esteem Issues

• Sexuality

• Gender Identity

• LGBTQA Experience

• Existential Issues

• Career and Life-Purpose

• Grief, Loss, and Bereavement

• Relationship Issues

• Existential Crisis/Issues

• Multiculturalism

• Life Transitions

• Creative Blocks

• Spirituality

How i work

We can’t effectively change what we don’t understand.

My therapeutic approach is grounded in the perspective that all of our painful symptoms or negative patterns are actually trying to serve a purpose for us. They are often attempts by our nervous system to manage or protect us from unwanted, uncomfortable experiences. Maybe at some point these protections actually worked, but it has now become clear that they are causing more harm than good especially if they are getting in the way of a rich, fulfilling life.

To offer an example, anxiety is actually an attempt by our system to protect us from danger. If we track this deeper, we can inquire what kind of danger is this protective mechanism trying to prevent? Is it judgment? If so, what kind of judgment? Was this is an experience that happened at some point in the past? When? If it occurred during a time when one actually was in a vulnerable place (as when we are children) it leaves that impression on us: if we are judged we feel less-than or abandoned, and that is a vulnerable experience indeed. But now we have neurologically isolated this neural pathway and we can start to change it and reshape it. I then offer guidance on how clients can relate to themselves in a more compassionate, accepting and encouraging way. I also offer a different type of support that’s judicious but not getting in the way of aliveness and connection, such as: empowering self-acceptance, nurturing resilience, reality checking perceptions, positive self-talk, boundary setting and self-advocacy.

I help clients practice these new self-supportive perceptions and behaviors and in doing so they uncover or reconnect with their value and strength. In moving through this healing and transforming process, I often hear my clients express that they have a new appreciation for themselves. I truly believe that your potential for inner healing, empowerment, and wisdom is already in you. My mission is to help guide you back to these essential, indestructible aspects of your true self and support their expression.

What I Help Clients With

• I specialize in helping individuals find freedom from self-judgment, negative spirals and painful stuckness...

...which often has to do with that voice (implicit or explicit) that we've internalized that finds so much fault with who we are, causing us to feel paralyzed in life, or worse, causing us to find relief in unhealthy behaviors so that we can escape this painful "inner critic". These types of negative thoughts about ourselves and our capabilities often come from a young age and/or from trauma and give rise to symptoms that manifest as social anxiety, general anxiety, panic, low self worth, depression and negative body images.

I help clients deconstruct these painful and distorted narratives about themselves that create disconnection from self and others. I offer a more accurate reflection of who they are so that they can regain confidence and find freedom in embodying their most natural expression of self.

• I also have extensive experience helping clients with emotional and sensory sensitivity...

...assisting them in appreciating this aspect of themselves as a profound gift. In our therapy I offer ways to ground and channel this unique experience in supportive and fulfilling ways that nurture aliveness versus overwhelm or confusion.

• Supporting clients who find themselves in an existential crisis or needing clarity about their purpose…

...is another focus of my practice. I guide clients inwards to reconnect with what is true and essential to them and support them in taking steps towards what they find meaningful.  

• In addition I also work with clients seeking help with healing trauma, life transitions, finding purpose, grief and loss, multicultural identities, sexuality, creative blocks, and navigating relationships.

Types of Psychotherapy offered

My therapeutic mission and passion is to understand you as a whole person and help transform your pain or challenge into an opportunity for self-discovery, healing, and empowerment

My approach is first and foremost relational. I don't use one-size fits all techniques.  Depending on your needs, goals, and personality, I draw from various modalities to tailor a treatment for you. Essentially, I offer practical exercises and tools to ease symptoms and shift perception and patterns while also gently bringing awareness to the source of the challenge or discomfort to promote a new, authentic experience and nurture long-term healing instead of only symptom management. I provide holistic psychotherapy that addresses the emotional, familial, cultural, and existential/spiritual levels of your experience.  My approach is grounded in Gestalt Therapy, Transpersonal Psychology, somatic therapy, nondual wisdom, sex positivity, mindfulness, and neurological research.

The type of therapy I provide is not only geared towards helping you find freedom from painful, frustrating patterns and nurturing inner healing, many of my clients also experience it as an exciting and profound journey of self-exploration, self-reconnection, clarity and new purpose!

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