Find a Therapist in Petaluma, California.

Psychotherapy is the use of psychological methods to help a person change behavior and overcome problems in a positive manner. Its aim is to help people understand the thoughts behind feeling anxious or depressed and addressing these thinking patterns. Psychotherapy will help you change behaviors and habits that are limiting you, to experiencing your fullest potential.

In laymen's terms, psychotherapy is the opportunity to talk about and process your problems or challenges with a trained therapist. Sometimes, we don't need someone to try to fix our problems for us, which is what most of our friends try to do when we talk about them. Sometimes we need someone who will listen and be a sounding board so we can think through and process for ourselves. I want to support you with your goals and your needs and we can make a therapy plan (psychotherapy or other types) that you feel will best suit your needs. Most importantly, I provide that safe environment for you to be able to be vulnerable, talk about, and process whatever is on your heart and in your mind.

My approach to psychotherapy is collaborative in that I work with my clients to unearth dysfunctional patterns of behaving or relating that are keeping them from the fulfilling lives and/or relationships they seek. As a solutions-focused psychotherapist I use complementary therapy approaches and techniques to teach clients new skills, increase understanding and insight, and build healthier lifestyle habits that are customized to address their unique therapy goals. My clients are encouraged to practice these new behaviors and ways of thinking between sessions so that the changes they make through our work together produce more satisfying and fulfilling lives.

Are You Experiencing Any of These? People often come to therapy to move forward in their lives, even if they have no significant symptoms. For many others, therapy is sought because they are experiencing: • Depression • Stress or anxiety • Unresolved conflicts with a spouse, children, bosses, and co-workers. • Grief and loss that has gone on too long. • Difficulty balancing all the responsibilities of their life. • Difficulty adjusting to changes in health, job situation or in the family. •Problems related to trauma in the distant or recent past. • Issues related to drinking or use of other substances. • Parenting difficulties with children.

Psychotherapy is a great tool to help you understand yourself better. Everybody can benefit from the self-knowledge that psychotherapy brings. With insight, understanding and humor you can live the life you want without the stumbling blocks the unexamined life brings. Psychotherapy can help you reveal the unconscious process that motivates and defines you. Self understanding is the key to making the good decisions that lead to a happy and fulfilled life.

Psychotherapy is not anything to be scared of, or intimidated about. Seeking out a therapist or being in therapy isn't an admission of weakness or some kind of character flaw. Therapy is a collaborative process and a partnership with someone who is trained in and experienced with facilitating personal growth. And in this process, you are in the driver's seat. Our minds and emotions and relationships involve complicated machinery just like our bodies do and in the same way a medical doctor helps you stay physically healthy, Psychotherapy is designed to help you be and stay mentally and socially strong, and continually in a position to take on life's many challenges as your best self.