Find a Therapist in Portola Valley, 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 psychotherapy, the therapist and the client build a unique relationship. Like most positive relationships, it is centered on caring and trust. Unlike other relationships, this one exists solely to meet the needs of the client. It can be very helpful to talk with friends and family when you’re struggling, but friends and family have a vested interest in the outcome of your struggles. They are familiar with who you are, so it is usually uncomfortable for them if you change, even when the change is positive and needed. As an unbiased professional, your therapist focuses on what is best for you, whether it is making big changes, small changes, or no changes.

Entering psychotherapy can provide and rich and healing journey of understanding of yourself and moving past stuck places right now and from times earlier in your life. I am delighted to be your guide in this powerful process that can get you through old trauma, gently move you forward from belefs and behaviors that feel toxic or unnatural to your mind and body, and bring your thoughts, emotions and physical self into a healthier place. Some individuals benefit from discovering origins of where their struggles came from, understanding and clearing that, and others get a lot out of adding ways of moving in new directions inside and outside right here and now. Relief can be enjoyed!

In our work together, you can expect to feel safe, understood, and free to show up as your true self. I am committed to providing a supportive environment where you can explore your innermost thoughts and emotions without fear of judgment. With empathy and genuine care, I am ready and able to support you in uncovering the enduring peace and resilience that have always been within you. It is my passion to help you on this journey towards self-discovery and personal growth, guiding you towards a more fulfilling and authentic life.

Everyone will encounter situations in life that will cause them to struggle at some point, and to be uncertain of which direction to go in order to cope. Therapy can help one in discovering more about how they are responding to their struggles, gain insight into their belief systems about themselves and how they perceive the world around them too, and how these beliefs are contributing to their experience with their emotions and thoughts. You are capable of doing this work and I can support you. You are worth the support! Let me help you discover how you can lead a more fulfilled and satisfied life.

Life has a way of presenting us with unexpected challenges and hardships. It could be a major life transition, relationship difficulties, career setbacks, or overwhelming stress and anxiety. Whatever the nature of your current struggles, it is important to remember that you do not have to face them alone. Therapy offers a safe and confidential space where you can freely express yourself without judgment. It provides an opportunity to explore your emotions, thoughts, and behaviors in a supportive environment. Through the therapeutic process, you can gain valuable insights into yourself, develop effective coping strategies, and cultivate a deeper understanding of your own needs and desires.

Therapy is not a one size fits all experience. Though I extensively trained to understand specific theories of practice, I utilize a "prescriptive" approach. This means I will adapt to your needs in treatment. Therapy is co-created, it is relational, and it is in the therapeutic relationship where we seek personal growth to apply outside the therapy room. I work with adult individual clients who are grieving a significant loss, LGBTIQ+ adults, adults with creative blocks, neurodivergent adults, people pleasers, those recovering from trauma, and adults burnt out about their work.

It takes great courage to go to therapy. It’s never a decision that is made lightly and it is a very brave action to take. It can be scary, and you don’t have to do this alone! I am here to walk this journey with you. Many of our emotional wounds happened early in our lives, and we feel the ripples from them as we make our way through adulthood. I am here to guide you through the process of healing old wounds and rewiring your brain in a safe and compassionate space. You can have a deeper, more authentic, more harmonious connection with yourself and the loved ones in your life!

In my practice I work with children, teens and their families to help them overcome what sometimes is debilitating emotional distress. Whether it's issues around ADHD, Adoption, Anxiety, Autism Spectrum Disorders, or Depression, I work with a number of modalities like art, play and sand play therapy to help the children communicate and learn about the emotions behind their behavior. In a place and time that is only for them, they learn to trust as they learn tools that will eventually help them lead happy and capable lives. I also work with children in groups and with individual adults.

I always tell my clients that I am an "Old School Psychotherapist." This means that I believe that the way we are raised, our parents, and our families create who we are as adults. This means that I do a deep dive with every single client. I learn about you. I learn about your past, your history, and your family relationships. We form a bond and this connection allows us to be a true team for your mental health. If you are looking for a long-term therapist, you are in the right place! Long-term therapy allows for long-term results. You come to therapy to learn about yourself and see your mood improve, and you will get there much faster with a therapist who is truly on your side. I am here.

Most of us want to take better care of ourselves, we just do not know where to start. Coming to therapy is the first step you can take to learn how to cope with stress, recover from tough situations, and live a meaningful life. I approach therapy with an integrative cognitive behavioral style and can help you identify and change the troubling thoughts, habits and behaviors that are holding you back from feeling like your best self.

My approach is to work collaboratively with clients using a holistic model of therapy which entails a blending of Eastern and Western modalities. For example, training in meditation, yoga, Tai Chi, proper exercise, a nutritious, science-based diet and maintaining proper sleep hygiene. Also, including talk therapy can then help to reveal core values and issues. Mindfulness training benefits clients in observing clearly thoughts and behaviours. Clients benefit greatly through the use of evidence based interventions by developing the skills needed to evaluate thought patterns and overcome destructive patterns.

Therapy is a process that allows you to connect with your emotions, understand your inner experience, recognize your needs, and strengthen your sense of self. Therapy helps you tolerate feelings so that you can be present to your emotional states without getting overwhelmed. In therapy you will learn to develop self-care routines to promote wellness. In therapy you can process trauma so that you can heal and grow from painful experiences. Therapy allows you to be more present in your life and in your relationships.

In psychotherapy sessions with me, you will experience a safe place for your story to be heard, for your experience to be understood, and for your process to be respected. Initially, I will help you to contain any current crises in your life in order to create the conditions of safety that make way for deeper healing. By experiencing compassion and receiving effective feedback in sessions, you will be able to begin to process your pain more effectively so that you can let it go and move toward a stronger sense of self, more satisfying relationships, and freedom to live more fully. Call me with any questions or to schedule an initial appointment.

Many clients have reported that their past therapists have just "sat there and listened" without offering any advice of value. While we all need a sounding board and time to tell our story, many clients are interested in their therapists' feedback. When and where appropriate, I am willing to offer my thoughts and experience to my clients. It is through building a healthy, authentic relationship with our therapists that enables us to use this as a model for our other significant relationships. Psychotherapy is the perfect place to begin (or continue) this process.

Psychotherapy is known as 'talk' therapy, but in my practice it means a whole lot more than just talk. It is all about change. Whether you come to me as an individual, couple or family, I will help you with the changes you want in your life. Together, we will explore, talk about the ways to make these changes happen and actually put these changes into action.

I am a Holistic Psychotherapist meaning I work with my clients Mind-body-spirit complex. I have created a process that I call “from Mindfulness to Soulfulness" that combines Soul work/Inner child healing with cutting edge law of attraction techniques that allow you to heal at a deep level, harness your untapped potential, and create your desired reality. You learn how to get out of survivor mode and let your soul lead. My process involves identifying your core wounds and negative stories and thought patterns, over writing the scripts and healing your inner child. I use somatic techniques for deep healing such as guided visualizations, and the EFT (tapping technique) for trauma release.

What is psychotherapy? It is a space that supports you in working through the pressures of anxiety, depression, grief and loss, relationship struggles, work/life stress, and even to explore life enhancement and goal achievements. It is a judgement free place where someone listens, gives you space to tell your truth, seeks to understands what you are going through and is specially equipped to support you with processes to move you beyond these challenges.

I approach psychotherapy as a collaborative process between therapist and client in which you will gain insight into your inner truth and engage your own innate healing capacity. Together we will explore and honor the amazing inner landscape that makes you uniquely you. If past trauma or difficult childhood experiences are impacting your life today, I can help you transcend your past and engage more joyfully in your present life. I offer a safe, respectful, compassionate place to discover and resolve whatever is holding you back from the authentic life you so want and deserve.

I'm a seasoned licensed individual therapist with a focus on how relationships shape our personalities and overall mental health. I use a comprehensive blend of therapeutic approaches including Sensorimotor Psychotherapy, Internal Family Systems, and Object-Relations Psychotherapy. Tailoring to the unique needs of individuals seeking personal growth, I empower clients to explore underlying patterns and emotional complexities. With an empathetic and goal-oriented perspective, clients find a path towards self-awareness, emotional balance, and confidence. My deep commitment to individual well-being positions me as an ideal guide for those seeking to transform and enhance their lives in therapy.

I provide brief solutions-focused psychotherapy to help clients assess personal and professional functioning, clarify goals, and strengthen social and emotional skills. I specialize in brief online relationship counseling. Online counseling allows clients to seek help as needed, engage in therapy at a schedule that's convenient to them, and keep their counselor as they progress through life. I work with LGBTQ and hetero clients on individual, couple, and alternative relationship concerns. Clients explore issues that impact their professional and personal relationships, including communication, power dynamics, and intimacy. I accept US$ and cryptocurrencies.

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.

Free 30 minute zoom call - Psychotherapy can be an incredibly powerful tool for improving many different areas of ones life. My style is warm, compassionate and my approach is holistic, pulling from man different and highly effective modalities. Clients can overcome depression, anxiety, difficult relationships, work issues, lack of self-esteem, grief, anger & so much more in psychotherapy. Understanding how to get from these challenges to a better place is no easy task. Utilizing the education & experience of a therapist can help you understand what happened in your childhood that's affecting you now, how your brain got wired, how you can develop skills & tools to support growth and healing

My work as a psychotherapist is most fulfilling because I love seeing the changes toward greater happiness my clients achieve. As an MFT and a certified Hakomi Therapist, I use the principles and methods of loving kindness, mindfulness, and experiential therapies to guide me in my work. Our relating will build trust and safety, and help us proceed. I work very collaboratively, meaning that I understand your being to have an inner knowing that we can resource. Discovering developmental blocks and traumas is often the core of our work together. Ultimately, we can build for you a greater capacity for taking in the good the world offers, and soften old wounds and patterns, creating more choice.

Psychotherapy provides a safe place for you to learn about yourself with another person who isn't related to you and who you don't have to protect from your fears, secrets or uncertainties. Some people use this time to work out problems from their childhood and to see how that may be effecting their lives and relationships today. Others focus on what they want to create for life now and in the future. We can work together to help you learn better skills to cope with uncertainty, striving, change, and success, or failure. I can be a sounding board for you to practice your communication skills in session and a witness and coach as you create new direction and focus for your life.