Find a Therapist in East Palo Alto, California.

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.

My clients often find me easy to talk to and say they feel comfortable with me, trusting quickly. This can make the psychotherapeutic process easier and more effective for my clients, especially if they are nervous or don’t know what to expect. Therapy with me can range from just talking casually with each other, leading to insights, increased self awareness, and processing through emotional issues, or it could be more intensive deeper therapy like EMDR.

You don't need to do it all alone. And turns out, as more and more brain research is showing us, you're not meant to. Many of our original wounds, with echoes in our current lives, come from past and often early relationships. And while there are many valuable paths to healing, psychotherapy provides a special safe relationship in which these past experiences can be rewired and new aspects of yourself can be discovered or rediscovered. With compassionate reflection, encouragement, and challenge, transformation can happen!

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.

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.

I work with an entire person--the mind, emotions, body, spirit, relationships. I offer an alternative approach to traditional psychotherapy because sometimes we are stuck beyond our thoughts. I believe we are often stuck beyond how we think about something, but by how our body holds and remembers the experiences. After all, we feel the anxiety in our chest, shoulders or stomach. When we are depressed, we struggle to move, sleep, concentrate etc. I work to remove the block from wherever it is stuck. My clients come to me after years of ineffective therapy. They are looking for more than talking about their struggles or identifying how they think about them in favor of a change in living.

I love doing psychotherapy with individuals. It is an exploration of who you are, your stengths, where to you get stuck? Many issues you may be struggling with just vanish with a new understanding of your life and your body's responses to stress and trauma. Sometimes, specific tools and skills need to be learned and practiced. Safety and confidetiality are the first requirements in working well together. Next comes attunement. Have you ever felt like someone really really gets you? That is what good therapy does. Being really understood by someone makes us feel better about ourselves and removes our shame, allowing us to connect with others and enjoy our life rather than be burdened by it.

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.

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.

We are all born with the capacity for joy and love, but sometimes, as adults, we forget the wondrous sense of possibility or dreams we once had for our lives. Psychotherapy can help you reconnect with yourself and your hopes and aspirations for your life. It can also help you: (1) Develop more awareness about your needs (2) Express yourself more openly and authentically (3) Understand the ways your childhood impacts your experience of yourself as an adult (4) Cope with circumstances such as loss, illness, disability, anxiety, depression, parenting, marriage, aging, care-giving or conflicts in the workplace. If you would like to discuss your needs, please call me at 415-533-9724.