About
The Therapy
When I first entered graduate school I was driven by two questions: what is mental health and how can people get there faster? On my own path of growth the last 16 years I have also been exposed to many schools of thought on psychotherapy. I am drawn to those ways of working that had the biggest, fastest and most lasting impact on me and the clients I have worked with. The art of good therapy is weaving together different styles to match the goals and needs of each client.
The kinds of therapeutic styles that inform how I work have four things in common:
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They are depth oriented - meaning going beyond the mind and beyond just the symptoms but exploring the root causes of discomfort and changing what can be changed and having kindness and understanding for what can't.
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They are relational - meaning that the relationship between me and the client or between the client and their partner (in the case of couples work) becomes the canvas upon which all previous relating styles are illustrated and made known - conscious and unconscious. We are wired to relate and changing that wiring requires practice.
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They are presence focused - we can talk about our experience or we can have our experience and being present with what arises without judgement allows us to learn more about ourselves with humor and compassion and ultimately suffer less.
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They are body centered - our nervous system drives reactions and our unconscious patterning around relating are deeply held in the body. Analyzing is replaced with active experimentation and practice. We can talk more about this.
About Me
Ten years ago I had the courage to leave behind a
successful corporate career and head back to school. For
the last seven years, I have shared thousands of hours
sitting with people motivated to dig deep and take the
hero’s journey, reclaiming their authenticity in spite of
many roadblocks and challenges along the way. My deepest
gratitude goes out to them because they inspire me on my
journey every day. On my road to becoming a therapist, I
have become a wife and also mother to two sons. I am
challenged and grateful every day for the magnitude of
experiences including giving and receiving love, dealing
with the gender and cultural implications of being wife,
mother and partner and my own attachment style and my
partner’s style we have done much work on and tend to
every day. Partnering and parenting have deepened my work
as a therapist in ways unimaginable to me prior to.
My Education
I have a Masters in Psychology from California
Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS) (completed
in 2005) with research and focus on Trauma. I
am a former Therapist Trainee at Integral Counseling Center at Church Street in
San Francisco with a heavily Gestalt and Body Centered
Orientation.
Additional Training
- Relational and Psychoanalytic Consultation Group rooted in Tavistock Infant Observation and the Relational Unconscious, Ongoing, Jan Messer
- Shame and the Body, Sensorimotor Psychotherapy, Weekend Workshop, Janina Fisher
- Intern, Nicole Livingston, One Year
- Intern, San Francisco Psychotherapy Associates, Five Years, Michael Griffith
- The Developmental Model of Couples Therapy: Integrating Attachment, Differentiation, and Neuroscience in Couples Therapy, Year-Long Training, Ellyn Bader
- Couples Conference, Weekend Training, Milton Erickson Institute
- EMDR Level I and II, Laurel Parnell
- Therapist Trainee at the Integral Counseling Center on Church Street rooted in Gestalt Therapy, Yearlong Training with Lucanna Grey
- Somatic Experiencing, Weekend Workshop, Peter Levine
- Organizational Development and Leadership, Weeklong Training BCON USA
About Fees
My current fees are $120 per 50 minute session. I raise my fees every January. Upon request, I can provide you with a statement for you to submit to your insurance. We can talk more about the pros and cons of using your insurance for psychotherapy. Fees are due at each session, unless otherwise arranged. If you must cancel with less than 24 hours notice, you are still responsible for the session fee. Payments can be made through cash, check, or credit card.
I look forward to meeting you. Call ( 415-520-5567) or email me and we can arrange a consultation time to see if we could be a good match for working together.