The Therapy

Improving your mental health can positively impact every aspect of your life, but it takes significant personal effort. We would begin this work by defining your therapeutic goals, and understanding how they interact with your social context, your skills, your assets, and your challenges. We would talk about coping strategies, self-care, and boundaries. As we worked, you would risk adopting new thoughts, perspectives, and behaviors, and analyze the results of those experiments. You would take the initiative to customize techniques I present to fit your unique situation in service of your goals. You would commit to working on yourself outside of our sessions, where it really matters. And, after all your hard work, you would be ready to celebrate your successes.

How I Work

I work collaboratively and transparently, using your preferences and my observations, to present options for treatment. We will examine issues from multiple angles—using your stories, relationships, history, strengths, body, or contexts as starting points. I may suggest Narrative Therapy to guide you in uncovering and changing self-sabotaging stories. I rely on Motivational Interviewing to explore feelings of ambivalence. If you are working on trauma or emotional regulation, I may draw on Brainspotting, somatic techniques, visualizations, or Mindfulness. When working on relationship issues with clients I often use Attachment Theory, Imago Relationship Therapy, or Emotionally Focused Therapy to support communication and security. If you are addressing issues related to systemic problems such as sexism, racism, ableism, police violence, or climate change I employ the theories found in Roberto Freire’s Somatherapy and in Feminist Therapy.

Issues I Work With

I offer a client-centered and accepting space to talk about ambivalence, struggle, and trauma. In individual work I specialize in working with trauma, anxiety, ADHD, OCD, depression, poor self-image, chronic illness, and gender identity issues. In relationship therapy I specialize in working with infidelity, consensual non-monogamy, polyamory, parenting, communication, and intimacy and sexual difficulties.

Psychotherapy office 5297 College Avenue Suite 102 Oakland, CA 94618 Couch for Clients