I am here to help you work through the challenges you've been trying to resolve alone. I specialize in empowering my clients to develop intimate relationships with their innermost selves. I've found that life challenges and psychological blocks can become wonderful opportunities to know ourselves more deeply and to come into a more intimate and meaningful engagement with our lives and with others. This inner knowing and relatedness, however, is something we must cultivate and learn how to develop. That is my job and my passion. My style is active and anchored in the realities of everyday life. I work holistically, seeking always to remain attentive to how an individual is registering experience in body, mind, and soul. Please contact me to see how I may be of help.

There was a 2-3 year time period (almost 15 years ago) where I seriously thought my husband was trying to hurt me, or at least didn't love me! We had already been married, raised 4 children and even been in ministry for over 3 decades! Yet we didn't understand ourselves or each other well. My husband was going through some horrendous things as a pastor, and even though I wanted to support him, I wasn't helping! I didn't understand why my reaction was so strong to him and he didn't understand why his reaction was so strong to me! Not a good situation for either of us. Truth be told, we both saw each other's reactivity a lot more clearly than we saw our own! It scared me when my husband got so angry at his situation. I'd seen rage growing up and I was trying to convince him it wasn't all THAT bad! I didn't mean to, but I was invalidating his deep feelings of betrayal and anger. This was not a time to "Pump Sunshine!" He saw me turn from supportive wife to "aligning with his enemies". I didn't mean to, but that's what it felt like I did! I saw him as intentionally shooting holes in the bottom of our sinking boat, and I was already bailing water as fast as I could. I was trying to keep myself safe. Thank God I finally realized (it felt like I was giving up!) that I was NOT HELPING! I chose to be less "positive" and gave myself permission to just reflect back to him how terrible his situation was. I initially thought this would make things even worse!!!, but found that the more negative MY reflection was, the less negative HIS was. (It was a very tough situation!) This was what we needed! We were polarized. Like on a teeter totter, the more I tried to be positive the more negative he got. When I could move closer to the middle, he could also be less extreme and we could both still feel heard. We were both less reactive! What I know now is that my childhood need to feel safe, was being answered NO by his rage and I didn't know what to do with my fear! His highest emotional need, left over from his childhood, was triggered when I overlooked and minimized his dire situation. We were both unknowingly answering each other's highest emotional need with a HECK NO! We react to others who regularly push our buttons and forget to find out WHY those buttons are even there! I want to help you understand why you react and help put you back in the driver's seat of your life. Let's clarify your highest emotional need and help you take back your life! Let's identify the scramble you fall into to get your needs met, as well as your super-power, the relational gift you offer to the world. Our biggest PAIN can lead us to our life-giving PASSION! I naturally develop potential in others and get jazzed over incremental steps toward hope and healing. I can help you get unstuck! The world NEEDS who you were meant to be.

I believe that healing happens in the context of connection. I offer a grounded, compassionate presence where you can feel safe to explore the parts of yourself that have been silenced, shamed, or ignored. My work is trauma-informed and rooted in both psychodynamic and cognitive behavioral approaches, which means I help you explore the deeper emotional roots of your struggles while also identifying practical tools to shift unhelpful thought patterns and behaviors. Whether you’re navigating anxiety, grief, identity questions, relationship challenges, or simply feeling stuck, I’m here to walk alongside you. Together, we’ll work to understand the patterns shaping your experiences and gently reconnect you with your own clarity, voice, and inner strength.

Over the past 10 years, I have used my clinical training to help individuals, couples, and families untangle the scary, messy, and upsetting parts of their lives. I enjoy empowering individuals to heal from a trauma-informed lens and learn healthy strategies for engaging in relationships with self and others. As an EMDR trained clinician I utilize this approach to assist clients in processing and heal emotional distress associated with traumatic experiences. EMDR utilizes the engagement in bilateral stimulation and particular focus on specific experiences which has been known to engage the brain's healing mechanisms. EMDR has been found to be helpful for individuals struggling with anxiety, depression, PTSD, and developmental traumas. I am currently accepting telehealth-only clients for individuals who reside in the states of California, the District of Columbia, and Maryland. You are welcome to email or call me to schedule your free 15-minute consultation to discuss current needs and explore if therapy with my practice is a good fit.

Sometimes people are distressed in a way that they do not understand, or cannot overcome by themselves. They may feel chronically empty or depressed, or gnawed at by anxiety that interferes with their life. Despite their best efforts, or efforts of others in their lives, they are unable to free themselves from their problems. These are the times when it can be helpful to talk to someone who is sensitive and trained to respond to their difficulties. It is a big step to reach out for therapy. I think it is my job to help create a safe, emotionally stable environment where a person can relax enough to be able to take in the therapy that I have to offer. I bring over 20 years of training and experience. I work to show people what is hard for them to see by themselves, and to gain the strength to face thoughts and feelings that have been standing in their way. I believe that insight and understanding from a compassionate listener like me, can help to relieve symptoms such as depression, anxiety, negative self worth, or unresolved pain from the past. Even better, therapy can help an individual to become more of who they are as a person, and create a more meaningful life.

Hello and Welcome to my page! I am a highly trained licensed psychologist, certified in the following: sexology, yoga therapy, psychedelic integration (therapies and research), and executive and holistic coaching. I have a straightforward and friendly approach to working together to assist individuals and couples and groups to live a life and lives that generate satisfaction and manifests authenticity. I aim to help create a space that is high in curiosity and non-judgemental. Psychotherapeutic and coaching work is personal in nature and needs to be treated as such. The intake session (first meeting) includes a full evaluation of course of treatment, plan, program and recommendations.

Congratulations on your search for more meaning, more health, more intimacy, or a more vibrant life! I have been a psychologist for over thirty years and am grateful every day to do this work. I have been doing it long enough that I am good at what I do, and know what I can't do. I like to meet with people and assess together whether we are a good fit. I am direct, perceptive, intuitive, and straightforward. I have worked with many different kinds of people with different kinds of problems over the years and especially enjoy working with couples, women, therapists, people from minority cultures or orientations, and people who want to use the therapy relationship to heal. For people who are interested, I also do psychoanalysis, which is a more intensive form of therapy multiple times per week. I am a mother of an adult child, a lesbian, a gardener, and a long-term resident of San Francisco. Give me a call if you feel I might be a fit.

It may be hard to believe, but our most troubling habits and patterns began as strategies that once helped us deal with challenging or even dangerous circumstances. The difficulties that feel burdensome to you now—rumination, self-defeating behaviors, problematic relationship dynamics, stubborn emotional cycles—actually helped you survive in the past. And because they helped you survive, it takes more than just understanding and willpower to unravel them—it takes deeper work that engages the body as well as the mind. I work well with problem-solvers and high performers who are struggling with habits, patterns, or relationship issues that they can’t resolve on their own. I’m skilled at working with anxiety and traumaPTSDCPTSD, as well as life transitions, grief and loss, and LGBTQIA+ issues. I also have experience working with neurodivergent clients, like people with ADHD or who are HSPs, gifted, or autistic with low support needs. I’m an integrative therapist, so I weave together multiple modalities into an approach that can be tailored to your needs and goals. I take a holistic view, which means I attend to all aspects of your well-being, including mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual wellness. I also look at your context, cultural background, and relationship with systemic power, all of which have tremendous bearing on your health. Your struggles may be distressing or exhausting, but they can make sense, and together we can find your way through them. I've been a trusted listener my entire life. Therapy can be a transformative experience, and helping folks make changes in their lives and tap into their healing potential is incredibly rewarding. My style is warm, conversational, and collaborative, and I’m here to support your growth and healing with active engagement, curiosity, and expertise. I bring a high level of integrity and conscientiousness to my work, as well as a bit of humor. I invite you to get in touch for a 20-minute free consultation to see if we might be a good fit!

Whatever the changes you desire, they begin with experiencing the current moment without the distraction of self-judgement or self-criticism. For 30 years, I have cultivated ways to help my clients accept their current experience so they can move forward towards their best life. I am honored to witness the changes that are possible, and the wisdom and magic I see in people who learn to listen to their own best self! I look forward to accompanying you.

Have you found yourself locked in a pattern of relating that leads again and again to the same negative, frustrating or unsatisfying outcomes? I help couples or individuals identify and alter these patterns, often with insight into how they developed in the first place, leading to happier and more fulfilling relationships and lives. I am committed to helping you receive the services best suited for you, so I am happy to discuss your circumstances to determine if working together would be a good fit. My approach to therapy draws inspiration from multiple theories and perspectives, from psychodynamic and psychoanalytic ideas, to cognitive-behavioral techniques, brief therapy models and the framework of Eastern medicine. I strongly believe that who we are and how our problems and ailments manifest results from the interaction between our innate character and constitution, the important formative relationships in our lives, our physical and social environment, and the various demands with which we are asked to contend. Whether I am working with you in ongoing, long-term therapy to understand and alter unhealthy or disruptive lifelong patterns, or briefly consulting on a circumscribed issue, my approach always includes openness, compassion, and a dedication to developing an understanding of the issues at hand within the context of your particular constitution and circumstances.

Are you looking to... -Reduce suffering from anxiety, depression, excessive anger, or trauma? -Cope with illness, divorce, or loss? -Make positive changes? -Enhance performance in a career or school? -Improve, save, or end a relationship? -Get your life back from self-limiting thoughts and behaviors? -Connect better with a teen or help get a teen's life back on track? Or perhaps you wish to... -explore the many layers of your self? -better understand who you are, how you got here, and ways to grow in a more directed, intentional manner? If you are looking for someone to guide you in the therapy process who takes you seriously while being kind and compassionate, and who is skillful and experienced but down-to-earth and easy to talk to, then I may be the right therapist for you. I help my clients find new ways to cope with life's circumstances, reduce suffering, and develop healthier ways to relate to themselves and others. I support and guide clients so they can meet their individual human potentials. My stance is one of kindness, compassion, concern, and respect. I tailor my approach to each individual and her or his needs when we meet. I am truly honored to be able to sit in the therapy room with my clients, help them feel heard in a way people rarely are, and join them in an individualized therapeutic journey.

As a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, I firmly believe that each person is unique with a distinct story which is impacted by various circumstances and people in their own lives. I work with adults on an individual level or in couple relationships, and also with adolescents with an array of concerns such as trauma, attachment, depression, anxiety, and issues of grief and loss, as well as concerns around life transitions, problematic relationships, and an inability to focus which hinders one's capacity to be happy and content. I am an African-American person of color and appreciate and value difference. I am trained extensively in cultural diversity and work efficiently with racial, gender and sexual identity, and "alternative" lifestyles.