My Approach to Psychotherapy      

     Whether you call it psychotherapy or counseling, I have over 15 years of experience helping people with trauma and a wide range of other problems. I have offices in San Francisco and Oakland.

     My style is supportive and interactive. The pace and intensity or our work becomes determined as we learn how to work together. 

    Please call me to discuss this more: 510-684-4508 mobile. Let me explain to you how we might work together. There's more to read below and on the other pages in this site.



My specializations:           

• Individual Therapy click here

Transformation and the Brain's Neuroplasticity 

Our brains are amazing. Included in your brain's amazing abilities is it's ability to change. It's called neuroplasticity.  From our work with your intentions to change, we create new neural pathways in your brain that contribute to your mental, emotional and physical improvements. As you bring curiosity to who you are and what we can transform about you, you let us help you find ways to "re-wire" your brain.

Your Better Self

Better living comes from having a wise, observing, skillful sense of self that's guiding each of your actions, thoughts and feelings. People call this sense of self different things: the better self, the wise mind or higher power. Whatever it's called, I can help you develop and use your better self. We'll help you use your inner wisdom on a daily basis, and we'll help you develop more skillful self-knowledge on an on-going basis.

Along with developing your better self, we’ll mindfully and carefully experiment with changes tailored to help your life improve.  As you experiment with these changes in your life, we’ll discuss and reflect on week by week. We'll discover what works better for you and you'll experience how your life gets better.

Journeys into Insight and Self-Knowing

As we work together, you'll see you can trust in my skills and experience to help you understand yourself more fully. From increased emotional intelligence about yourself, your insight, your best judgment and your communication skills will develop. 

Expanded, concentrated self-awareness on a moment by moment basis in your daily life--coupled with your willpower and non-judgmental curiosity--are needed for meaningful change. I help you bring into play together all these skills and realizations so they reshape your life.   

In your experiences during our meetings you will find the learning and the changing that continues after our appointments end. In experiencing the changes that come from therapy comes the internal reorganization that creates the changes in your life. 



Compassion's Role

One of the universal truths about all of us is that we all have made mistakes. We can get stuck in blaming ourselves. Compassion for yourself helps you not get stuck in blaming yourself. Compassion for others helps you move on from being stuck in relationships--while remembering what you need to do to protect yourself from what those people may do to you in the future. 

All of these elements combine through mindfully attending to yourself to move you out of your old, automatic, dead-end reactions and habits. This is utilizing the mind-body interface to direct your change process. Current therapeutic research shows us that living from mindful, present-centered noticing of our inner process--with clear intentions of what's best for us--gives us the best support in responding to life from a much more resilient and resourced state.

As our work together deepens in you knowing and trusting yourself, you will live life more spontaneously from your embodied, guiding wisdom. As your inner wisdom is more in charge of your responses and your planning, you’ll be hijacked less often by your old negative patterns. More fulfillment from life will come. You'll guide your life by using your abilities to take in information, assess it, prioritize it, and respond wisely to it with what you most need in each moment. 



“Kindness in words creates confidence. Kindness in thinking creates profoundness. Kindness in giving creates love.” - Lao Tzu

     My usual session is for 60 minutes. We can schedule a longer session if desired or needed. Please ask me for my current fees. Let's discuss what's affordable for you.