Please Note: During this difficult time, I am offering therapy sessions only via secure, HIPAA-compliant video telehealth technology. Please call or email me for more information.
Below are brief descriptions of the services I offer. Please feel free to contact me at (707) 494-6462 if you have any questions; you may also use the email form on my Contact Page.
Services for Individuals (Adults)
Over the years, I have helped hundreds of clients address concerns such as depression, anxiety, and dissatisfaction, using approaches customized for their particular situation. Whether the approach we took was best described as in-depth therapy or as a brief consultation, in each instance my work has been guided by the same principles of respect, responsiveness to client needs, and openness to client ideas and feedback. My fundamental belief is that you, the client, have the innate ability to find solutions and to become unstuck, and that my job is to help you by providing support, another perspective, and helpful alternatives.
Therapy for Teens
Many teenagers have had the experience of being told that “these are the best years of your life.” Sometimes, for some people, these words ring true. And yet, adolescence can also be a confusing, frustrating and stressful time, more of an ordeal to be endured than a time to be cherished.
It doesn’t have to be this way. Having worked extensively with adolescents, I am happy to say that counseling can help to make the hard times easier, and can help teens develop the resources, skills and the motivation to turn things around. These aren’t just words: over the last 15 years I have had the pleasure of helping numerous County teens to deal with problems ranging from social and family difficulties to major mental illness, and know the power of therapy to help kids live happier and more constructive lives.
Couples Therapy
Our close romantic relationships are vital to our happiness, and most of us would do just about anything to “live happily ever after.” So why is it that we end up making war rather than loving each other, and why do we feel so unhappy, frustrated, and so unclear on what it would take to get along?
In my practice, I provide a safe place for couples to find out what is getting in the way of the happiness they seek. Even more importantly, in our sessions couples gain the skills and the ability to build the relationship they have been dreaming of. It has been my pleasure to help couples to communicate more easily, to remember to support and soothe each other, and to develop a deeper connection and bond.
Help and Advice for Parents
Parents who are struggling with their kids find no shortage of advice from family, friends, and parenting magazines. Yet the steps that logically “should” work don’t always do the trick, and learning the right approach for each child requires more than applying “one size fits all” advice.
In a collaborative and supportive environment I help parents to develop a constructive understanding of their child and his or her challenges, as well as a plan that will encourage positive behaviors and deepen the parent-child relationship.
Family Therapy
While there is no such thing as a perfect family, most of us have an ideal we dream of. At its best, family life offers family members a safe place to come home to, and an opportunity to care and be cared for. In a positive family environment, we also feel connected, nourished, and respected.
All too often, reality falls far short of this dream, for a variety of reasons including illness, work and academic pressures, and the challenges of blending families and/or different generations. Under pressure, family members often find themselves either engaged in increasingly heated and ineffective arguments, or disconnected and feeling alone.
In my practice, I provide a structured environment where families can learn to recognize and disengage from these old, worn-out patterns. Often acting at various times as referee, coach, and provider of new communication “scripts”, I help family members learn to engage more constructively and find their way back to the family of their dreams.
