Relationship Issues Therapists in San Francisco, CA

We all deserve space to be our full selves. I view my role as therapist as a co-explorer: I walk alongside you as you navigate your authentic experience of this world. In session, we follow what feels present for you in the moment and approach what arises with curiosity. This mindful awareness helps you build relationship with more "parts" of you. I aim to allow all of you in. Eventually, this process of being "more you" can lead to a more grounded and authentically connected experience of life, one in which you find yourself with more choice, agency, and fulfillment.

Many of us struggle to find, or be happy, in our personal relationships. And it can feel like a mystery as to why it is so difficult to feel seen and understood by a partner. Some of us may feel we give too much energy to our relationships, while some of us feel reticent to engage at more intimate levels. I work with clients to pinpoint the personal struggles and self-beliefs that are impeding the ability to feel comfortable and energized in relationship. With skill and care I bring a new perspective to your specific situation.

Our relationships with the people we care for most impact every moment of our day-to-day lives. The more we know ourselves, the better we can show up in our relationships. I help clients understand their interpersonal relationship dynamics, family systems, attachment styles, and, most importantly, their relationship with themselves. I've worked with clients to build confidence by deepening their understanding of emotions, communication styles, and self-love. I've also supported clients in negotiating how past trauma impacts their present lives and integrating those experiences.

I am a Certified Gottman Therapist specializing in helping couples apply cinically proven methods to manage painful conflict and restore friendship, romance and passion to their relationship. Most couples call because the love they feel has been lost or buried under increasingly frequent or more intense arguing and conflict. Many couples find themselves avoiding important discussions altogether, or flaring into go-nowhere fights. Scientifically proven methods help couples learn healthy ways to clear the air when are hurt, compromise in a way that is a win-win and build a rich and rewarding friendship that fuels passion and romance.

Your experience is worthy of exploration and I believe that we all benefit from a protected space to journey through our history, needs, thoughts, and wishes around who we've been and who we want to be. I'm also familiar with the many ways that we can feel prohibited from giving ourselves such a space.

Becoming our most alive and authentic self is the goal of psychotherapy. If you are like many of the people that I work with, you have felt that being yourself wasn't accepted or valued in relationships, your family, or the world in general. In therapy, you have the opportunity to non-judgmentally challenge and change these learned beliefs and grow into your true self. I am especially interested in working with couples, relationship problems, anxiety, trauma, sex and sexuality, and LGBTQ.

I work well with individuals going through life transitions, in love, work, identity, grief, parenting, infertility. Psychotherapy is not one size fits all, but a relationship finely tailored to each individual(s). Your needs determine the approach I take. I have over 30 years of experience and a wide variety of approaches to choose from. My main tools are good listening, and a strong belief people can learn from their past and current experiences, if they have the support to face themselves honestly. No one is too old to learn new strategies to make life more fulfilling.

Life can feel impossible to avoid struggling and we often don't feel we have the skills to cope successfully through. Unfortunately, sometimes we don't have all the resources we need for a given situation. Parts of us take on desperate roles trying to help us to survive. This might look like anxiety, depression, PTSD, addiction, and relationship/family issues. I aim to help you process unresolved issues and feelings and find solutions.

I believe the therapeutic relationship is built from trust and sincerity. My hope is to hold space for a genuine connection that fosters dynamic self reflection. Looking deeper into the layers of experience that inform our internal gaze and external lens, and what we intrinsically value and believe. Whether you are looking to unravel patterns of codependency, improve communication with your partner(s), or navigate through body shame and disordered eating, I see opportunity for clarity and resolve.

I am a licensed psychotherapist. I work with individual adults and teens specializing in trauma recovery, relationship dynamics and sexuality. I am knowledgeable and affirming of sexual and gender diversity and non-traditional relationship structures. My work is somatic and experiential. Experiential means experiencing your felt sense of your emotions in your body. This is very helpful for regulating your emotions, your nervous system and shifting beliefs that block us from thriving. I provide guidance to help you acknowledge your truth and remain present while being honest and vulnerable with yourself and others.

Our therapists at the Bay Area Center for Couples Therapy can help you and your partner improve your relationship. Don't wait until it's too late. Research has found that couples wait an average of six years to seek help after their problems begin. Whether you're in the beginning of your relationship, been together a long time, have been just starting to struggle, or are on the brink of calling it quits, remember, its never too late to fix your relationship. We use effective, evidence based therapy called Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy, which has shown significant improvement in 88% of couples treated with EFT and 70-73% of couples moving from distress to recovery in an average of 20 sessions. Our work is also informed by John Gottman's research on couples.

I see children, adolescents, and adults in individual psychotherapy and psychoanalysis who are struggling with a variety of issues, including depression, anxiety, relationship problems, life cycle challenges, and trauma. At times the way people cope with and manage their past or present difficulties create additional barriers to feeling good, and fulfilling their hopes and goals. As a conscientious, professional, and compassionate clinician, I strive to provide a therapeutic relationship in which together we can think about, understand and help you work through those feelings and thoughts that are troubling, confusing and worrisome.

My specialty for over 20 years is food, weight, body image and exercise issues as a Licensed Marriage Family Therapist and nutritional consultant . My own eating disorder history led to my path helping those struggling with binging, restricting, purging, compulsive exercise and body dissatisfaction. We work on the BODY level with nutrition; the FEELING level, addressing anxiety, depression, self esteem; the THINKING level, obsessing about calories, carbohydrates, fat grams, the gym, the scale; we build EMPOWERMENT, finding your voice, using boundaries, recognizing and honoring your needs, healthier coping skills. Our focus is to normalize eating and change your relationship to food and to your body.

I am a licensed clinical psychologist with over thirty years of psychotherapy experience. I've come to view what I do as an unique and specialized form of education. I "teach" not so much by telling people what to do (although good advice can sometimes be very useful), but by offering supportive, empathic and honest feedback. Individuals and problems are unique; sometimes solution oriented approaches are warranted, and other times insight and exploration help to provide clarification and relief.

We often come to therapy in crisis. Something has gone wrong in a relationship. Major, disorienting life transitions are underway. Emotional experiences are becoming increasingly overwhelming. Life seems stuck, static, depressing. Anxiety is on the rise. A series of events have altered our course. We are feeling lost. Therapy can offer a soothing lifeboat for these rough seas. Often crisis is a wake up call, a time for necessary change, new growth, a reconnoitering of the landscape, a vivid reorientation. My practice is designed to move you from crisis to care, from care to confidence, confidence to creative, enlivening capacity.

Are you making it through the day, looking to the rest of the world as if you're doing just fine, but deep down inside you feel stuck and uninspired? Do you wonder what is holding you back from thriving in the world? In our hectic world we often find ourselves afraid to take risks that could jeopardize the stable lives we've created for ourselves. We remain in jobs, relationships and old patterns that no longer work, while symptoms such as anxiety, depression, stress, anger and self-defeating patterns keep us from making real changes to our lives.

Each individual or couple's suffering is unique. Despite significant success the sources of this suffering can elude and confuse you. Together, we can talk and think about your suffering and gradually you can develop the capacity for a sense of sturdiness and purpose. Thoughtfully examining your unique experiences in the presence of a warm, nonjudgmental therapist can allow you to discover new ways of relating to yourself and others and the flexibility to live your life differently. The power of talk therapy lies in getting to the heart of the matter, and the therapy relationship is a powerful venue for insight and transformation.

I specialize in working with you in times of change whether wanted or unwanted; un-coupling or committing; wits-end or letting go or starting again. By looking at habits, patterns, defense structures, and super powers, we build awareness of their purpose and see how you can repurpose them, let them go or build new ones through deepening and allowing, owning disavowed parts, crafting new narratives. We help you find compassion and respect for self and others, growing your self esteem and relational wisdom.

Welcome!  I provide individual and couples therapy online. If you are struggling with relationship issues (including breakups), stress, anxiety, unhappiness, a situation you would like perspective on, workplace issues, or finding meaning or direction, I can help.  My expertise in mindfulness and insight-oriented therapies can help us identify and target the source of your struggles for more lasting changes.   I am also solution-focused and incorporate coaching strategies and cognitive behavioral therapy to help you take action today.