SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA DEPTH PSYCHOTHERAPY

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 specialize in listening for the stories and defenses that have become harmful instead of helpful.  Once these stories helped you to make sense of the pain and difficulty in your life, but now they are limiting your ability to feel connected and alive.  By bringing these defenses forward into the light, we become actively involved in the process of bridging old ways of relating with a new awareness. This deeper awareness may already come out in your dreams, creativity, play, activism or your sexuality.  In therapy, we will work to support and nurture this budding awareness by using the therapist/client relationship to focus on your experience of the world while looking into ways to challenge unhelpful stories and patterns.  You will gradually notice a relaxing of your self-judgment, a strengthening of your sense of self, and a deepening of your relationship with others.

I tend to work with people who believe that they are “broken.”  Many people I work with have self-judgment or secrets that make them feel different and separate from their families, friend groups, and communities.  I welcome all people who feel like "outsiders" into my practice.

GETTING HELP FOR YOUR SPECIFIC NEEDS

There are may reasons why people develop stories and defenses that result in feeling “other” or cut-off from friends and family.  Some of the reasons are from current life stressors or problems, like an illness or a break up, while others may be from early hurts as children within their families.  To find out more about my work with relationship problems, with people who have experienced trauma and loss, with adolescents, with people of all genders exploring their sexuality, and with the LGBTQ community, please visit my Specialties page.

I am a Native American from the Coharie Tribe in North Carolina. I deeply value my tribal and Southern roots, but I call California home and have lived here for half of my life. I have a diverse practice, and enjoy seeing clients from a wide variety of class, race, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, and ethnic backgrounds.  I welcome all people to my practice and deeply appreciate the diversity of San Francisco and the Bay Area.

MAKING THERAPY ACCESSIBLE

When you call, we will talk about what is troubling you.  This is an opportunity for me to listen and get a sense of what you are going through.  You will be able to ask me any questions you may have about me, my practice, or psychotherapy in general.  When you feel ready, we can schedule an appointment to discuss in more depth what is happening in your life and what needs to change.  We will talk for an hour, and after this we will decide if we would like to keep working together on a weekly basis.  I charge our established fee for this first meeting.