One-on-one therapy

Individual therapy is for you if you:

  • Want to better understand the patterns in your relationship with yourself and with others

  • Want to trust yourself more and be able to speak your truth more clearly

  • Want deeper, more nourishing relationships with your important people

  • Experienced fear, intimidation or shaming in your family growing up and are ready to heal

And you are open to these ideas:

Human beings are feeling beings. We cannot figure it all out with our heads. Our emotions compel us to action, and being able to engage with all of our emotions— anger, disgust, joy, sadness, fear, excitement— is key to leading a full, satisfying, impactful life.

We are also relational beings. We get hurt in relationship, and we heal in relationship. Exploring and understanding your relationship patterns is key in order to feel less alone, feel more connected with others, and find your place in the world. Your relational patterns are mostly formed in early childhood.

We are always trying to heal. Even just the fact that you are reading this page right now and interested in therapy tells me that you are wanting to feel better, and that is something to celebrate. It’s important to notice and name what is working well, what is feeling good, and all the ways you strive for healing and happiness.

These are the kinds of things we will explore together in individual therapy:

  • Patterns in your relationships both past and present

  • Your relationship with yourself

  • How you experience your emotions, including in your body

  • Your past, including past trauma, and how it affects you and your relationships in the present

  • The cultural environment you grew up in and how that affects you today

  • What you want in life and what gets in the way.

We are probably not a good fit if:

You want to focus on your thinking and mindset (head) rather than feeling and sensing (body). A better therapy approach for that is Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT).

It is very overwhelming or triggering for you to sense into your body. A question I often ask people I work with is “What is happening inside you right now?”. My approach is very somatically-oriented, meaning there’s a lot of focus on how things are experienced in the body in the present moment.

You want a “tough love” kind of therapist. That is not me: my style is gentle and affirming. I trust the process, and I trust that where you are in your process is where you need to be. True, lasting change will happen when you are ready.

You are looking for advice or instructions. That is not what I do. My goal is to help you trust yourself more than anyone else. I will share my insights, but I won’t tell you what to do.

You want short-term or brief therapy. The kind of therapy I practice requires slowing down, creating a safe, trusting space together, and unearthing experiences and emotions that have been buried deep inside for a long time. This takes time.

You want in-person therapy. I am currently offering therapy sessions via Zoom only. Research shows that tele-therapy works just as well as in-person therapy. I have found that to be true both as a therapist and also as a therapy client myself.

You live outside of California. I am licensed in California and archaic rules forbid me from doing therapy with any person who I know to be outside of California. But even though I can’t see you for individual or couples therapy, you can join my online support groups no matter where you are located. Contact me for more information.

You are in crisis and need more support than your regularly scheduled weekly sessions. At the moment, I am not able to provide a higher level of care if you are feeling suicidal or are in crisis. But please contact me and I will do my best to connect you with resources and therapists who can help you. Help is available, you don’t have to go through this alone.

My fee ($175 per hour) is unaffordable to you right now. Therapy is a significant investment and it’s normal for the fee to pinch a little and require some sacrifices. But if you have to forgo food or other essentials to afford therapy, please do not put that extra stress on yourself. Check out Open Path Collective or google “Community counseling in [your location]” for more affordable therapy options.

You need a time slot in the evenings or weekends. I currently (as of September 2024) only have openings in the daytime on Mondays and Tuesdays.

Practical details

I meet clients either weekly or every-other-week.
If you’re not sure which frequency is best for you, I’d be happy to discuss it on our consultation call.

I am currently accepting new clients for daytime appointments on Mondays and Tuesdays only.

All sessions are on Zoom and for California residents.

My fee for individual therapy is $175. I do not take insurance.

You’re ready to start therapy. What happens next?

Step 1: Start by contacting me via this form and tell me a little bit about what you are seeking help with. Please do not include sensitive information in this form, for your protection.
Your message will be sent to my secure email account, and I will respond within 1 to 2 business days.

Step 2: Together we agree on a time to meet on Zoom for a 20-min consultation. There is no fee for this consult.
This time allows us to see if we mesh and if it would feel good to work together. As I see it, therapy should be enjoyable, even if it’s hard work. A big part of that is our connection and eagerness to work together. During the consult, I am happy to answer any questions you have about working together.
If the connection between us doesn’t feel right, I offer to send you names of other therapists who might be a better fit.
If the connection between us feels right, we schedule a first session then and there.

Step 3: Before our first session, I email you a link to my client portal, which is a secure, HIPAA-compliant platform where you can read and sign my forms and fill out a credit card authorization. You will need to complete this online paperwork before we can meet.

Step 4: We have our first session, which I like to think of as a trial session. You get to experience my approach to therapy and see how it feels for you. You decide if you want to continue.

Step 5: If you do want to continue, we agree on a regular meeting time. I send you a link to my client portal again so you can fill out a lengthier intake form.

Step 6: We meet for our second session, and go from there!

And if you’re intrigued but not quite ready to jump in?

Take your time, there’s no rush.

In the meantime, if you want to contact me and let me know what you are struggling with, I would be happy email you some resources (books, videos, articles, podcast episodes…) that could be helpful.

You can also browse my articles about relationship therapy.

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