Find a Therapist in El Cerrito, California.

Each of us have complicated ways of protecting ourselves from being vulnerable. Those self protective tendencies are often outside of our awareness. I will help bring those habits into your awareness and teach you to remain kind and compassionate towards yourself and your people. I will help guide you to your own wisdom by being your flashlight and then help create lasting changes for lasting mind-body-emotional healing.

I help men and teens who are struggling with emotional pain, transform their lives. More than a decade's worth of focus on men's issues has taught me that men can experience and express emotion differently than women. In addition to my role as a psychotherapist, I am also Research Director at the San Francisco Psychotherapy Research Group, where I study the processes that lead to effective psychotherapy. My combined clinical and research background means that I am very aware of the most current and effective methods in psychotherapy, allowing me to utilize a warm, compassionate, and scientifically-informed approach to help my clients achieve the maximum benefits possible.

Early wounding in life is the key cause of the issues and problems we have in our present lives. I believe in exploring and experienceing our early painful and angry feelings to associate them with how we deal with our relationships, our jobs and/or the community. I believe that the strong feelings of anger and love we have or had for our parents are reflected in our current relationships. I also believe that the modeling of behavior in our early lives will be reflected in how we act today. If this has a negative bent to it, it can be readily repaired through the empathetic and reflective counseling that I provide..

I am a Holistic Psychotherapist meaning I work with my clients Mind-body-spirit complex. I have created a process that I call “from Mindfulness to Soulfulness" that combines Soul work/Inner child healing with cutting edge law of attraction techniques that allow you to heal at a deep level, harness your untapped potential, and create your desired reality. You learn how to get out of survivor mode and let your Higher Self lead. My process involves identifying your core wounds and negative stories and thought patterns, over writing the scripts and healing your inner child. I use somatic techniques for deep healing such as guided visualizations, and the EFT (tapping technique) for trauma release

Feeling stuck in a cycle that is causing you pain or a lack of fulfillment leaves you open to increased stress, followed by more pain and lack of fulfillment. This puts a strain on your relationships and your sense of well-being. Maybe you feel stuck in addiction, depression, anxiety, a relationship you want to change, a job that doesn't satisfy you anymore. Maybe you have specific ways of interacting with people that you find doesn't serve you anymore- yelling, arguing, passivity, keeping your guard up. We explore your patterns, your symptoms and the reasons they were useful to you. I will teach you knew ways of managing your emotions and ways to diminish patterns that no longer serve you.

Psychotherapy is not anything to be scared of, or intimidated about. Seeking out a therapist or being in therapy isn't an admission of weakness or some kind of character flaw. Therapy is a collaborative process and a partnership with someone who is trained in and experienced with facilitating personal growth. And in this process, you are in the driver's seat. Our minds and emotions and relationships involve complicated machinery just like our bodies do and in the same way a medical doctor helps you stay physically healthy, Psychotherapy is designed to help you be and stay mentally and socially strong, and continually in a position to take on life's many challenges as your best self.