I offer both phone and in person sessions Monday thru Friday with both day and evening appointments available. I also provide Saturday morning appointments.
My office is located in Pleasant Hill, CA. The office complex is “Mayhew Office Park” and is one block from Interstate 680. There is ample free parking.
Therapy is an effective choice when you are experiencing:
Therapy can be both. We will decide together on a treatment plan and check in at regular intervals to make any adjustments as needed. Brief therapy is usually anywhere from three to ten sessions.
Sometimes a short period of solution-focused therapy helps resolve a current, pressing issue while a longer span of therapy is often very helpful for concerns that reflect deeper, more nuanced aspects of personal growth. Brief therapy is often most useful if you are relatively healthy and are facing a simple life crisis. Brief therapy emphasizes solutions.
Long term therapy is a more effective modality if you have experienced significant loss or disruption during your formative years ( alcoholic parent(s), lengthy hospitalizations, abuse, etc.). The emphasis is on exploring and strengthening your inner world in a safe, secure, supportive setting.
Choosing a therapist is an important decision. The following questions can help you make the right choice:
Psychotherapy has blossomed over the decades since Freud initiated the ‘talking cure”.
There are many forms, the most common being psychoanalytic, cognitive behavior therapy, psychodynamic, existential, humanistic, brief, systemic, transpersonal and body psychotherapy.
Fortunately, clinical studies have shown that what is most effective is not the type of therapy per se, but rather the relationship between the patient and the therapist. If you feel safe and respected by your therapist, that she ‘gets’ you, then you will have a good outcome.
This doesn’t mean that you won’t have a moment here or there of frustration or anger, but that should be within the overall context of feeling understood (sometimes we have to hear something we don’t like in order to become more aware). It also doesn’t mean that you should ignore your therapist’s training. Being well-trained and having years of experience are invaluable assets and add subtleness to the therapeutic experience.
Psychotherapy is a bit different than a typical visit to your doctor or dentist. Rather than presenting a problem and having the medical professional provide a solution, successful psychotherapy is a collaborative process. You are encouraged to be open, honest and active in the exchange. Between sessions you reflect on the topics discussed and may even do a little ‘homework’, for example, write in a journal, record your dreams, practice new behaviors, etc.
What you share in session is considered confidential and may not be revealed to anyone without your explicit written permission, except where the law states otherwise (such as a reasonable suspicion of child, dependent or elder abuse or neglect, if you present a danger to yourself, to others, to property, or are gravely disabled).
One other note should be added here: if you choose to submit a claim to your insurance company, you forfeit the confidentiality and privacy of your records. Most of the people I work with choose not to use insurance for this reason.
I offer both phone and in person sessions Monday thru Friday with both day and evening appointments available. I also provide Saturday morning appointments.
My office is located in Pleasant Hill, CA. The office complex is “Mayhew Office Park” and is one block from Interstate 680. There is ample free parking.
