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anxiety and depression

ONLINE COUNSELING AND GROUP THERAPY FOR

ADULTS IN CALIFORNIA

You just want to be able to stop the negative thoughts and feel like yourself...

...But you're not sure how to get there. You're good at giving advice and encouragement to your friends and loved ones, but applying it all to yourself is another story. When you try to focus on what you "should" be doing and feeling, it seems to make things worse. You keep falling short of the expectations you put on yourself, causing a spiral into deeper anxiety, shame, and self-judgement.

Maybe you were able to push forward and keep all these struggles behind the scenes for a while, but it's taken its toll. The negative thoughts and emotions feel out of control; they're keeping you from feeling okay in your work, relationships, and ability to enjoy things that you used to. You've realized it's time to slow down and truly take care of yourself.

Finding relief is possible

You can reverse the downward spiral and become empowered to build the self-compassion, confidence, and balance that you deserve. I'm here to create the space you need to heal.

In our work together, we'll create a personalized roadmap that will help you more effectively access your own wisdom so you can give yourself the same kindness and motivation you give to others. I'll help you gain the tools you need to set healthier boundaries in relationships, with work/productivity, and with your own inner critic.

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Why work with me?

With an extensive background in mindfulness-based approaches and expressive arts techniques, I'm able to provide a space in which we not only talk about effective strategies for healing, but you'll get to practice them and experience what it feels like to heal. I can guide you through new patterns of relating to your inner critic so you don't feel like its toxic messages are overpowering you.
 
This is especially true in a group therapy setting, where you'll be able to practice balancing attending to others and attending to yourself in the moment. These in-session experiences will help you develop the mind's 'muscle memory' in approaching life with greater self-compassion and self-acceptance. 

JOIN A GROUP

If you find that anxiety and depression take the form of perfectionism, people-pleasing, or overthinking, I created a group that's tailor-made for you. This ongoing weekly group will begin in Spring 2021. Get on the group interest list to be the first to know when enrollment opens!

Be more present in the good times,

and more self-compassionate in the tough times

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Frequently Asked Questions

ABOUT ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION COUNSELING

What does a typical session look like? 

For individual therapy, we'll meet for 50 minutes each session. I often see people every one or two weeks. At the start of services, we'll identify what specific goals you'd like to aim for, such as creating a better work-life balance or having more confidence around peers. Each session after that will be spent discussing issues that will help us get you there. This can look like unpacking and exploring ways to change patterns in how you relate to others/yourself that get in the way of reaching your goal, and finding ways to enhance your already-existing strengths that can help you move forward. When applicable, we can incorporate expressive arts techniques like therapeutic sketches, collages, or writing exercises. I can also provide in-session guided mindfulness practices and help you create a manageable out-of-session mindfulness routine.

For group therapy, we'll meet for 90 minutes each week. Groups consist of no more than 6 members, and attendance is set up as a monthly membership. Sessions begin with a grounding/self-compassion-related exercise, and a general check-in so you and all other group members get a chance to share what stood out from your week. You'll all get the opportunity to identify any specific concerns/questions/topics that you'd like to discuss with the group. Sometimes I'll include a specific self-reflective question to help jumpstart meaningful discussions. I encourage all group members to choose something new to focus on each week outside of sessions, such as practicing a new mindfulness technique each day or practicing saying 'no' to a request. In this way, the group can become a support for starting and maintaining new habits. I lead sessions in a way that avoids simple advice-giving, and instead helps members support and interact with each other in deeper ways.​

Would group work for me if I have social anxiety?

Yes! Oftentimes, social anxiety creates a vicious cycle: You feel anxious about social situations, so you avoid them, giving short-term relief but reinforcing increased anxiety when the next social situation presents itself. If this sounds familiar, joining a group can be incredibly healing for you. It breaks the cycle and gets you to avoid avoiding. Because the group is professionally led to create a safe, nonjudgmental space, this is a wonderful environment to begin practicing overcoming social anxiety so you can begin applying it to social situations outside of group.

How do I get started?

Schedule a free phone consultation by clicking the button below. This will give us a chance to meet, briefly talk about your goals, and allow me to answer any of your questions. If we determine that my counseling services would be a good fit for you, we'll schedule our first appointment. I'm looking forward to hearing from you!

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