Transgender Therapists in Belmont, CA

I am a caring, empathetic, and experienced therapist with more than 20 years in practice. I can assist you to find your unique life's path, overcome obstacles such as difficult emotions and past trauma, and expand your potential for happiness. I work with individuals, families, and people in many sorts of relationships, especially in the areas of anxiety and stress management, trauma and post-traumatic stress, depression, self worth and self-actualization, gender identity, sexuality and intimacy, and life transitions.

I am curious about any ways you might have been cut off from parts of your essential nature early in life. As a child perhaps you sang loudly, told jokes, danced and laughed easily and too much - but soon got the message that you should be more composed and quieter. Or perhaps you spoke your mind at the dinner table, but later you learned to keep your sharp wit and astute insights to yourself because you were encouraged to be agreeable. Maybe your independent nature got buried under 6 feet of niceness. The exiled parts emerge as dark moods, irritability, resentment, avoidant or anxious attachment. They surface as symptoms.

As a veteran mental health provider and life strategist, I offer many holistic counseling modalities in various settings: home, workplace, school, university, community. Behavior modification and other treatment approaches have been highly successful for those suffering from depression, anxiety, anger, emotional regulation, weight management challenges. Together we explore underlying issues fueling your irrational thoughts and dysfunctional behaviors- keeping you stuck. When applicable, I provide Solution-Focused Therapy by negotiating goals for sustainability; both short and long-term. As an EAP provider I offer organizational consultation in numerous areas: individual, group behavior, leadership, conflict, communication, emotional intelligence, time, stress, anger management, etc. Psychological Testing and Evaluation.

Welcome! What is a mosaic? It is little imperfect pieces of glass or tile that come together to form beautiful art. How can we create a mosaic within ourselves and in our lives? All the broken pieces of glass or tile can represent trauma, experiences, life journeys, parts of our self, etc. that we sometimes don't necessarily know how to understand them all to incorporate them into our sense of self. I have a passion for working with people to help put these pieces together in a way that creates the beautiful mosaic that is YOU!

I provide phone and online sessions, please contact me by emails. I have 16 years of experience working with individuals and couples. To me, therapy is a form of healing that helps us find balance and psychological flexibility through a therapeutic process. Whether it is learning more coping skills or arriving to a new insight about ourselves, it is a journey of understanding our lives better. Through that journey, we will learn WHEN and WHAT to let go or to keep. Exploring what serve us purpose now, even the negative behaviors, can help us understand our past, present and future.

I believe in meeting the client where they are, facing the issues presented with an open mind, and to always establish healthy boundaries. My approach is to help manage life's transitions together in a way that provides a nurturing & empathetic experience.

I'm not going to lie, personal growth and healing can be hard work. But it can also be playful and (dare I say) fun. I seek to co-create a supportive safe space for your self-exploration. My approach is collaborative and rooted in the belief that you are the expert of you. In addition to talk therapy, I specialize in Expressive Arts (EXA) Therapy. EXA Therapy uses the creative arts (visual art, music, movement, writing, drama) to explore and process your lived experiences. Do not fear, you do not have to be “good” at art! This process is about what emerges during the process of creative expression and what it means to you.

Who doesn't need therapy? Therapy is unique. It is a safe space where you can be completely who you are. Within the therapy relationship, you are able to say things that you have bottled up, you are given opportunity to identify your blind spots without judgment or shame, and you are able to attune to what you really want in life. I am a big believer in hearing your own voice, getting in touch with your values, and making decisions that align with what is important to you.

I am Rev. Dr. Monika Maria Grace and I welcome you to my page! In our first session together, I also welcome you to my real or virtual office and I invite you to make it your own safe space. I explain that therapy is a process, a relationship, and an adventure. It's also a gift of discovery and renewal that only you can give to yourself, especially in our challenging days. In this process, my role is to listen, to support, to challenge, to guide, and to celebrate you as you are becoming more courageous to face the parts of yourself you were avoiding, more accepting of yourself and of others, and fully present in your life.

I welcome individuals, families and adolescents to my private practice. A few of my specialties: Standard EMDR therapy protocols to resolve trauma and other related symptoms; Teaching coping & life skills to safely & effectively improve sleep and reduce stress, anxiety & depression; Helping adolescents and young people thrive by addressing low-self-esteem, relationship issues, ADHD and behavioral challenges; Supporting individuals and families through issues around substance use & co-occurring disorders; Providing a compassionate and supportive place for you to explore balance, self-awareness and life satisfaction.