Therapists in Outer Richmond, San Francisco, CA

I specialize in the treatment of children, adolescents, and young adults. Naturally, I also work with families. I consider it a privilege to work with young people. You have your whole lives ahead of you and I want to help you thrive. My therapeutic approach is warm, empathic, collaborative, and outcome-focused. You are unique...in personality, abilities and strengths, needs and vulnerabilities, psychological and social circumstances, and in the symptoms you are experiencing. You and I will work together to individualize your treatment. I believe that, fundamentally, you have the resources within you to lead a full and rich life.

Psychotherapy can be an opportunity to reduce emotional suffering, to understand what gets in the way of becoming the person we want to be, and to find a meaningful path forward. In my work with adult clients, I often am engaged around significant relationship challenges, health and wellness concerns, career misgivings, and blocks in expressing oneself. My approach with children and teenagers emphasizes developmental strengths, family supports, and planning for the future. I provide clinical consultation to other mental health professionals for many of these same topics.

You may feel as if you are a passive participant in your life longing to be more active and connected while feeling so incredibly stuck. If you find yourself here, perhaps you or your child has been struggling to enjoy things that he or she usually enjoys (having friends over, heading outdoors, reading/watching tv). Their mind might be filled with worries of what others think and they did something wrong and are having difficulties shaking off an interaction. You or your child are wanting to feel more at ease in your relationships while finding yourself in familiar unhelpful patterns.

I work best with the misfits: geeks & nerds, punks, skaters, artists, musicians, writers, and activists. . . those who "rage against the dying of the light." My area of expertise consists in helping with difficulties in relationships. Such difficulties include finding and sustaining healthy intimacy, healing from a painful break-up or divorce, school-related problems, recovering from major loss, and growing up in difficult circumstances. I am particularly suited to helping those who have cultivated their intellects and creativity but would now like to develop a greater awareness of their emotional world.

Dr. Pixley is a licensed clinical psychologist with unique experience helping people navigate major life transitions, identity expression and exploration, and anxiety and mood disorders. She also supports individuals experiencing challenges related to transracial adoption. Her approach is holistic, social justice informed, practical, and often fun. Dr. Pixley aims to empower clients to live the life they want to live. She enjoys working with teens, adults, and individuals who work in creative and technical fields. She sees patients virtually across the state of California and in person (with vaccination).

I am a Geropsychologist which means I specialize with older adults. I provide forensic neuropsychological evaluations to assist with decision making capacity for the following domains: medical/financial consent, sexual consent, testamentary consent, driving, independent living. Evaluations/therapy also assist with diagnoses for dementia, depression, anxiety, and/or grief/loss. I work with family members/caregivers caring for those with dementia and perhaps behavioral challenges associated with the dementia. I currently work at the San Francisco VA Health Care System (SFVAHCS) for the Department of Geropsychiatry since 2007.

I work with individuals and couples in a variety of different areas, some of them include loss, anxiety, depression, and trauma. People often come in to work on a specific issue while others come in because something feels wrong, or because they want to gain a deeper understanding of themselves. My work with couples involves helping them work through areas in their relationship where they are struggling or feeling at a loss and we work together to help them gain new and lasting relational skills, often with a focus on communication.

If you feel as if you are alone or different than others you are not. Are you having difficulty focusing, enjoying activities and increased anxiety? Have you begun using alcohol or drugs? Do you find yourself isolating and making excuses to not see friends or family? There is nothing to be ashamed or embarrassed about. You could have a mental disorder. There is help, support and relief for your health issues. Starting therapy today will help you get your life back on track.

I received my B.A. degree in University of California, Davis, with a major in Psychology, and my M.A. degree from John F. Kennedy University in the Counseling Psychology program. My expertise includes mental health counseling, such as depressive/anxiety disorders, communication, family, intimacy and/or relationship issues for individuals, groups, couples, and families, drug addiction treatment, and gambling addiction. As a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, I strongly believe in human potential, and my goal is to help my clients to discover and utilize the tools they have already possessed!

Psychotherapy has the ability to significantly improve your mental well being, treat mental illnesses and boost your overall social and psychological functionality. During therapy, we will explore life's challenges, thought patterns and behaviors that are hindering your well being within a very safe, supportive, and non-critical environment. The search for the right therapist can take time and courage. It's important that you find the right match. Let me share with you about my practice and see if I can be of help to you.

Are you feeling overwhelmed, anxious, in a rut? Do you or your family have extra challenges because of adoption and pre-adoption history, insecure attachment, trauma, loss, or other complications? For adults and families touched by adoption or trauma, unconditional love and ordinary parenting skills are not always enough to prevent negative behaviors, anxiety, or depression in childhood or later in life. Finding a therapist with special training in these areas can make all the difference.

We connect to our clients on a deeper level using a unique blend of coaching, soul guidance, and energy healing techniques. Our work is to help you remember who you really are and guide you as you share yourself more fully with the world. Those interested in spirituality, self-awareness, evolution of consciousness and exploring within will likely enjoy and benefit most from our approaches. We specialize in working with empaths, highly sensitive persons and helpers.

Ally of personal growth and empowerment. Sessions are transformative, compassionate, warm and sometimes humorous, with shared knowledge and wisdoms. We are often more powerful than we realize, I enjoy helping people connect with their own empowerment.

Stepping into therapy with someone is an inherently risky process. You are courageously opening up to someone that you don't really know, in hopes of changing, of finding something new, of building a relationship that can create positive change. I respect those who take the leap and I get the importance that you find the right therapist so that you can be understood at a deep level and begin looking more closely at the places in your life that you would like to see change.

Talking to someone who truly listens can be life-changing. You may have clear ideas about what is troubling you or a general sense that things could be better. I work well with people who are motivated to to deepen self-understanding. My approach is collaborative, exploring new ways of thinking while attending to underlying feelings. Working together, you can gain more freedom in your life and have more satisfaction in areas of self-esteem, relationships, work and play.

Sometimes anxiety, depression and trauma responses impact your relationships and work. My approach is to provide deep, abiding support to help you come back to center, allowing a more resilient self to emerge. Together we will build on your strengths to address life challenges with the aim that the consultation room is a safe space where actual life strategies are developed. You and I can address issues ranging from phase of life challenges, Work stress, relationship conflicts, trauma resolution, depression and anxiety management or the impacts of addictive processes in your life.

Sometimes life circumstances, trauma, strong emotions of depression and anxiety can seem overwhelming and you may not know where to turn for help. As a trauma therapist (Certified Havening Techniques Practitioner), Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor, I offer skills based therapy to help turn hard times around. A number of benefits are available from participating in therapy. Therapists can provide support, problem-solving skills, and enhanced coping strategies for issues such as depression, anxiety, relationship troubles, unresolved childhood issues, grief, and stress management.

We are all works in progress - or as I see it, masterpieces in the making. In therapy, my hope is to create a safe place for you to share the challenges of being human in this world. It is a place to explore pain and patterns that continue to show themselves, a place to explore how family, community, institutions, and social systems have impacted us, and a place to grow in awareness so as to participate more authentically in the fabric of life. I believe we all have the capacity to heal and view my job not as healer but as human creating a space for you to find the healer within yourself.

I specialize in trauma, anxiety, and depression. I am intuitive, holistic, and collaborative in my approach.