Family Systems Therapists in San Francisco, CA

I’m a child psychotherapist that works with parents, children, and adolescents. You might be here because you have questions about your child’s behavior, wish for a more satisfying parent-child relationship, or are overwhelmed from the stresses of parenthood. Perhaps painful memories from your own childhood are impacting your parenting and family. Becoming a parent is one of the most profound transitions in the adult life, and it naturally brings up shifts in our external and internal lives. It’s my honor to support individuals, couples, families, and children through this period and beyond.

Are you interested in living life to the fullest but struggle to achieve it? You've taken the first steps towards healing. Carter Care Therapeutic Services is dedicated to you! Regardless of what you're going through, our team of Licensed Therapist will strive to bring out the best in you. You're not alone. We can assist you in resolving your past pain! We will affirm your strengths and challenge you to use them. While promoting insight, healing and change in an environment full of warmth and genuineness. Carter Care Therapist are here to provide a safe, unbiased and non-judgmental environment.

My name is Kelly Gonderman, and I am a Licensed Clinical Psychologist. I specialize in helping adolescents and young adults work toward being their best selves. I have a true passion for helping adolescents and transitional age youth along with their families navigate challenges in order to live their best lives now and in the future. I have experience working with individuals who are struggling with depression, anxiety, trauma, suicidal ideation, self-harm and family of origin concerns.

In my therapeutic practice, I emphasize a secure environment for those seeking therapeutic support. With a foundation in empathy, I establish a professional alliance, enabling clients to express their innermost thoughts and concerns. Leveraging evidence-based modalities, I tailor strategies to each client's unique needs. Through active listening and strategic guidance, I aid clients in achieving clarity and enhancing coping skills. My ultimate goal is to empower individuals and couples to harness their innate resilience, deepen self-awareness, and foster personal growth.

You are determined, smart and used to navigating challenges but this feels different. Normally you could handle it yourself or push the worry away but bigger questions are arising and you are left feeling overwhelmed, lost in ambivalence, stressed, anxious and not sure what can help. You feel like your dreams and what you have worked for are slipping away and it's impacting your life & relationships. This may be triggering lots of painful or scary feelings, memories from your past, not feeling like yourself or the idea that now is the time to make real change and get help.

I enjoy finding a person or family's strengths and resources in a warm and inviting environment. My practice is research based and brings the best resources in a down to earth and nonjudgmental way.

I work with adults, adolescents, children and couples / families. If you are anxious, depressed, or lonely; in a troubled relationship, grieving, haunted by childhood trauma, or painful, confusing feelings; it can be hard to make headway alone. There are times when the reason for coming to therapy is clear (a loss, a crisis), other times a feeling that something is holding you back, or keeping you from your self.

I specialize in working with adolescent males who are experiencing externalizing behaviors (e.g. oppositional defiance, aggression, truancy, delinquency, etc.). In addition, I have extensive experience working with families struggling with attachment, attunement, and communication issues. I also work with couples dealing with relational problems and life transitions.

I bring to my private practice 36 years of experience and training in couple dynamics, attachment, sexuality and family systems. When couples first contact me, they have often been struggling with strained, stuck and reactive relationship patterns for a long time. They have hurt one another by attempting various ineffective solutions such as fighting-to-win, resentful compliance, disengagement, dulled sexual desire, infidelities, freezing in hopelessness. These are all an attempt to manage the anxiety and discomfort often inherent in long-term relationship challenges. Naturally, there is discouragement and worry.

I work with couples, families, individual adults and adolescents, addressing a range of clinical issues which include depression, anxiety, substance abuse, childhood sexual abuse, parenting and relational problems. My clinical approach is eclectic, tailored to suit the individual needs of my clients; I draw on family systems, cognitive behavioral and humanistic/existential models and am particularly interested in assisting individuals and families as they negotiate the inevitable developmental stages and transitions that are a part of every human life. I am a proactive therapist who works with clients in an interactive, goal- oriented and collaborative fashion.

Life brings challenges for everyone and we often feel confused and trapped in negative patterns. I offer a calm presence, experience, compassion, and an outside perspective that can lead to more clarity and positive changes in your life. I’ve counseled people for many years from all walks of life, covering a wide variety of issues, and I look forward to finding out about you and what we can achieve together.

When you've decided to get help, seeking a psychologist you feel comfortable with is as important as their skill and training. If I'm so honored to have you as my client, you'll find I utilize an integrated approach; a mix of gentle yet direct communication, mindfulness, cultural dynamics including family systems, psychoeducation, skill building using cognitive behavioral techniques, and of course explorative questions that help to uncover the emotional obstacles to your healing and progression in life.

When you are feeling depressed or anxious, you have a real reason to want to be heard. You communicate through words and body language. A child communicates through play and art. Whichever way you communicate, I am dedicated to hear what you have to say and gain a real understanding of what is going on. Together, we can explore your uniqueness and find strength in that. Whether it is a family issue or a personal one, taking care of yourself is a priority. I believe that the basic foundation of therapy is a good relationship between therapist and client.

I approach psychotherapy from a whole-person perspective and I believe therapy, along with other practices, can help us awaken to a life of meaning. In therapy I will help you identify the source of your longing to be whole, and together, we will move closer to that source, so you become re-sourced. Together we will explore your innate natural cycles and help you align to your own rhythm, so that you might meet depletion with rest and energy with creativity.

I am motivated by a desire to support people to make sense of what has happened to them across time, and to explore how their past experiences might be impacting their present lives. This has led me to focus on trauma-related issues, in particular the relationship between mind and body in response to traumatic experience. I have extensive experience working with PTSD, disrupted attachment, abandonment, losses and intergenerational trauma. I am trained in psychodynamic and Jungian psychotherapy and draw on approaches from other schools of psychology and modalities

My fervent passion for counseling and unwavering belief in people are the cornerstones of my therapeutic work. In my role as facilitator I listen deeply to your concerns, worries, joys, and important life stories. We will embark on an interesting experience that helps you to become more in tune with yourself and others and more appreciative of your own skills and gifts. Together, we take steps to help you relieve the burdens of stress, worry and other overwhelming emotions so that you feel more at ease and confident in living your best life.

I am a devoted to helping you find relief from anxiety, anger, depression, shame, or whatever it is that leaves you feeling stuck. This relief can come by being in a relationship where all of you is welcomed and valued, even the parts of you that feel broken, extreme, or judged by yourself or others. Together, we'll get to know what's causing you these symptoms, help change your relationship to these symptoms, and work towards healing whatever wound is at the root. In this process you may find that "you" becomes more clear, and experience a greater freedom to show up in the ways you'd like at work, home, and in your relationships.

You’d say that you are observant, conscientious, and driven. You pride yourself in your successes so far but struggle to take credit for them. You're hard on yourself but the thought of self-forgiveness or compassion brings up guilt. You're really good at being there for others and notice not receiving the same back. Self-doubt and loneliness keep you up at night and bleed into anxieties about work, relationships, and your kids if you’re a parent. You're not looking for temporary bandaids and believe sustainable healing is continuous and worth investing in. In relationships, you desire restoration of connection with your partner.

Best Life Therapy is a premier tele-therapy practice offering Virtual Therapy services to individuals, couples, and families, in Los Angeles and throughout California. At Best Life our clinicians can help you cope with changes while gaining insight, enhancing communication, improving self-concept, and meeting your goals. Whether issues you are facing are due to depression, anxiety, stress, relationships, mental illness, addictions, trauma, or of another nature, we will be able to support you in setting goals, changing patterns and thinking, and support you in living your Best Life.