Drug Abuse Therapists in Soquel, CA

Do you want to understand more about how and why you are the way you are? Are you contending with difficult and painful symptoms in your emotional and mental life? Do you need a safe, neutral, and compassionate third party to hear you, reflect your story, offer feedback, and try to make sense of your life together with you? Everyone contends with painful experiences and emotions in their lives. Often times we are confused by our pain because despite our best efforts, we can’t seem to make sense of why we are hurting so much or what to do about it. So often the pain in life is a result of unconscious energies within us.

If you are reading this, you having been wanting things to be different. You ARE on the path to change! You ARE ready to feel better, do better and stop settling for mediocre. Whether it's learning, healing, feeling, speaking or listening, you can grow through this. Learn how to increase the connection with yourself, intimate partner, family and friends and find the support that you need. If you are or have been afraid, learn how fear can be overcome by practicing strategic action and utilizing growth mindset strategies.

Sometimes life presents seemingly overwhelming challenges. Answers to these questions lie within us. I can help you find solutions drawn from your own innate wholeness, wisdom and intelligence. Working together we can make significant steps along this journey to greater well being and more satisfying relationships. Allow me to accompany, guide and support you along your way. I bring over 30 years of professional experience and training in addictions, couples work, LBGT issues and trauma recovery to our sessions. I offer humor, empathy, a highly engaged style and a deep respect for the courage, resources and depth of each person.

I support you in remembering yourself and allowing your inner healing intelligence to return you to connection with your wholeness.

Are you needing a Wise & Compassionate Ally, so that you can create a life of Greater Ease, Choice and Connection? Are you needing new skills to help address your “emotional distress” so that you have these tools available when you most need them? Somatically-Attuned Internal Family Systems (IFS) helps you creatively reduce inner criticism, shame and anxiety & reclaim a life of Greater Presence, Clarity & Joy. We will use Parts Dialogue, Expressive Arts, EFT Tapping & Guided Visualization to transform your old, critical, limiting beliefs through Authentic Compassion, Love & Empowerment!

I work with couples with challenging relationship issues (including infidelity). I work with teenagers and their families (including various "addictions" drug/alc, computer/video games, social media, pornography). I work with people who have been sexually and physically abused. I work with people experiencing grief and loss. I work with couples and individuals who are conflict avoidant and provide skills to work through conflict. I also work with family of origin unresolved hurt and trauma. I help identify the origin of auto-pilot buttons and defenses. Lastly, self-esteem and personal growth challenges. Change is hard not impossible.

Laying awake at night, not knowing how much longer you can hang on. The job, the kids, the family, etc. is just too much sometimes. There's an urge to escape. Then...the solution becomes the problem. Alcohol and drugs help relieve the stress. The stress is still there, but it seems manageable. There is just one problem...keeping the stress manageable means continuing to drink or use. Not knowing where to turn. How to ask for help? Who to ask for help? What does help even look like? Feeling alone. Looking in the mirror is not a good option because the person looking back is a stranger.

I am a compassionate, empathetic, engaging, and challenging therapist. I utilize the many disciplines I have integrated over the past 30 plus years of practicing as a Licensed Marriage and family therapist. I am also a Certified Addiction Specialist (#C-4020). I tailor treatment to each individual, couple, and family. I will help guide you on your journey of change.

Feeling anxious or worried? Too busy for therapy during the work week? I'm available for Friday afternoon and Sunday appointments. I provide support and practical feedback to help clients effectively address personal life challenges, reduce stress levels, and lead richer, fuller lives. I am an interactive, solution-focused, cognitive behavioral therapist. In a comfortable and supportive atmosphere I work with a wide range of emotional and behavioral issues.

For over 30 years I have been helping my clients to discover new ways to deal with their problems and to begin thriving rather than merely surviving in their lives. My greatest strength is moving people from crisis to change. My openness and forthright style with clients provide them the opportunity for understanding, personal growth, and change. I view therapy as an educational as well as therapeutic experience. My style is primarily interactive. I am supportive, caring and process oriented. I have extensive experience with mental health, hospitals and schools. I love working with people in all stages and ages of their lives!

Therapy is an amazing placebo. You do not NEED a therapist to learn, transform, and grow your awareness of yourself. I firmly believe whatever it is you are seeking to learn, change, or make peace with, you can do it. The benefit of working with a trained therapist who sees you, gives your sense of agency and innate wisdom the respect it deserves, and offers an outside perspective on your experience informed by evidenced-based theory and practice, is that the pace of growth is greatly accelerated.

All of us have those moments in life where we finally "get" something, those times when everything finally makes sense. As a therapist it is a pivotal moment in the therapeutic process, as a parent it can be very rewarding to see this occur for your child, and as an individual, it can be the difference between getting stuck in a bad place and moving forward in your life. I work with individuals, children and couples who are facing life's stressors and are looking for the tools to improve the quality of their lives.

Congratulations for taking a step towards creating change. Finding a therapist can be challenging and it is important to find one who is right for you. I offer a free introductory session which we use to get to know each other. Clients often come into my office feeling hopeless or nervous, but usually leave feeling more hopeful and relaxed. I love to see people grow and thrive with the support of therapy. My style is warm, empathic, and collaborative. In our work together we draw on your strengths and wisdom and my goal is to empower you to create a more joyful and fulfilling life.

There are many reasons why a person, a couple, or a family might find themselves feeling stuck, down, disconnected, overwhelmed, or anxious. A significant portion of my education and training is based around helping clients reduce or resolve symptoms associated with their challenges. However, I find that helping clients identify the root of their obstacles—in addition to cultivating skills and strategies to work towards a strong mental and emotional sense of well-being and developing strong connected relationships—is as important as attending to mental, emotional, and relational symptoms.

You hope that life can be better than this. Your ways of coping and controlling things in your life seem to be failing. You may feel like you're about to fall apart. Support from your friends and family aren’t enough. You need help to manage the overwhelm and make some big changes. I’m here for you. We’re going to drop in and get real about what’s really going on, in all of the layers. We’ll explore what compels you to do what you’re doing. We’ll figure out how these habits help and hurt you and find healthier ways to manage your stress. If you're working on addictions, I often support the goal of moderate usage.

People seek therapy for a variety of reasons. Life is challenging! These challenges beckon, often demand, our attention to change, self examination, and deeper understanding. Distress, discomfort and general lack of life satisfaction can be signatures of this beckoning. It is not always clear as to what or how to respond. My practice is built on a holistic, client centered, problem solving approach in identifying, and effectively managing current life challenges and healing old wounds. Skillful, compassionate support for navigating your experience of achieving wellbeing and life satisfaction is available here.