Chronic Pain Therapists in Walnut Creek, CA
I am a clinical psychologist and Jungian psychoanalyst with 40 years of experience in Jungian psychoanalysis and psychotherapy, psychosomatic medicine, chronic pain management, and stress management.
I enjoy working with clients of all ages and gender to help them learn to cope with their unique psychological, emotional, and physical problems. I am trained in clinical psychology and psychoanalysis as well as in psychosomatics so I am able to treat a wide spectrum of disorders. I tailor my approach to the specific needs of the client rather than trying to make the client fit into a particular theoretical model or to work in a predetermined treatment modality.
I am a clinical psychologist and Jungian psychoanalyst with 40 years of experience in Jungian psychoanalysis and psychotherapy, psychosomatic medicine, chronic pain management, and stress management.
I enjoy working with clients of all ages and gender to help them learn to cope with their unique psychological, emotional, and physical problems. I am trained in clinical psychology and psychoanalysis as well as in psychosomatics so I am able to treat a wide spectrum of disorders. I tailor my approach to the specific needs of the client rather than trying to make the client fit into a particular theoretical model or to work in a predetermined treatment modality.
I specialize in the treatment of insomnia, coping with illness, and stress/anxiety.
Are you suffering from sleepless nights and unable to shut off your mind from stress and negative thoughts? Has stress been affecting your health and well-being? Have you felt stuck in terms of your ability to move toward your goals or have the life or career that you want? No matter what challenges you are facing, such as stress, illness, trauma, life transition, relationship issues, or loss, I can help you make the necessary changes to move toward what is most important to you in your life.
I specialize in the treatment of insomnia, coping with illness, and stress/anxiety.
Are you suffering from sleepless nights and unable to shut off your mind from stress and negative thoughts? Has stress been affecting your health and well-being? Have you felt stuck in terms of your ability to move toward your goals or have the life or career that you want? No matter what challenges you are facing, such as stress, illness, trauma, life transition, relationship issues, or loss, I can help you make the necessary changes to move toward what is most important to you in your life.
Meri Levy
Marriage & Family Therapist, MA, LMFT, PMH-C
Verified Verified
12 Endorsed
Walnut Creek, CA 94596
My niche is with adults who particularly hard on themselves, especially parents and people experiencing chronic pain. Do you often feel like you "should" be doing more or better? Do you feel guilty taking time for yourself? Do you have mixed feelings about parenthood or your relationship? Learning how to treat ourselves with compassion, accepting our negative feelings as well as the positive ones, and balancing caretaking for others with caring for ourselves is something many of us have to learn as adults. These are areas I help my clients with daily. You don't need to struggle with these issues alone.
My niche is with adults who particularly hard on themselves, especially parents and people experiencing chronic pain. Do you often feel like you "should" be doing more or better? Do you feel guilty taking time for yourself? Do you have mixed feelings about parenthood or your relationship? Learning how to treat ourselves with compassion, accepting our negative feelings as well as the positive ones, and balancing caretaking for others with caring for ourselves is something many of us have to learn as adults. These are areas I help my clients with daily. You don't need to struggle with these issues alone.
Ann Steiner
Marriage & Family Therapist
Verified Verified
Walnut Creek, CA 94596 (Online Only)
Waitlist for new clients
I have been a pioneer in leading and teaching about group therapy for the medically ill, run 2 groups, specialize in helping individuals derailed by isolation or chronic physical illness, am a noted national and international speaker.
It has been my good fortune to work with adult clients who want to make changes in how they view themselves, and deepen their relationships with others. I love leading therapy groups, the ideal antidote for isolation. I am only accepting new potential group members.
I have been a pioneer in leading and teaching about group therapy for the medically ill, run 2 groups, specialize in helping individuals derailed by isolation or chronic physical illness, am a noted national and international speaker.
It has been my good fortune to work with adult clients who want to make changes in how they view themselves, and deepen their relationships with others. I love leading therapy groups, the ideal antidote for isolation. I am only accepting new potential group members.
I would be privileged to stand by you on your journey with a serious medical condition and/or mental health challenges. It takes courage and vulnerability to seek out therapy and having a supportive person can be life changing. You may be faced with cancer, a chronic condition, a terminal illness, grief, anxiety and depression. I believe one's physical health can play a role in their mental health and vice versa. I'm here to listen to your symptoms, help you weigh treatment options, review considerations with medications, discuss doctor visits and teach you skills to improve your state of mind.
I would be privileged to stand by you on your journey with a serious medical condition and/or mental health challenges. It takes courage and vulnerability to seek out therapy and having a supportive person can be life changing. You may be faced with cancer, a chronic condition, a terminal illness, grief, anxiety and depression. I believe one's physical health can play a role in their mental health and vice versa. I'm here to listen to your symptoms, help you weigh treatment options, review considerations with medications, discuss doctor visits and teach you skills to improve your state of mind.
, ACT), Brainspotting, Pain Reprocessing Therapy, etc.
Welcome! Thank you for checking out my page, and more importantly, for taking this step to invest in yourself! You likely are struggling significantly with something and looking for guidance. You may be wondering if I could be the therapist by your side on this journey. Here's a little about me to help you make an informed decision: My style of therapy is thoughtful, warm, compassionate, non-judgmental, highly collaborative, and results-driven. You are the expert on you (your child), and are likely coming to me for expertise in specific therapies to help you get to where you are heading. As a team we can get there quicker!
, ACT), Brainspotting, Pain Reprocessing Therapy, etc.
Welcome! Thank you for checking out my page, and more importantly, for taking this step to invest in yourself! You likely are struggling significantly with something and looking for guidance. You may be wondering if I could be the therapist by your side on this journey. Here's a little about me to help you make an informed decision: My style of therapy is thoughtful, warm, compassionate, non-judgmental, highly collaborative, and results-driven. You are the expert on you (your child), and are likely coming to me for expertise in specific therapies to help you get to where you are heading. As a team we can get there quicker!
Lack of meaning, chronic illness or pain, work stress, interpersonal strife or loss can heal or change.
Analytical psychology emphasizes completeness, not perfection. Because psychological insight and self-knowledge are essential for health and vitality, it's lucky our psyches respond favorably to attention and reflection! Positive, effective, long lasting change is created. Research shows nightly dreams provide a running commentary on everyday life. Dreams anticipate, sometimes warn, and often help in resolving problems. They help you relate to the "rest of you", the part that operates out of awareness, sometimes causing symptoms, or taking over and becoming destructive. These parts appear increasingly frightening when pushed away.
Lack of meaning, chronic illness or pain, work stress, interpersonal strife or loss can heal or change.
Analytical psychology emphasizes completeness, not perfection. Because psychological insight and self-knowledge are essential for health and vitality, it's lucky our psyches respond favorably to attention and reflection! Positive, effective, long lasting change is created. Research shows nightly dreams provide a running commentary on everyday life. Dreams anticipate, sometimes warn, and often help in resolving problems. They help you relate to the "rest of you", the part that operates out of awareness, sometimes causing symptoms, or taking over and becoming destructive. These parts appear increasingly frightening when pushed away.
We could all use someone in our corner. I believe a collaborative, nurturing therapeutic relationship can transform pain into healing. I am a marriage and family therapist supporting individual adolescents (16+), adults, and couples. Together we can address day to day anxieties and any unhealthy patterns that impede overall wellbeing. I empower clients to navigate whatever they are facing, from depression, anxiety, sexuality, self-esteem issues, trauma, grief/loss, and life transitions.
We could all use someone in our corner. I believe a collaborative, nurturing therapeutic relationship can transform pain into healing. I am a marriage and family therapist supporting individual adolescents (16+), adults, and couples. Together we can address day to day anxieties and any unhealthy patterns that impede overall wellbeing. I empower clients to navigate whatever they are facing, from depression, anxiety, sexuality, self-esteem issues, trauma, grief/loss, and life transitions.
Pain and suffering in life is often caused by feeling stuck. With over ten years of experience, I love helping people get unstuck! I can bring skillful support to help yield the change you seek. I believe that everyone has the keys to unlocking themselves from within. However, that doesn’t mean you are on your own. A collaborative, therapeutic relationship can cultivate, restore and strengthen the connection to your own inner wisdom, bringing freedom and greater ease into your life.
Pain and suffering in life is often caused by feeling stuck. With over ten years of experience, I love helping people get unstuck! I can bring skillful support to help yield the change you seek. I believe that everyone has the keys to unlocking themselves from within. However, that doesn’t mean you are on your own. A collaborative, therapeutic relationship can cultivate, restore and strengthen the connection to your own inner wisdom, bringing freedom and greater ease into your life.
Symptoms may include unresolved pain, impulse control, sleeplessness, memory loss, anxiety, depression, worthlessness, and difficulty connecting to others.
Therapy is a partnership. Together, we work gently with the body, mind, and emotional experience to reduce and heal troubling symptoms. I invite into our sessions the parts of us that facilitates perceiving, thinking, sensing, feeling, remembering, imagining, expressing, connecting, and relating. I support clients to become more aware of different aspects of themselves - those aspects that support and contribute to their well-being, and those that constrain or stagnate their potential. Together, we work towards mind-body integration for renewed purpose and well-being. I offer a free 20 minute consultation.
Symptoms may include unresolved pain, impulse control, sleeplessness, memory loss, anxiety, depression, worthlessness, and difficulty connecting to others.
Therapy is a partnership. Together, we work gently with the body, mind, and emotional experience to reduce and heal troubling symptoms. I invite into our sessions the parts of us that facilitates perceiving, thinking, sensing, feeling, remembering, imagining, expressing, connecting, and relating. I support clients to become more aware of different aspects of themselves - those aspects that support and contribute to their well-being, and those that constrain or stagnate their potential. Together, we work towards mind-body integration for renewed purpose and well-being. I offer a free 20 minute consultation.
Kathy Friend
Clinical Social Work/Therapist, MSW, LCSW
Verified Verified
1 Endorsed
Walnut Creek, CA 94598 (Online Only)
Telling your story to someone who will listen and offer warm, nonjudgmental support and guidance can be the beginning of your healing journey and ongoing well being. We will work together to address various life challenges whether it is due to difficulties in a relationship, estrangement, past trauma, grief, family of origin issues, illness, care giving for a loved one or other stress you are experiencing. I am a compassionate clinician with over 30 years of experience counseling adults of all ages in medical and mental health settings. I am familiar with relevant community resources you can utilize along with your therapy.
Telling your story to someone who will listen and offer warm, nonjudgmental support and guidance can be the beginning of your healing journey and ongoing well being. We will work together to address various life challenges whether it is due to difficulties in a relationship, estrangement, past trauma, grief, family of origin issues, illness, care giving for a loved one or other stress you are experiencing. I am a compassionate clinician with over 30 years of experience counseling adults of all ages in medical and mental health settings. I am familiar with relevant community resources you can utilize along with your therapy.
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My main goal is to facilitate your passage through major life transitions from leaving home, marriage, divorce as well as illness and grief.
Feeling restless or easily distracted? Lacking energy, motivation, focus, or direction in life? Spinning your wheels in your career or relationships? Prone to pleasing others at all costs, yet feeling unhappy and misunderstood? Always too busy to stop and smell the flowers? I'd like to help you become more empowered, confident, and satisfied through facing and letting go of your fears, irritating beliefs, guilt, and suffering, so you can learn to communicate more effectively and have healthy relationships. For more than twenty-five years I have provided time-limited and in-depth psychotherapy to individuals, couples and groups.
My main goal is to facilitate your passage through major life transitions from leaving home, marriage, divorce as well as illness and grief.
Feeling restless or easily distracted? Lacking energy, motivation, focus, or direction in life? Spinning your wheels in your career or relationships? Prone to pleasing others at all costs, yet feeling unhappy and misunderstood? Always too busy to stop and smell the flowers? I'd like to help you become more empowered, confident, and satisfied through facing and letting go of your fears, irritating beliefs, guilt, and suffering, so you can learn to communicate more effectively and have healthy relationships. For more than twenty-five years I have provided time-limited and in-depth psychotherapy to individuals, couples and groups.
Katie Sharpe
Marriage & Family Therapist, MA, LMFT, Somatic
Verified Verified
4 Endorsed
Walnut Creek, CA 94596
Be gentle, you are doing the best you can. If you could snap your fingers and stop the anxious thoughts and worries you would, right? I understand the fear of being trapped in your negative experiences and how helpless that can feel without loving support. The truth is life is as challenging as it is remarkable and respecting how trauma, stress, neglect, or illness are showing up in your body and experience is paramount to healing. Trauma can show up as patterns of protection that keep us stuck in feelings of anxiety, depression, anger, hopelessness, and fear. And keep us from enjoying secure and loving relationships with others.
Be gentle, you are doing the best you can. If you could snap your fingers and stop the anxious thoughts and worries you would, right? I understand the fear of being trapped in your negative experiences and how helpless that can feel without loving support. The truth is life is as challenging as it is remarkable and respecting how trauma, stress, neglect, or illness are showing up in your body and experience is paramount to healing. Trauma can show up as patterns of protection that keep us stuck in feelings of anxiety, depression, anger, hopelessness, and fear. And keep us from enjoying secure and loving relationships with others.
My goal is to support individuals whose lives have been altered by a significant illness or injury.
My practice, the Center for Rehabilitation Psychology and Neuropsychology, PC, focuses on providing clients with the skills needed to reach their personal goals. With over 20 years of practice, across multiple settings, I have worked to address the needs of adults and adolescents with neurological disorders, disability, and chronic medical conditions. Prior to entering private practice, I served as Director of Rehabilitation Psychology/Neuropsychology at TIRR Memorial Hermann in Houston, and I have engaged in extensive clinical research centered on evaluating outcomes and interventions for those affected by acquired brain injury.
My goal is to support individuals whose lives have been altered by a significant illness or injury.
My practice, the Center for Rehabilitation Psychology and Neuropsychology, PC, focuses on providing clients with the skills needed to reach their personal goals. With over 20 years of practice, across multiple settings, I have worked to address the needs of adults and adolescents with neurological disorders, disability, and chronic medical conditions. Prior to entering private practice, I served as Director of Rehabilitation Psychology/Neuropsychology at TIRR Memorial Hermann in Houston, and I have engaged in extensive clinical research centered on evaluating outcomes and interventions for those affected by acquired brain injury.
If you've been journeying into self discovery and growth and are ready for a gentle quantum leap into your unique power, beauty and ability to express and collaborate with your multi-dimensional self, consider the potential rewards of learning to quickly and easily journey into your mind and body to explore, encounter and understand ways you can heal the pain of your despair and serve your highest purpose in fulfilling ways.
Our work together will honor all aspects of you and all experiences you have endured and survived, as you successfully close completed chapters and author new satisfying successes.
If you've been journeying into self discovery and growth and are ready for a gentle quantum leap into your unique power, beauty and ability to express and collaborate with your multi-dimensional self, consider the potential rewards of learning to quickly and easily journey into your mind and body to explore, encounter and understand ways you can heal the pain of your despair and serve your highest purpose in fulfilling ways.
Our work together will honor all aspects of you and all experiences you have endured and survived, as you successfully close completed chapters and author new satisfying successes.
It can feel daunting to begin the search for a therapist you feel like you actually connect with. Especially when you are the one used to taking care of others in your life -it takes courage to focus on what YOU need. Perhaps on the outside you might be holding it together but spend your days feeling disconnected, struggling within your relationships or feeling reactive and angry but not able to identify the “why.” Or maybe you are navigating a big change -a diagnosis of cancer or other serious illness, a significant loss or something else that has your mind racing at night and waking up each morning full of worry.
It can feel daunting to begin the search for a therapist you feel like you actually connect with. Especially when you are the one used to taking care of others in your life -it takes courage to focus on what YOU need. Perhaps on the outside you might be holding it together but spend your days feeling disconnected, struggling within your relationships or feeling reactive and angry but not able to identify the “why.” Or maybe you are navigating a big change -a diagnosis of cancer or other serious illness, a significant loss or something else that has your mind racing at night and waking up each morning full of worry.
Danielle Nicole Harris
Marriage & Family Therapist Associate, MS, AMFT
Verified Verified
1 Endorsed
Walnut Creek, CA 94596
Therapy can help you optimize your life. The clients I work with begin therapy when they notice they are overwhelmed, overworked, worried about the future, and living with the pain of the past. It is exhausting carrying the weight of a less than ideal childhood, dealing with anxiety and depression, feeling unsure of yourself, and trying to create a life that feels right. It’s easy to feel lost and stuck. Therapy is an excellent way to get a handle on life and learn how to prioritize yourself in a world that teaches you to put yourself last, but doesn’t pick you up when you’ve given everything you have to give.
Therapy can help you optimize your life. The clients I work with begin therapy when they notice they are overwhelmed, overworked, worried about the future, and living with the pain of the past. It is exhausting carrying the weight of a less than ideal childhood, dealing with anxiety and depression, feeling unsure of yourself, and trying to create a life that feels right. It’s easy to feel lost and stuck. Therapy is an excellent way to get a handle on life and learn how to prioritize yourself in a world that teaches you to put yourself last, but doesn’t pick you up when you’ve given everything you have to give.
Through individual, couples' and group work, I incorporate mind-body techniques using positive psychology, cognitive behavioral and acceptance and commitment therapies, biofeedback and mindfulness, and other mixed interventions aimed at self-care, increased distress tolerance, and stress and pain management.
I am a psychologist for sport, health, and life. I have spent 15 years studying, writing, teaching, and coaching people on how to perform at their best. I have worked with world-class performers from the arenas of sports, business, healthcare, and the United States Army. I have special expertise in Performance Psychology and train clients on how to strengthen the mental and emotional skills that underlie human performance excellence and sustainable resilience. I am a subject matter expert in the field of self-regulation techniques that promote optimism, resilience, alertness, and composure in high-pressure situations.
Through individual, couples' and group work, I incorporate mind-body techniques using positive psychology, cognitive behavioral and acceptance and commitment therapies, biofeedback and mindfulness, and other mixed interventions aimed at self-care, increased distress tolerance, and stress and pain management.
I am a psychologist for sport, health, and life. I have spent 15 years studying, writing, teaching, and coaching people on how to perform at their best. I have worked with world-class performers from the arenas of sports, business, healthcare, and the United States Army. I have special expertise in Performance Psychology and train clients on how to strengthen the mental and emotional skills that underlie human performance excellence and sustainable resilience. I am a subject matter expert in the field of self-regulation techniques that promote optimism, resilience, alertness, and composure in high-pressure situations.
Courtney Quattrini
Marriage & Family Therapist, AMFT
Verified Verified
1 Endorsed
Walnut Creek, CA 94596
At the center of the human experience lie the stories we tell about ourselves and those we tell about others. Stories have the power to move us in remarkable ways. They teach us about life and love and show us how joy and pain coexist. They remind us of the resiliency we possess to overcome suffering. They can help us keep our faith, or they can evoke fear. Stories may leave our minds but overstay their welcome in our bodies. Sometimes, detaching from the stories that no longer serve us feels impossible, as they often keep us somehow safe.
At the center of the human experience lie the stories we tell about ourselves and those we tell about others. Stories have the power to move us in remarkable ways. They teach us about life and love and show us how joy and pain coexist. They remind us of the resiliency we possess to overcome suffering. They can help us keep our faith, or they can evoke fear. Stories may leave our minds but overstay their welcome in our bodies. Sometimes, detaching from the stories that no longer serve us feels impossible, as they often keep us somehow safe.
Seeking therapy for your child can be overwhelming and is important to work with a therapist who is collaborative and consistently available to parents. I specialize in play therapy with young children and psychotherapy for teens and I work with youngsters coping with chronic medical illness. My approach is creative, warm and accessible to all family members and I utilize a variety of treatment modalities, including cognitive behavioral strategies, art therapy, sand play therapy and group counseling. I assist parents in becoming "on the same page" regarding their children and I help caregivers to review their own parenting styles.
Seeking therapy for your child can be overwhelming and is important to work with a therapist who is collaborative and consistently available to parents. I specialize in play therapy with young children and psychotherapy for teens and I work with youngsters coping with chronic medical illness. My approach is creative, warm and accessible to all family members and I utilize a variety of treatment modalities, including cognitive behavioral strategies, art therapy, sand play therapy and group counseling. I assist parents in becoming "on the same page" regarding their children and I help caregivers to review their own parenting styles.
See more therapy options for Walnut Creek
Chronic Pain Therapists
How does chronic pain therapy work?
Engaging with a psychotherapist to help treat chronic pain does not mean that one’s pain is all in their head. Therapy for chronic-pain patients has been shown to benefit both the mind and the body, targeting physical symptoms and increasing daily functioning. In other words, for many, addressing their emotional health through therapy affects their physical health. A therapist can help a client challenge unhelpful thoughts about pain and develop new ways to respond to it, such as distraction or calming breathing techniques. Studies have found that therapy can be as effective as surgery for certain cases of chronic pain and many doctors recommend trying psychotherapy in advance of considering invasive surgery.
What are the most effective treatment options for chronic pain?
Stress, anxiety, depression, catastrophizing, ruminating, lack of activity, and social withdrawal all make chronic pain worse. Addressing these issues, research shows, can help people gain control over their pain symptoms. Therapeutic approaches such as cognitive behavioral therapy, biofeedback, and mindfulness-based stress reduction, along with greater pain-management education, have been found to help people reduce fear and disability.
Are there new treatments for chronic pain?
Many cases of chronic pain, particularly those involving back pain, remain medically unexplained. But there is evidence that changes in the brain or nervous system are caused by previous physical ailments such as tissue damage; in such cases, the brain may continue to send out pain signals despite the physical cause having healed. To aid patients under these circumstances, a recently developed treatment known as pain reprocessing therapy (PRT) is designed to help the brain “unlearn” this response. A PRT practitioner helps individuals to reduce the “threat value” of their ongoing pain signals until they can reappraise them as less threatening and fear-inducing. They also help an individual to develop new emotional regulation skills.
How long does therapy for chronic pain take?
There is no set timeline for recovery from chronic pain, especially as there may be a range of physical and psychological causes for any individual’s discomfort, but most patients should expect to see a therapist for a number of weeks or months, typically spanning at least 12 sessions. Studies of pain reprocessing therapy found that many individuals’ experience of pain lessened in eight sessions over four weeks.