Therapists in San Mateo, CA

Are you experiencing a difficult time in your romantic relationship? I specialize in working with adults, married couples, and intimate partners experiencing relationship distress. We are relational beings, and our mental and emotional health is deeply rooted in our relational health. Through our work, my clients learn effective relational tools to help them build stronger relationships, improve communication, deepen their intimacy, heal relational trauma, and restore safety and trust.

Ready to break free of emotional blocks to awaken a healthier life? Therapy can help. I am a psychologist with extensive training and experience in helping individuals work through a variety of challenges. I especially enjoy working with 20 and 30 somethings struggling with relationship issues, low self worth, anxiety, perfectionism, work stress and life transitions. My clinical training includes work at several university counseling centers, residential treatment facilities, and children's hospitals. I've held psychologist positions at Stanford University and UCSF.

Are you struggling in a relationship? Do you feel stuck, alone or misunderstood? Change is possible! I believe that inherent in each of us, there is internal strength, wisdom and the capacity for growth. Through a safe and trusting therapeutic relationship, I’m here to help you heal, learn and connect. My approach is warm, non-judgmental and collaborative. I work in a holistic way that combines empathy and exploration to help you feel heard and foster self-awareness with more direct approaches to help you recognize unhealthy patterns, alleviate symptoms, and make lasting changes.

What would you do if you were given the chance to live life to the fullest? How would your days be different if you were not overwhelmed by stress and worry? Do you wonder if your relationships should somehow feel better? If you are frustrated with the way things are and you're looking for a change you are taking the right steps. You know that life could be better. You long to see your dreams realized. Relationships mended. Your goals achieved. You want to find more meaning in your life. Have deeper connections. And live according to what you know to be valuable and true.

I am a bilingual (English/Mandarin) therapist based in SF Bay area. Client comes to see me for more fulfillment in life including depression, anxiety, insomnia, trauma, relationship issues etc,. I have holistic trainings on Gestalt Therapy, Hakomi (somatic) therapy and Psychobiological Approach to Couple Therapy (PACT), which provides me a framework on combining mindfulness, somatic experience and neurobiological studies into my practice. I want to hold a safe space for my clients that they feel supported, cared for, resourced but also challenged, so that they can unfold their own unique way toward healing.

When our children's hearts have been broken, our hearts break, too. Parents often struggle with knowing how to care for a hurting child. The child's behaviors can be challenging. A parent's own unhealed wounds get triggered. Then, there's the parenting guilt! It can be overwhelming. We understand and we are here to help.

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 a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and Board Certified Behavior Analyst. I'm comfortable working with individuals suffering from depression, anxiety, bi-polar, substance abuse, psychosis, autism spectrum disorders and obsessive compulsive disorder. I implement individual evidenced based interventions designed to positive behavior change. I enjoy working with couples, families, parent training, adults and adolescents.

About me: I was born and raised in Santiago, Chile. I am a licensed Marriage Family Therapist in the state of CA (LMFT 102349). I hold a MA in Counseling Psychology as well as a BA in Latin American Literature and a Minor in German. I have also lived in Lucerne, Switzerland and Munich, Germany. While in Chile, I studied opera.

Are you experiencing stress, anxiety or depression? Are you having problems in your relationships or at work? has it been hard to transition from work to retirement? Are you having difficulty with aging or your aging family? Wanting to change your career, but not having a clear path to your future? You are not alone! These are just a few of the common challenges we experience as we go through different stages of life. This is a short list of what people come to me for. Therapy can help you get unstuck while gaining new insights, abilities, and a better sense of yourself.

I bring into my practice over 30 years of experience and extensive training in couple's dynamics, attachment style, and sexuality. I help unhappy couples resolve their issues with practical counseling. Individually or together, I can help you with challenges in emotional closeness, intimacy, sexual or other relationship conflicts. Whether you tend to fight without resolution, get angry, sad or numb, or give up and pull away, I offer many effective tools to help you grow your relationship and deepen your connection. In a warm and interactive manner I will help you transform obstacles into the relationship you want.

Because I believe we are mind, body, and soul, I have a holistic approach in my practice. We are each unique individuals with different problems, needs and wants and therefore require a personalized and individualized treatment to resolve symptoms and conflicts. Emphasizing uniqueness, I utilize an integrative approach in your treatment through the use of various modalities while applying diverse techniques and interventions. This will help you become more in touch with your whole self and recover from any trauma or adverse life experiences and the psychological distress produced by it.

I believe that one of the most important factors for successful therapy is the "fit" between therapist and client. I have been told by some of my clients that they like my direct style, interactive manner, and the feeling of being heard and seen. They like my Russian proverbs and humor. In both individual and couples therapy, I strive to bring out the best, wisest, kindest, flexible, most functioning adult parts of my clients to the surface. Through therapy, my clients get insight, make better choices and enjoy feeling more in charge of their lives.

I specialize in working with children, teens, and young adults with trauma histories, anxiety, depression, relationship difficulties, grief and loss, body and self-esteem issues, life and family transitions. I also work with clients who are dealing with immigration and acculturation issues and support them with exploring and resolving intergenerational conflicts and cultural differences within their families and communities. I strive to create a safe space that includes collaboration, reflective curiosity, opportunities for change, creativity and humor.

At the heart of our struggles and pains are relationships. At the heart of our hopes and dreams are relationships. Whether it is your relationship with anxiety and depression, with your career, with your partner, sister, son, daughter, boss, or parent-everything is about relationships. Therapy helps you tackle some of the most challenging questions we all face. How do we repair what needs to be fixed in our relationships, including the relationship with ourselves? What needs attention, a new perspective, a better skill, or emotional resolve to enable you to become more authentic and improve your connection to self and others?

I am passionate about helping couples craft deeply nourishing and caring relationships. In our meetings we learn the skills required for loving another person well: good communication, problem solving and repair. We explore what it means for each person to feel loved and cared for and work toward a dance that honors each members unique preferences. I also help couples have important conversations about crafting a mutually satisfying shared vision of what a meaningful life is as romantic partners, parents and community members. We work on healing from painful past ruptures such as infidelity, substance use and frequent fighting.

Childhood trauma, racism and microaggressions traumatize us and leave you feeling shame, embarrassment, anger and that you're not enough. You feel alone and in pain, and you deserve emotional peace by speaking to a professional who listens, provides safety, validating AND gently challenging your fears and negative thoughts of yourself. It is important that these false narratives do not define your self worth and perceptions of yourself, preventing YOU from identifying your own needs. I seek to work with children of immigrants, experiencing relationships issues NOW, due to childhood or recent trauma. Together, we process & heal.

Life is filled with challenging transitions, relationships, and experiences. One of my favorite sayings is – nothing in this life worth having comes easy. I use it, myself, as a reminder and motivator when things get hard. Because they do, and that’s okay! It is okay to be stressed, frustrated, sad, angry, excited, and any other emotion you feel. The challenge comes when those emotions lead to unfortunate circumstances. I believe the things we want will test us before conceding and opening the door to success and personal fulfillment. Resilience is a core trait to develop and can provide everyone with the opportunity for happiness.

Are you an emerging professional experiencing anxiety, relationship distress, or dissociation? Are you often hypervigilant, insecure or disconnected from your body? Do you feel you can't trust yourself? Are you aware of self-defeating behaviors, but can't seem to change them? You may have had a "late-in-life" diagnosis, realized your gender or even childhood weren’t what you thought they were. You may have had a recent breakup, job change, newborn or Saturn Return. Wherever you’re at, you want long-lasting change and a Right-Fit Therapist. Someone who is not only Neurodivergent-affirming, but who is Neurodivergent themself.