Teletherapy for Soquel, CA

Welcome! My name is Heather Rodriguez, and I am a Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist with over 10 years of experience working with teens, at-risk youth, adults, parents, and families. I help with issues like Depression, Anxiety, Sexual abuse/trauma, Sexual Identity, Stress, Grief, Trauma, Relationships, Self-Harm, and Coping Skills. I incorporate many modalities including Crisis Intervention, Solution Focused Therapy, Client-Centered Therapy, Psychodynamic therapy, Motivational Interviewing, and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. I recognize that seeking therapy is a difficult decision, and I am proud of you for taking the first step!

Hi there! I always joke that when you see what a therapist specializes in, it's because they have lived it. Intense grief, overwhelming emotions, trauma that gets in the way of relationships, anxiety, depression and disconnection are all things that I have dealt with in the past. Are you experiencing any of these? When working with people my main goal is to see them as whole and accept them exactly as they are. If someone is feeling present and ready to dive into their emotions, I can teach them how to fully experience emotion as a sensation in the body that is just passing through. The benefits of this can be phenomenal.

My work as a therapist is to create a safe, supportive space for clients to open up, experience life as it is right now, and explore whatever is calling out for attention from within or from outer challenges. This work is empowering to my clients as they connect with a flow of healing and transformation from within themselves and learn new tools for living more fully-tools that they can carry into their lives long after our time together has passed.

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

Taking the step, having the courage, to reach out for support is extremely brave. You absolutely deserve it and you do not have to face your challenges alone. I am here as a guide, a support, and a resource for accompanying you in facing whatever obstacles have been leaving you feeling depleted, overwhelmed, hopeless or exhausted. Whether or not you are managing depression, anxiety, a major life transition, loss and grief, or looking for someone to work through a recent or past traumatic event, I am here to help. I am here to offer you relief from trying to figure out a way to cope or overcome it alone.

I support adults, baby boomers, & elders in their move toward HAPPINESS. FREE 15 minute consultation. I invite you to my peaceful, hilltop office to explore & work through feelings of loss/grief, non-acceptance, feeling less-than, life transitions, dissatisfaction, helplessness, & pain. I can help you with empowerment, insight, & moving beyond impeding obstacles. With empathy & sometimes humor, I will guide you through life's crises & challenges. You can learn to stay mindfully in the present, an antidote to fear & helplessness. Life can always be better & we can remember to be thankful for the beauty & the good. I work with individuals & couples.

People often come to therapy blaming each other or themselves for their problems. I work to help you identify and stand up to the real problems in your lives. If you're experiencing difficulties in your relationship, I'll help you and your partner become allies to join together to understand and change the problems undermining your connection. If you're dealing wtih individual problems, such as depression, anxiety or loss, I'll help you to inquire into and challenge negative self-blaming beliefs and old stories that keep you on your case instead of on your side.

I am honored to work with individuals; including teens, young adults, children and families, providing a space to understand their inner world. It is in therapy that we invite all parts of the self into the light, and a new perspective emerges. I believe we are all continually moving toward healing. Clients often share that I have a warm, accepting and supportive approach that welcomes and validates all aspects of the inner landscape.

“Why?”, you ask, “does my life seem so hard?” Anxiety and depression, constant companions, you wonder why you aren’t feeling better after all the hard work you have done on yourself. The voices in your head - “You’re not good enough” or “No one cares” are getting louder - again. You are certain others will see through you and your “imposter syndrome”, get annoyed, and eventually leave. Most of the time you're taking care of others' needs. Often a welcome distraction, you're tired of feeling invisible to those closest to you.

I'm an experienced therapist of over 25 years having spent thousands of counseling hours with individuals, couples and groups. Women's issues such as sexual abuse, miscarriage, abortion, traumatic events, marital/relationship issues, depression, anxiety, grief and PTSD - are my specialty. I have counseled hundreds of couples to improve communication, intimacy/connection issues, trust; and to heal from infidelity, addictions and wounds that threaten the relationship. Issues of teens and young adults are important to address early in life: school, career, sexuality, relationships, traumas. Better to get help sooner than later!

This is my passion and my clients feel at ease with me quickly with my empathy and humor. I help relationship stress, anxiety, PTSD, neurodiversity, grief, recovery from child and narcissistic abuse, finding their true authentic self and passion. I use client-centered Rogers, Kohut, EMDR, Beck and Ellis CBT, DBT. ACT, Jung... I am a Christian and I also respect people with other faiths or no faith. I help therapists, interns too.I am 72 years old and I have been married for 48 years to my beautiful wife singer Christina Purcell and we did individual and couple therapy too. We write songs such as the songs on her CD "Love's Calling."

I am a compassionate, empathetic, engaging, and challenging therapist. I utilize the many disciplines I have integrated over the almost 30 years of practicing as a Licensed, Marriage, 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.

I am currently only accepting new neurofeedback clients through the Santa Cruz Neurofeedback Center, www.scneurofeedback.com. I will be supervising a LPCC Associate starting Fall 2023. + + Feeling overwhelmed or stuck? I can support you in the process of moving forward. Using present moment experience, we'll explore how you relate with yourself and others. In this way, you can learn to set boundaries, expand your emotional capacity, as well as give and receive love more deeply.

Anxiety, depression, transitions, and other difficult situations are all a normal part of experience, but as life would have it, they don't always show up at the most convent of times. You are likely reading this because it is one of those times. The question now is what do you do about it? It may just go away or it may not. Consulting with and then finding the right therapist is a good place to start.

Dr. Dufford received specialized training and experience in treating anxiety disorders at the Anxiety Treatment Center with Dr. Bourne, author of The Anxiety and Phobia Workbook. Since 1993 Dr. Dufford is director of Anxiety Treatment Services treating Generalized Anxiety, OCD, PTSD, Panic Attacks, Agoraphobia, Specific Phobias, Social Anxiety and related issues: addiction, anger, depression, Trichotillomania/Excoriation, relationships, sleep/insomnia, grief and self-esteem. He is a professional member of the California Psychological Association, Obsessive Compulsive Foundation and EMDR International Association. Dr. Dufford is certified as a Cognitive-Behavioral Therapist, Clinical Hypnotherapist, Expert in Traumatic Stress and Addictions Counselor.

We live in an unprecedented time of change, uncertainty and concern for our present and future well-being. The times we find ourselves in can make it even more challenging to deal with our own individual and family challenges and sometimes leave us feeling overwhelmed, anxious and depressed.

Beginning therapy is a great way to prioritize and care for yourself. If you feel misunderstood or that your needs are often dismissed, this can be a validating experience. Therapy will be a collaborative effort, as I support you in working toward your goals. I am affirming of neurodiversity, curious, and maintain flexibility in the process. My approach is individualized, compassionate, and direct. I believe you are the expert on your experience and identity. I am here to help you honor your needs, and discover how to implement them into your daily life (in relationships, the workplace, or school).

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.

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.