At the core of every human being lives a desire to be deeply at rest. We all want to be held with unconditional acceptance and a love that offers support and guidance. Yet the difficulties of our histories, and the identities we have formed, prevent us from being at rest and feeling this love and acceptance. Instead, we commonly live on the surface of ourselves, busy trying to control life and keep away our fears. And so we never get to settle down with ourselves, which can make us feel anxious, depressed, confused.
I provide a very warm, safe and supportive relationship for you to be able to dive more deeply into your experience. I bear witness to your experience with attentiveness, so that you may finally be visible and understood. Together we address the important themes of your life, and, with kindness and care, explore the beliefs and patterns that may be blocking your growth and healing. As you begin to know yourself in this intimate way, you will feel more friendly towards your experience, and make more satisfying choices in your life.
I am committed to openness and inclusivity - I support diversity in age, race, sexual orientation, gender identity, and physical ability.
I offer a free 20 minute phone consultation to determine if you would like to set up an initial appointment. If we discover your needs would be better served by someone else, I will be happy to offer you a referral.
True and lasting change happens in an atmosphere where you can experience yourself as safely held in a loving relationship of openness and curiosity. This is true for both adults and teen-agers.
Fundamental to my work is to meet you where you are, whether you are feeling despair, loneliness, depression, wonder, confusion, or joy. Transformation begins by acknowledging and accepting just what is there in each moment. I bring kindness and respect to our work together, and provide a warm and secure environment for us to make sense of your feelings and concerns. It is only in the absence of criticism that one can truly open, understand and heal.
Together we reflect on your present-moment experience, and bring mindfulness to what is happening. We may pay attention to what’s happening in your body, or bring awareness to feelings, or open to thoughts and beliefs. We will also look at family of origin issues to understand how certain patterns are repeating themselves in your current relationships.
Throughout our work together, we will also develop your capacity to listen inwardly to your experience, with compassion and curiosity. When this ability for compassionate listening begins to take root in you, there is a tremendous opportunity for real change.
Whether people are in relationship as a romantic pair, friends, or family, there are certain to be times of difficulty or challenge. We can sometimes work through these challenges with one another, but often they leave us feeling separate, isolated, or unfulfilled. It is at these times that Couples therapy can help. In our work together, I will assist each of you to become self-reflective. This process will begin to illuminate and liberate limiting beliefs and patterns, and will help you to listen and speak to each other in a more clear, kind, and productive way. I provide a safe space where each of you can be open, loving, and authentic with one another.
I’m interested in helping each of you work through the barriers that keep you from your full potential as two relational and related beings. I will be both a compassionate, respectful witness, and a strong ally.... one who advocates for your aliveness, honesty, and capacity for intimacy.
Training in mindfulness gives you an opportunity to develop new skills and practices that support greater awareness and compassion. These practices, sanely and safely grounded in the body, will help you to know yourself more fully ~ in regards to your work, relationships, overall functioning in life, and sense of belonging. Whatever brings you to mindfulness, establishing a stable and heart-full practice can serve you for the rest of your life!
I offer instruction, support, and steady guidance toward this endeavor, which is separate from my therapy practice, and can be short-term or long-term.
I have practiced and studied Mindfulness for the past 24 years, both formally in the Buddhist tradition, as well as from the more contemporary, western and psychological perspective. Please feel free to call for further information.
“Making friends with oneself means seeing all of it - the good and the difficult - seeing things in yourself that you always avoided before: things that are painful, things that you’re not proud of. Making friends with yourself means seeing all of that and not running away, not turning your back, and that’s an actual real friendship, where you don’t give up on yourself”.
-Pema Chodron
Together we explore your experience in a supportive and collaborative way. I will guide you when needed, and will listen quietly without directing when that is what is needed. My work is informed by 25 years of Buddhist meditation practice.
I often use mindfulness in my work. Times of attuned conversation may alternate with times of “open attention” and quiet sensing. These practices will help you to find new ways to relate to your issues, so that greater ease, wholeness and vitality can be experienced.
I look forward to hearing from you, and seeing whether we might work together.
From an early age, self-reflection, presence, and a deep investigation of the internal world have been very important to me. The study of that internal world has taken me through various forms - from being a certified Iyengar Yoga teacher to working as an artist, from committing to Buddhist practices and principles to being trained in Bodynamics Analysis. I am a certified teacher of Mindfulness-Based-Stress-Reduction. The integration of these different paths led me to become a psychotherapist in the contemplative tradition.
I have been a student of the Diamond Approach since 2002, and am an ordained teacher as well. The Diamond Approach was developed by A.H. Almaas, and more information about it can be found here: www.diamondapproach.org.
I have practiced at the Women’s Therapy Center - the Bay Area’s leading training facility for Relational Psychotherapy.
I received a Master’s degree in Counseling Psychology from John F. Kennedy University, with specialized training in both transpersonal and somatic therapies. I am a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (MFT #50745).
My fee for a fifty minute session is $215 based on weekly meetings.
I do not take insurance at this time, but am happy to fill out a form for you to submit to your PPO plan to get reimbursed. I can also fill out a form for your Flexible Spending Account.
All sessions are currently being held on Zoom. For more information or to schedule an appointment: 510.427.5401
Or, you may email me with questions at: priscillalouise3@earthlink.net
