Therapists serving clients in Portola Valley, CA

I am a family and marriage therapist licensed in California with over 10 years of experience working as a psychotherapist . I have worked with clients with a wide range of concerns including depression, anxiety, psychotic disorders, substance use disorders, relationship issues, parenting problems, and career challenges. My counseling style is eclectic, interactive and my interventions are tailored to the needs of my clients. I believe in treating my clients with respect, sensitivity, and compassion. My approach combines cognitive-behavioral, solution focused, and family systems. I provide psychotherapy for California residents only. It takes courage to seek for a more fulfilling and happier life and to take the first steps towards a change. If you are ready to take that step I am here to support and empower you. I look forward to working with you!

Hi! My name is Erika, and I am an LMFT in California. I have been licensed for 13 years and have practiced in a variety of settings. Through therapy, I hope to help you become your best self and find joy in your life. When working with individuals, I utilize a variety of clinical approaches, including Solution Focused, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, and Motivational Interviewing. My counseling style is empowering, supportive, and direct....with a side of humor!:) I like to focus on identifying your strengths and helping you to maximize them to overcome your obstacles. I'm here to help you sort through the things that are difficult right now, and offer you a safe place to be open and honest without fear of judgment. You have taken the first and most important step by reaching out for help! I look forward to getting to know you, helping you achieve your goals, and experiencing joy in your life. Warm regards, Erika Torres, LMFT

INTRODUCTION Hello my name is Eric Howell, and I want to welcome you to Better Help. I am a Marriage and Family Therapist, and have been licensed in California for more than 15 years. I am originally from the North East. I am third generation in this country, of a mixed European decent. I moved to California when I was 25. I have worked in a variety of settings, including: Non Profit, Government, and Private Practice. Whether you are a first timer to therapy, or you have been a client before, I want to acknowledge and congratulate that you took the first step in reaching out to get some help today. This is a big first step. _________________________________________________________________ SPECIALTIES • Depression • Anxiety • Life Changes • Grief and Loss • Self Esteem • Relationship Issues • Family Stressors/conflicts • Anger Management • Mood Swings • Sexual Orientation • Communication • Having a family member with a Chronic and Persistent Mental Illness ALSO EXPERIENCE IN: Substance Abuse, addiction, trauma and abuse, multi-cultural experiences, children to older adult, aging, bipolar disorder, co-dependency, career difficulties, intimacy issues, blockage to creativity. CLINICAL APPROACHES: Cognitive Behavioral, Gestalt, Humanistic, Attachment Based Theory, Psychodynamic, Narrative Therapy, Post-Modern Theory, and Solution Focused. WHO AM I -PERSONAL BACKGROUND Because choosing who you pick for a therapist is essential, I have decided to share some personal information about myself along with how I approach therapy. Although it is lengthy, I believe it will be helpful for you in choosing if I will be the right therapist for you. So with that said, I came to becoming a therapist after having such a positive experience with therapy myself. So, I come to you not only as an experienced therapist, but with a deep understanding of what it is like to be a client. I was approaching 30, when I was feeling as if my life was no longer working for me, and I was deeply unhappy. I made a commitment to attending weekly individual therapy sessions to get help. The safe space my therapist created was critical in helping me explore and understand the factors that were contributing to my unhappiness. It allowed me to look inward and reflect on painful experiences that have happened and shaped me. Revisiting these experiences in a safe supportive environment helped me better understand how they impacted me, and incorporate them into my being. As this process progressed, my therapist provided me with psychoeducation, giving me new coping skills, improving my communication, and seeing things with a new and different perspective allowing further change to happen. I started feeling as if I could direct my own life, and not have life directing me. I was brought up Catholic, but do not see myself as a religious person, but have a deeply spiritual understanding of the world. This can easily be brought to our sessions if it will be of use to your experience. I also have the unique experience of growing up with close family members who have been diagnosed with serious mental health disorders, such as Schizophrenia. With this comes unique challenges for all members of a family system. Understanding how this has impacted you, navigating and managing your relationship with these family members can be complicated and stressful, as well extremely rewarding. I have a depth of knowledge and experience with multiple areas within Mental Health, including Chronic and Persistent Mental Disorders, if this is something that has impacted your life either with a family member or close friends we can spend time understanding its impact. I am a gay male and have had training and experience at the Gay and Lesbian Center in Los Angeles. This impacts how I see the world and my perspective. Although, I see myself as an all-inclusive therapist this is a self-disclosure to assist with you choosing the right therapist for you. _______________________________________________________________ ELEMENTS OF MY PERSONAL STYLE OF INDIVIDUAL THERAPY Balance and creating Meaning are critical in being a whole fulfilled being. How we blend and focus our time is important in shaping your mood and overall mental health. Exploring how you currently spend your time with the mixture of family, intimacy, career/work, social, community, serving others, spiritual, being in nature, and engaging in creative endeavors will be part of our work together. One of the key ingredients to a successful experience in therapy is your experience with your therapist. It will be my focus and goal to offer you a warm friendly environment free of judgement. This will allow the space for you to understand your unique life experience and how it has shaped you. I do believe unraveling how culture, gender, gender preference, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, and family dynamics impact you and your world. I believe it is an important part of understanding who you are. It is particularly important in our sessions for you to feel listened to. This is one of my strengths that I will be bringing to our sessions. My ability to put my full attention and focus on listening to what you have to say, and formulating what it all means. Often growing up, or in our daily lives, the people around us may not have the time or attention to allow us to feel fully understood. My goal is to have you feel fully listened to and understood. I believe in a collaborative approach, where we work together to understand your problem, and develop goals for therapy. It is important from the beginning, that the goals we develop together are realistic and achievable. I welcome feedback, when you feel as if the sessions are no longer effective for you, or if I am not in tuned to your experience. There will be times I will remain silent to provide you the space to search within yourself for the answers. There are other times I will be providing you feedback from a place of concern and healing to help you learn about yourself and encourage change. Another important part of our sessions is providing you with psychoeducation. Whether it is introducing you to new coping skills, teaching you effective communication skills, helping you make sense of what your experience is, putting experiences into a context, being able to put words to your thoughts and emotions. This often helps you feel as if you are getting something more concrete from our sessions. This is an area where providing handouts to read or to complete can be helpful. If this is something you appreciate, we can certainly incorporate more of it in our sessions. Also, if you respond well to reading and increasing your education in a particular area that we may be discussing. Please let me know, I will see if we can add some recommendations to our sessions for us to discuss. Lastly, I typically blend an eclectic mix of therapeutic interventions to assist and support you. This helps me tailor interventions to your unique needs. The on-line experience is different than in person, so I believe it is important to acknowledge this. There are some real strengths, such as convenience, and affordability. I am hoping to hearing feedback to improve your virtual therapy experience. Some clinical theories inherently are more conducive in a virtual setting, so this will be taken into in account due to the medium in which we will be working together. I believe in exploring the past, when appropriate, to understand your present, but not staying stuck in the past. I want to help your today. Join now, don't put it off any longer.

At times we all need support. I am an accepting and compassionate therapist that will really listen to you and help you make sense of and cope with your emotions, thoughts and relationships. I am Dr. Brad Hess. I have earned a Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) in Marriage and Family Therapy and practice as a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) in the state of Oregon and California. I have over thirty years of counseling experience. It would be an honor to meet with you and assist you in navigating a stressful time or helping you get your life back on track to achieve your life goals.

Hello - my name is Pat Pearson, RN, LMFT. I am licensed in California and have 12 years of professional work experience as an MFT. I have 25 plus years of experience as a registered nurse. I consider myself a "seasoned" therapist at 58 years old, as my life journey has given me many opportunities to gain experience, grow and in turn help others. I have adopted, divorced, single parented, remarried, and blended a family. I have direct experience with ADHD, oppositional defiant disorder, autism, anxiety, and depression. I know the challenges involved with caring for aging parents, and end of life issues. My medical background in ICU, ER and Cardiology has given me experience with grief/loss, medical trauma, hospice care, as well as recovery and wellness. I understand medical staff issues, being a patient, and loss (family members and friends). As an LMFT, I choose to and enjoy working with children, teens, and adults. I am here to help with any of life’s challenges, whether financial, emotional, physical, psychological, or sexual. Having experienced a natural disaster 4 years ago (Paradise Camp Fire) I can help with grief/loss/guilt. I understand what it is like to not know if family and friends are safe, having people live with you after a disaster, and working with EMT/police/sheriff/fire and other emergency personnel, as they process the same loss - and yet are there day after day to help their community. I believe in treating everyone with respect, sensitivity, dignity, and compassion. I will tailor our dialog and treatment plan to meet your unique and specific needs. Taking the first step to sign up for therapy can take courage and I am proud of you for getting started! I like: family, friends, and food. Self care: playing with my horses, good movies, window shopping.

Dr. Robert J. Cipriano Jr. has been working with the South Florida community as a licensed psychologist for 20 years. Dr. Cipriano is currently a Florida , California, & North Carolina Licensed Psychologist. He is board certified in Police and Public Safety Psychology by the American Board of Professional Psychology (ABPP) and for the majority of his experience practices cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and more recently within the past two years has acquiesced to providing EMDR, Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing therapy to clientele experiencing trauma based symptoms. Dr. Cipriano has provided therapeutic and an array of clinical services to both the Trauma-Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and inpatient behavioral health units at one of the largest Trauma hospitals in northern Miami-Dade County and has provided a number of critical incident stress debriefings (CISD) for a variety of staff. Dr. Cipriano has handled well over a 200 CISDs in his professional career. He assisted one of the largest metropolitan police departments in the southeast part of the United States in gaining insight and managing individuals who suffered from severe mental illness and who were in crisis as a "in- house" staff psychologist assigned to a Crisis Negotiation Team. He provided critical support to the crisis negotiation team when they were faced with crisis situations, hostages, career criminals, and barricaded subjects who posed a threat for police and the community at large. Dr. Cipriano has also assisted in providing crucial therapeutic support to the victims and victim's families of the school shooting in Parkland, FL along with the first responders affected by & connected to the critical incident. Dr. Cipriano is also the psychological supervisor for a major metropolitan police department, developing the program from infancy, and expanding the wellness concept for public safety sworn and civilian professionals. Dr. Cipriano is highly engaged in wellness and has written several articles on wellness and the importance of the continuity of wellness to other facets of one's life. Dr. Cipriano also offers expert training in understanding the psychological dynamics and warning signs of active shooters, school shooters, school place violence, and bully behavior. Dr. Cipriano has a strong interest in this area and has developed a clinical curriculum to target, intervene, and potentially prevent such acts along this specific spectrum of aggression. His knowledge, experience, and expertise will benefit clinicians, educational institutions, administrators, public safety professionals, and the private sector on a local, state, and national level.

I am licensed in California with 7 years of professional work experience. I have experience in helping adult, teens and Pride clients with trauma and abuse, sleeping disorders, motivation, self-esteem, and confidence, & depression. I believe that you are the expert of your story and that you have many strengths that will assist you in overcoming things that challenge you. It takes courage to seek out a more fulfilling and happier life and to take the first steps towards a change. I am here to support & empower you in that journey.

I am licensed in California with 12+ years of professional work experience. I have experience in helping adult and teen clients with stress and anxiety, relationship issues, parenting issues, self-esteem and confidence, & depression. My work with all clients starts with creating an open and safe environment where thoughts and feelings can be shared without fear of judgment. Taking the first step to seeking a more fulfilling and happier life takes courage. I am here to support you in that process.

I am licensed in California with 20 years of professional work experience. I have experience in helping clients with stress and anxiety, relationship issues, trauma and abuse, & motivation, self esteem, and confidence. I work with my clients to create an open and safe environment where thoughts and feelings can be shared without fear of judgment. Taking the first step to seeking a more fulfilling and happier life takes courage. I am here to support you in that process.

As a psychotherapist, I work collaboratively to support and empower individuals in the process of self-discovery, growth, and healing. My treatment approach is integrative and holistic, informed by my training, continuing education, and clinical experience. My approach The modalities and frameworks I provide are derived from, but not limited to: Mindfulness, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Metacognitive Therapy, Hypnotherapy, Brainspotting, Integral Somatic Psychology, Gestalt, Depth Psychology, Brief Psychodynamic Therapy, Humanistic-Existential Psychology, and Transpersonal Psychology. My focus My specialties encompass anxiety, coping skills, depression, grief, life transitions, men's issues, mood disorders, personality disorders, relationship issues, self-esteem, existential issues, creative blocks, spirituality, stress, trauma, and PTSD. My communication style I engage in open, collaborative dialogue, seeking to create a safe space for sharing. Through active listening and thoughtful questions, I guide our exploration at a pace that feels right for you. My communication style is warm and non-judgmental, allowing us to build trust and rapport as we work together towards your goals and well-being. My journey to mental healthcare I earned my Master of Science (MS) degree in Marriage and Family Therapy from the University of La Verne in La Verne, California. This education provided me with the foundation to pursue my passion for supporting others in their mental health journey. My goals for you My overarching goal is to provide you with a safe, empathetic, and nonjudgmental space where you feel heard and understood. Together, we will work collaboratively to identify your strengths, explore your challenges, and develop effective coping strategies to navigate life's complexities. Whether you're seeking support for anxiety, depression, relationship issues, or any other concern, my aim is to empower you to achieve greater self-awareness, resilience, and overall well-being. Through our therapeutic journey, my goal is to help you cultivate a deeper sense of fulfillment, meaning, and purpose in your life.