About Me

You already know why you feel the way you do. That’s usually not the problem. The problem is that knowing hasn’t changed it. You understand exactly where the pattern came from and still find yourself living inside it. You know the relationship wasn’t right for you, and seeing their name still makes your stomach drop. Understanding something and feeling differently about it aren’t the same thing. That gap is where EMDR does its most useful work.

I use EMDR inside ongoing therapy, not as a separate service. We won’t begin processing until you understand what we’re doing, know how to stop, and have somewhere steady to land. What changes isn’t the memory. You’ll still know what happened. What changes is how much force it has. Something that used to bring up shame or dread starts to feel like something that happened rather than something you’re still living inside. Sometimes we trace where a pattern started. Sometimes we work straight at the thing that still carries a charge. I don’t ask how to fit EMDR in. I ask what this person needs.

Sessions with me are a conversation, not a procedure. I’m active. I’ll ask questions, tell you what I’m noticing, and say the things that are harder to hear. You won’t leave wondering what I think. During EMDR you’re awake and in control the whole time, you can pause or stop, and you don’t have to narrate every detail of what happened for us to work with it. There’s room to laugh, too. Not all of this has to feel heavy. Thirty years has taught me what to listen for, and I’m still curious about the person in front of me.

You don’t have to know whether EMDR is what you need. That’s my job. Call or email and tell me what’s going on, and I’ll tell you honestly whether I’m the right person for it. Free 20-minute consultation. Individuals and couples, San Mateo and telehealth across California. Private Pay, out of network.