Hello.
Thank you for stopping by. You may be curious about whether we'd be a good therapeutic fit. Therapy is a vulnerable adventure, and I respect your courage and curiosity in exploring it.
In my 20 years of clinical experience, I’ve met many capable, well-informed people seeking collaboration for change, and have had the privilege of being their witness and guide. My core values are humor, creativity, equity, equality, acceptance, and genuineness. Because of my own history, my baseline for what’s "normal" is broad, and I welcome diverse values, beliefs, and expressions of self. I'm also deeply attuned to the impacts of systemic structures - particularly Western culture and capitalism - on the human experience.
I grew up in Los Angeles in a chaotic, blended family and moved to the Bay Area in my 20s hoping to find clarity and peace. Changing my geography didn’t "fix" the echoes of my past, however, so my adult life remained a series of restless transitions until I got sober in my late-30s. I have done, and continue to do, my own work in therapy, which has been an incredible gift. Through self-examination, forgiveness, and healthier coping tools, I’ve learned to better navigate my internal landscape with agency and compassion for myself and others.
There is so much room for healing in a safe relationship that gets to the root of suffering. When we meet, I'm temporarily joining you on your path, learning about your journey, and being of service in the best way I can. And you might be wondering why I use animated mental health pictures on my website if I don't work with kids. My intention is to let your younger parts know that therapy can also be a place for fun and creativity.
I live in the Bay Area with my husband and our playful Schnauzer - both of whom are my daily teachers. Feel free to reach out if you have questions or would like to schedule an appointment. I offer a free 20-minute consultation that you can schedule on my home page via Calendly. I look forward to connecting with you.
Hillary
In my 20 years of clinical experience, I’ve met many capable, well-informed people seeking collaboration for change, and have had the privilege of being their witness and guide. My core values are humor, creativity, equity, equality, acceptance, and genuineness. Because of my own history, my baseline for what’s "normal" is broad, and I welcome diverse values, beliefs, and expressions of self. I'm also deeply attuned to the impacts of systemic structures - particularly Western culture and capitalism - on the human experience.
I grew up in Los Angeles in a chaotic, blended family and moved to the Bay Area in my 20s hoping to find clarity and peace. Changing my geography didn’t "fix" the echoes of my past, however, so my adult life remained a series of restless transitions until I got sober in my late-30s. I have done, and continue to do, my own work in therapy, which has been an incredible gift. Through self-examination, forgiveness, and healthier coping tools, I’ve learned to better navigate my internal landscape with agency and compassion for myself and others.
There is so much room for healing in a safe relationship that gets to the root of suffering. When we meet, I'm temporarily joining you on your path, learning about your journey, and being of service in the best way I can. And you might be wondering why I use animated mental health pictures on my website if I don't work with kids. My intention is to let your younger parts know that therapy can also be a place for fun and creativity.
I live in the Bay Area with my husband and our playful Schnauzer - both of whom are my daily teachers. Feel free to reach out if you have questions or would like to schedule an appointment. I offer a free 20-minute consultation that you can schedule on my home page via Calendly. I look forward to connecting with you.
Hillary
Sonoma Coast
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"Life can only be understood backwards,
but it must be lived forwards." - Soren Kierkegaard |
Education and Training
I graduated from the University of San Francisco with a Master's in Counseling Psychology in 2006. I then interned for 6 years and obtained my state license in 2012. I interned at the following agencies before licensure: Haight Ashbury Free Clinics, Health Right 360 (formerly Walden House), The Liberation Institute, SF Department of Public Health EAP, Richard King, MFT, and Epiphany Center. My academic background is primarily in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) with additional training and education in the following:
- Brainspotting: A mindfulness, somatic therapy that targets the neurobiological sources of emotional distress and trauma. By identifying specific eye positions (aka Brainspots) that correlate with deep-seated trauma, it allows the brain to bypass the thinking mind and process stagnant emotional energy, facilitating profound, lasting healing through the body’s innate self-correcting nervous system.
- Dialectical Behavior Therapy: Treats mood disorders and changes unhelpful behavioral patterns such as suicidality, substance abuse and interpersonal difficulty. This is not a replacement for DBT treatment. Although I incorporate DBT skills into my practice, DBT treatment is best done in group format with peers. There are a number of wonderful resources like the Oakland DBT Center and DBT Marin.
- Seeking Safety: Treats those struggling with trauma and substance abuse at the same time. Old treatment models would address one at a time - e.g. get sober then we'll address your trauma or address your trauma then we can talk about your addiction. This model addresses BOTH issues simultaneously. Please note that I am not a treatment facility and therapy once a week does not replace substance abuse treatment methods such as intensive outpatient, inpatient and/or communities like LifeRing and 12-Step. Therapy is a great complement to group support but often cannot address addiction alone.
- Internal Family Systems aka "Parts Work": This modality views a person as many different parts with each part having their own individual function. The parts are typically present to protect the person's core, vulnerable self. This approach is very effective with trauma survivors because it builds self-compassion for parts that a person rejects. A harsh internal critic is an example of a part.
- EMDR aka Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing: EMDR was developed by Francine Shapiro by accident. She stumbled upon it while struggling with an issue and created an effective tool to help heal trauma. No one really knows how it works but it can provide symptom relief. You can learn more about it here. I use EMDR as a tool and was trained in it as such. I am not registered with EMDRIA (Eye Movement and Desensitization Reprocessing International Association). If you would prefer to seek the assistance of a EMDRIA-certified therapist, you can find one here.
- Motivational Interviewing: A method used to move a person from one stage of change to another. For example, if a person is ambivalent about quitting drinking, MI helps a person change by resolving ambivalence.
- Hakomi: Focuses on mindful attention to body sensations, emotions and memories with the intention of breaking old patterns of behavior.
- Non-violent Communication: I divide communication into 3 layers - the top layer is content, the middle is the pattern and the bottom layer holds our genuine feelings and needs. Non-violent communication addresses the bottom layer by giving our core self and others the empathy needed for genuine self-expression.