Integrative Psychotherapy
in Santa Barbara, CA
Honoring depth
&
Creating growth
About me
I have always been drawn to people’s stories and experiences. In my work as a therapist, I love that I am able to sit with people as they find their path through the things that have happened to them in order to return to their true selves and create the life they desire.
I graduated from Pacifica Graduate Institute in 2011, and worked in a variety of clinics and institutions before moving fully into private practice. I was born in Ventura, and moved to Santa Barbara in 2019 so that I could be more a part of the community I serve. I continue to learn and grow in my work as a therapist through my own work, trainings, and education to allow me to sit with clients as a nurturing, honest guide through their work.
Healing is a constant practice, not the conclusion of the problem.
-Michael Meade
Issues I work with
-
Depression and anxiety
Addressing long term symptoms
Creating healthy supports and patterns
Finding yourself
-
Trauma
Childhood trauma
Relationship trauma
Work related trauma -
Life transitions
Achieving goals
Relationship changes
Work changes
-
First responders and their families
Addressing traumas and trauma related symptoms
Building resiliency to have a sustainable career
Support for first responder spouses and children
-
Gender and sexuality
Women’s issues
Men’s issues
LGBTQIA+ affirming therapy
What to expect during a session
Many people come to therapy with things that feel too heavy to hold, and things that they don’t feel they can tell anyone else. Therapy is a place to bring those things into the light and heal them in relationship with another person. I often think of therapy as having someone help you take things out of a storage closet that things have just been stuffed in over the years until everything is about to fall out as soon as you open the door. We work together to open up boxes, throw out what is no longer needed, and reorganize the things that are left so that we aren’t overwhelmed when we open the door again.
Sometimes we will work on concrete things like habits and supports, sometimes we will talk about images that come up in dreams or during session, sometimes we will work through what is going on in your life, and sometimes we will focus on the body, and what information it is giving you and how to support it in moving towards healing. My work always holds safety, authenticity, and hope (with occasional laughter) as core to healing, and we will work together to build a foundation for the future.
Our very selves from day to day are the result of where we’ve been, what we’ve seen, how we’ve hurt and healed, and what we are on the threshold even now of discovering
-Tracy K. Smith
Wholeness
&
Resiliency
Frequently asked questions
-
Integrative psychotherapy brings together different ways of approaching therapy in order to create an individualized plan for each person, and for each issues that arises. We might work on concrete skills for one issue, work with the information your body is giving you to shift another pattern, and bring in images or memories to work through trauma.
The foundation of my work is based in depth psychotherapy, and I also bring in parts work, cognitive behavioral work, and body awareness into my work with each client. Depth psychotherapy works with the unconscious parts of ourself that may be keeping us from becoming our full self, or keeping us from reaching our full potential. Depth psychotherapy can help us understand and change our relationship to the parts of ourself that feel shameful and hidden (our shadow), the patterns that keep showing up in our life (archetypes or complexes such as the Victim or the Hero), and help us change our relationship to trauma. Parts work helps us to understand the roles that different parts of ourselves have, and how they affect our thoughts and emotions (the Pixar movie Inside Out has a good description of our parts). Sometimes a particular issue or problem needs a more concrete, cognitive approach where building skills or committing to different behaviors can help shift things, and sometimes our bodies have information to help us navigate a past experience, or help us find the path forward.
The relationship that occurs in therapy is one of the most important foundations for healing, and we will work together to create a safe and honest place for creating wholeness and growth.
-
I accept Blue Shield, Anthem and Aetna insurance. I use Headway to process insurance billing and can check to make sure I am in network before we start working together.
I can also provide you with a superbill that you can submit to your insurance to be reimbursed for part of your session cost, if I am not in network with your insurance.
-
Each 55 minute session is $200. I accept some insurances and can check your coverage during our consultation call.
-
Yes! I offer telehealth sessions throughout California, on a HIPAA compliant telehealth platform, and in person sessions at my office in downtown Santa Barbara. I find that therapy can be much more effective and supportive when sessions are held in person, and also love being able to offer therapy to those who would like to meet over telehealth, or are not local to Santa Barbara.