i see the strength and beauty in everyone
I had to wonder, why do we wait until someone is dying to talk about what’s most important to them to live well?
Facing one’s mortality has a way of crystalizing what is truly important in life...
I’m a Licensed Clinical Social Worker committed to helping people who are struggling with big life transitions to find their path to transformation. How did I get here?
During my 20+ years as a medical social worker in palliative care and hospice, I spent so much time talking with people about what *quality of life* means to them—just as their life is coming to an end.
my story
I'm Teresa
I started a private practice to help people live more fully and authentically starting now instead of waiting until they run out of time and regret missed opportunities.
I can help you start to see the links to your past and visualize the path forward toward a greater sense of peace and wholeness.
My Practice
- Therapy is a partnership, a journey we take together.
- My job is to always start where the client is but also always see the potential of where they can go.
- Therapy is an adventure. It can be fun even while it’s hard; there can be laughter through the tears, playfulness in the explorations and delight in the discoveries.
- Transformation is not something you arrive at. It is an ongoing unfolding. That means any little shift you make in your life now can make a big difference in the long run.
My Approach to Therapy
Bachelor of Arts in Psychology with a minor in Sociology, University of California at Santa Cruz
Master of Social Work, Portland State University
Professional background includes:
- Community Geriatric Health Care
- Home Health
- Hospice
- Palliative Care
- Advance Care Planning
- Medical Center Consultation and Education
Licensed Clinical Social Worker
LCSW 24359
I believe we each have a unique, authentic self that longs for expression and agency in our lives, but it can get buried under the messages we learn from our families and the larger society. Therapy offers an opportunity to peel back the layers of messages and remember who we really are and how we truly want to live our lives.
My purpose as a therapist is to see the unique strength and beauty in each client and use it like a flashlight to illuminate that individual’s personal path forward.
I built my private practice on the beliefs that everyone has an innate capacity for healing and wholeness, and every crisis holds opportunity for growth and transformation.
Because of this premise, my practice works outside of the medical model. Standard psychotherapy uses the medical model which is focused on treatment of pathology. Instead, my practice uses a personal growth model which is focused on individual potential and development. (If you are looking for diagnosis and medication, I fully support that route, but I am not your gal.)
I have studied many models and theories, but I don’t believe in a cookie cutter approach: I am always crafting the therapeutic experience in real time for each individual by weaving in various theories and interventions with a little intuition and a lot of interpersonal neurobiology in the setting of our shared, collaborative relationship.
my philosophy
Behind the Practice
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