The Marina Counseling Center

I am the Program Director at the Marina Counseling Center. I am a licensed Marriage Family Therapist and Registered Expressive Arts Therapist. Currently, I have a full time private practice in San Francisco and Middletown, CA. Additionally, I serve as Executive Co-Chair for International Expressive Arts Therapy Association. I am an adjunct faculty member of California Institute of Integral Studies. I facilitate two groups, an EXA Supervision Group for MFT Trainees and an EXA Group for children 6-12 who have been exposed to domestic violence.

My career in expressive arts therapy comes from my own connection with the arts, Dance and Drama were my first love. I entertained myself as a child with my imagination and performance inspired by television. Dance remains one of my biggest passions. I studied Jazz, Ballet, Modern, Tap, Afro-Haitian, West-African, Ballroom and Bellydance. I danced and performed with a modern dance company for 5 years while in college. I maintain an active dance practice. Currently I have been studying Gabrielle Roth’s 5 Rhythms work. This practice energizes and grounds me. I witness my inner process while moving through the rhythms of flow, staccato, chaos, lyrical, and stillness.

Visual Arts, Somatic Awareness, Sandplay, Authentic Movement and Dreamwork are some of the ways I integrate the arts into my practice. I am a graduate of CIIS, with an MA in Expressive Arts Therapy. Currently, I blend Jungian, Feminist, and Object Relations theories to form an understanding of psyche. Every therapy experience is different. Most often people come to therapy because something is causing them discomfort. We look together to determine the source of discomfort. I gather some history to help me gain a fuller picture into the psyche. We use dreams, symbols, body sensations as guides to our work. Often in early wounding, there is no language for the hurt we endured. The arts provide a language that goes beyond words. By connecting a person to the hurt, then offering a way to express that hurt in non-verbal forms, the defenses of rationalization and intellectualization can be bypassed. Often images are chosen from the unconscious. I hold the space, gently interpreting and connecting material for my clients.

I love to dance, soak, and take long walks with my dogs.

I am a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist with a full time private practice in San Francisco.

I work under the premise that outside of our everyday awareness we hold beliefs, ideas and perspectives about ourselves and the world in which we operate. Many of these beliefs shape our behaviors and limit the ways in which we respond to people and events in our lives.

I work using specific therapeutic tools on one’s mind, body and spirit. All of my work is held with the deepest belief that compassion for ourselves and others creates the most optimum environment for awareness and change to occur.

I have over ten years of experience in this field and work with individuals, couples, families and groups. I am passionate about this work and take care to create a safe, warm, non-judgmental place for you to manifest awareness and change.

My Areas of Specialization are:

• Anxiety
• Depression
• Relationships: Negative Relationship Patterns
• Issues Relating to and Stemming from Abuse of Substances
• Parenting Issues
• Life Transitions
• Personal Growth and Spiritual Exploration
• Chronic Illness
• Women's Issues

I received a Master of Arts Counseling Psychology from the University of San Francisco. Prior to becoming a Psychotherapist I worked for 10 years in the corporate world.

Please call me directly at (415) 255-4267 for an intake over the phone. I look forward to hearing from you.

Finding the right therapist is essential for successful therapy. For me, psychotherapy is about our working together to help you develop a deeper understanding of yourself.

I will provide you with a safe, supportive relationship in which we can make meaning out of troublesome issues. I will share my thoughts about what contributes to your difficulties and together we will determine if working with me may be valuable to you.

Our work together will help you discover patterns and beliefs that may no longer be working in your life. I will help you articulate your own vision of yourself that integrates all of the complex sides of yourself into a coherent sense of who you are and who you want to be. It takes courage to look at yourself deeply. My style is down to earth and I work collaboratively. I will focus on your strengths, resources and goals.

I have helped men, women and couples struggling with a variety of issues such as:

• Self-acceptance and self-understanding
• Anxiety, stress and worry
• Career-related concerns
• Life transitions ( marriage, divorce, menopause, aging)
• Problems in relationship
• Grief and loss
• Depression

I would be happy to speak with you by phone at no cost to help you evaluate your needs. Please feel free to contact me directly at 415-255-2572.

As a relational therapist, my goal is to help you find satisfaction and joy in relationships - both to yourself and others - ultimately leading to a more satisfying life. There are several ways I will facilitate this healing process in therapy. I create a safe, compassionate, empathic environment where you will have space to feel understood, and to better understand yourself. I will also encourage and help guide you into an exploration of your deeper self, where you will confront and heal the wounds that are hurting you or holding you back in life. Together, we will embark on a transformational journey that will ultimately allow your true, authentic self to grow and flourish.

Education

M.S., Psychology, Dominican University of California

Affiliations

California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists

San Francisco Center for Psychoanalysis

Northern California Society for Psychoanalytic Psychology

American Psychological Association

I take an eclectic approach to therapy because each person is unique, and therapy works best when it's grounded in a relationship where you feel seen and accepted for who you are. Once we've established a connection that supports your growth and healing, we'll focus on developing your capacity for self-reflection and self-compassion. It takes courage to come into therapy; to seek help in shifting painful and limiting beliefs and patterns of relating to yourself and the world. With a spirit of curiosity, gentleness, and openness, we'll look at these old ways and help you decide what serves you, what you want to let go of, what gets in the way of letting go, and ultimately, what new ways of being and relating you would like to welcome in.

To schedule an appointment or a brief phone consultation, please contact me directly at 415/255-3252.

Human beings are “social animals”. We need each other to feel safe and inspired. In healthy relationships, it is so much easier to nurture our innate vitality, resilience and creative development.

Many people begin psychotherapy feeling overwhelmed, anxious, or depressed. They are confused about their relationships, or they isolate and feel ashamed about aspects of themselves. The first step in therapy is often to examine how we relate to ourselves when things don’t go as we want to. Self-compassion and seeing oneself clearly is what we generally need most to turn things around towards a more fulfilling life.

My therapeutic work is interactive and dynamic. It is based on science of relationships (attachment theory), of brain processes (neuroscience), and of non-judgmental, heart-centered awareness (mindfulness and heart coherence research). When it is called for, my work can be structured and goal oriented, fostering emotion regulation, healthy boundaries and better communication. At other times, patience and empathy are needed to give plenty of room for meaning and faith to emerge organically.

I have experience working with most of the common problems people bring to therapy. I completed training in Sensorimotor Psychotherapy for the Treatment of Trauma. After past traumatic experiences or shock, a person’s ability to cope can get easily overwhelmed by triggering events. Special attention is needed to release the effects of trauma from the body and brain.

One of my specialties is helping couples move from conflict or detached distance to emotional connection. I use the map of Emotion Focused Couple Therapy (EFT) and I consult with one of the leading couple therapists in the Bay Area, Michael Klein.

I have a M.A. in Counseling Psychology, a M.F.A. in Visual Arts and bring rich life experience to the therapeutic work. As a licensed movement therapist and body-worker (for many years at UCSF Medical Center), I have a strong somatic (body-inclusive) understanding of the human being. With more than 15 years of experience working with organizations and groups, I am since 2005 a group facilitator at Stanford University. At the Graduate School of Business, I help students build deeper relationships, understand interpersonal dynamics and develop their leadership skills.

I look forward to being in contact with you and discuss any questions you might have. Please contact me directly at (415) 255 2517

“The curious paradox is that when I accept myself just as I am, then I can change.” -Carl Rogers

There are many reasons people seek psychotherapy. In my practice, there are several specific themes that I work on with individuals most often:

• Challenges with unbalanced relationships - giving too much while feeling like you are not receiving enough in return.
• Having trouble saying “no” to people, as well as setting other personal boundaries.
• Fears about what might happen in relationships if you ask for your wants and needs to be met.
• Feeling constrained and burdened by relationships, as oppose to free and spontaneous.
• Resentment towards partners, friends, and family members.
• Difficultly recognizing and standing up for your needs.
• Consuming thoughts about how you are perceived by others.
• Not feeling “good enough.”

If you identify with any of these statements, chances are you are feeling some dissatisfaction in your relationships. Depression, anxiety, addiction and substance abuse, low self-esteem, eating disorders and body image issues, overwhelming guilt and shame, as well as other symptoms can quickly arise when we do not feel relationally met or satisfied.

As a relational therapist, my goal is to help you find satisfaction and joy in relationships - both to yourself and others - ultimately leading to a more satisfying life. There are several ways I will facilitate this healing process in therapy. I create a safe, compassionate, empathic environment where you will have space to feel understood, and to better understand yourself. I will also encourage and help guide you into an exploration of your deeper self, where you will confront and heal the wounds that are hurting you or holding you back in life. Together, we will embark on a transformational journey that will ultimately allow your true, authentic self to grow and flourish.

My expertise as a therapist extends into working with children, adolescents, and families as well as adults. With children, I use play, art, and talk therapy to build self-esteem, help with transitional times and issues at school or in the home, and to process trauma. I primarily work with adolescents in navigating autonomy and all the issues that accompany this developmental process. I also work with parents on developing successful parenting strategies and establishing a more satisfying family unit.

I feel deeply passionate and honored to be working with people who are dedicated to creating more satisfaction in their lives. If you believe that we might be a good match working together, please feel free to contact me directly at 415-255-2664. I look forward to hearing from you.

"Although attempting to bring about world peace through the internal transformation of individuals is difficult, it is the only way." -Dalai Lama

I hold therapy as a creative process of transformation and self-realization that unfolds within a unique space and relationship. I understand the impulse to seek support as a natural and healthy response to life’s inevitable pain, challenges and disappointments — and as a steppingstone toward an optimally vital, aware and meaningful life.

The reflective, grounded and warm nature of the space I hold, allows us to create a collaborative relationship that guides and continually informs our journey together toward your healing, deeper connection and greater life fulfillment. All that is required to begin and progress is a willingness to turn truthfully toward whatever is emerging in the moment.

If you would like to learn more about me, or to set up an appointment, you may contact me directly at (415) 255-2690.

Therapy is a unique opportunity for healing, personal growth, and understanding oneself in new ways. I offer warm, supportive, and non-judgemental environment in which we can explore issues that brought you to therapy.

My Integral approach is informed by psychodynamic, transpersonal, cognitive behavioral and somatic theory. I as well enjoy using Art Therapy and Sand Play. I am trained in EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) and use it successfully with clients working through traumatic experiences.

I have MA in Clinical Psychology, 2000, from Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic and MA in Integral Counseling, 2009, from CIIS, SF, CA. I have experience in working with children, couples, families and adults.

I am committed to personal growth, exploration of consciousness and being of service. I come from Eastern Europe and have lived in Asia, Australia, and United States. I enjoy being in the nature, traveling, music, dance, quality food, and staying active.

If you think we are a good match and would like to schedule an appointment, call my direct voicemail: 415-255-2553. For more information visit my website: www.veronikagold.com.

I help individuals and couples feel more in control of their lives and relationships and guide them in discovering new possibilities for fulfillment.

While insight and understanding into why you have certain experiences is valuable, to create lasting change you must address how you form your experiences in the present. My goal is to give you the tools and directions for how to directly influence your patterns of behavior, feeling and thinking. This practice empowers you to:

• Stop feeling victim to distressing experiences
• Learn how to navigate places where you feel stuck, lost and overwhelmed
• Form more effective and satisfying responses to the challenges and opportunities of life
• Harness these skills to grow and influence your life with intention

Growing the capacity for self-management is the key to decreasing anxiety and depression, deepening intimacy, increasing self-confidence, and cultivating your desires and vitality.

Therapy can teach you to participate in how you receive and shape the deeper informing currents of your body that give living it’s meaning and value. Forming this relationship with yourself nourishes the fulfillment of a soulful and passionate life.

My clients are very diverse in terms of age, gender, sexual orientation, lifestyle, social and cultural background, and goals in therapy. Please visit my website to learn more about me and how I work.

Call me today at (415) 255-2540 for more information or if you would like to set an appointment.

“Unconditional presence is the most powerful transforming force there is precisely because it is a willingness to be there with ourselves in our experience, without dividing ourselves in two trying to manage what we are feeling." -John Welwood

People seek psychotherapy for a variety of reasons usually stemming from a desire to feel better.
Past experiences can influence our present inner dialogue and relationships in ways that we are unaware of, and may prevent us from accomplishing what is truly meaningful to us. This way of living can leave us dissatisfied and yearning for more from ourselves, our work, and our relationships.

Psychotherapy provides an opportunity for inquiry into your innermost concerns and struggles. With the support of a compassionate therapist who is deeply respectful of your values and choices, you can explore the possibility of finding and living from your truth, and opening into a deep sense of personal integrity.

It is a privilege to be in the presence of an individual who is seeking help in a healing journey, and I recognize the importance of my role as witness along the way. This role includes providing you with a safe and non-judgmental space in which to express and explore the many experiences, feelings, transitions and choices you are currently facing, however daunting they may seem. I will support you in finding your direction at your own pace. By listening to you with a gentle and compassionate attitude, I provide an atmosphere for you to hear your own voice in the issues you are facing. From this place of self-awareness often comes acceptance and thus movement toward healing and renewal.

My client-centered and interactive orientation incorporates psychodynamic, transpersonal, and somatic ways of working. I believe it is important to receive information and guidance from all of our faculties, honoring our wisdom within. Therefore, my practice serves to integrate the whole individual: mind, body, and spirit.

After a deeply healing deep-dive into therapy and spiritual practice, I left a 10-year business career in New York to pursue a Master’s in Psychology at CIIS. To me, engaging in the process of therapy is a supreme act of self-love. By being brave enough to explore and confront ourselves, including our shadowy and painful parts, we begin the process of freeing ourselves. I believe that we all have a natural instinct to return to health and wholeness, and it is my practice to accompany others along this journey.

Acceptance is a basic tenet of the way I work. I fully accept you, even if you do not quite accept yourself. You are given vast space to be exactly who you are and where you are, with no expectations. As you begin to experience being accepted, you can begin to accept yourself. Once you accept yourself, all of the resistance that you have been holding melts away, freeing your energy to build a fuller, happier life.

As a therapist serving a wonderfully diverse city, I am dedicated to inspiring and supporting clients to connect more deeply with themselves. This naturally invokes healing, allows for genuine connection with others, and reveals a vital and uniquely personal way of being in the world.

I have a special affinity for working with:

• Individuals who typically "lose themselves" in relationships.


• Men.


• People feeling heart-broken and exiled.


• Spiritual seekers struggling with personal relationships.


• Educators, students, and child-care workers.


• Couples wanting deeper intimacy and a more vital bond.


• Clients looking to work with a body-oriented, somatic psychotherapist.


• Anyone seeking support for living an embodied and genuine personal life!

My approach to therapy is practical and my style is curious, lively, and personal. I share what I sense and feel, while always letting clients be the authority and expert of their own experience.

I lead with kindness and compassion, understand the indispensability of playfulness and humor, and know the necessity of firm challenge and caring confrontation at times.

I have a Masters degree in Somatic Psychology from the California Institute of Integral Studies. I am a nature-lover, athlete, and former child-care director and elementary educator. For nearly 20 years, I have been on a path of personal growth, exploring and participating in leading-edge psychotherapy, emotional healing, somatic (body-based), meditative and psycho-spiritual teachings and trainings. I am inspired and guided in my personal and professional life by a deep love for truth and healthy relationships.

Clients often come to therapy feeling anxious, frustrated or depressed, and they want relief. Many feel stuck and unhappy in a job or a relationship. Others are struggling with life transitions and finding it difficult to face uncertainty in their lives. Whatever the situation, it can be difficult to navigate challenging times alone. This makes sense: It is in relationship that we all learn the habits we live by. Because many of these habits are lifelong and have helped us along the way, they can become invisible, and we can feel helpless to change them.

I offer a warm, grounded and attentive perspective in helping individuals find new responses to their struggles through developing a deeper capacity for self-compassion - the ability to bring kindness and curiosity to all aspects of experience, including critical thoughts, negative relationship patterns, self-defeating behaviors, and unexpected losses. I do this by gently guiding clients in:

• Becoming more aware of the ways they habitually think and react
• Getting in touch with the fear and pain that hide beneath habits
• Listening to old wounds and giving them what they need to heal
• Making the fresh choices that lead to more fulfilling and vibrant lives

In our work together, I support clients in finding a deeper sense of wholeness and integrity within themselves, and more nourishing relationships with others. Please visit my website to learn more about me, the way I work, and self-compassion.

If you have any questions or would like to schedule an appointment, please feel free to call me at 415.255.2509.

Therapy is a journey of reclaiming your wholeness. Although difficult feelings are often the spark, it takes courage and strength to begin this work. I offer non judgmental, warm, and supportive guidance, balanced with enough challenge for you to grow.

Individual therapy can help you:

• Feel connected to what you want when making life decisions
• Learn to genuinely accept parts of yourself, even those parts that you want to change
• Be more honest about your needs with partners, parents, and friends
• Stay grounded when upset so you can make different choices
• Access more aliveness and energy for your life
• Learn tools to help manage difficult emotional states

I believe that, in addition to insight, a direct experience of your patterns, beliefs, or stories is an essential ingredient for lasting change. Together, we will explore ways you've learned to protect yourself that are no longer serving you. As you grow your capacity to notice these self defeating patterns, you will find that you have the ability to make new choices in your life. At the same time we will focus on strengthening the internal resources which are already part of you so that you can feel better on your own. I will guide you in learning tools which will help you deepen your inner wisdom and shift the way you feel.

I support individuals and couples in developing their own capacity to heal. Please visit my website to learn more about my work. I am glad to talk to you to answer your questions or schedule an appointment: 415-255-3250.

People often come into therapy hoping for change. I am committed to building a trusting relationship so that together we can create a safe, non-judgmental and supportive space where we can explore the difficulties you are facing and the ways in which you want to grow.

I am passionate about helping individuals explore their feelings, histories, beliefs and behaviors, in order to better understand their relationships to themselves and others. I help couples identify and understand the patterns and dynamics within their relationship so that they can better relate to one another and deepen their connection.

I believe my clients’ experiences and desires are of primary importance, and that by listening deeply and empathically, I offer reflection to support their communication, healing and growth. I work in a warm, engaged style and incorporate the mind, body and spirit in my work.

Areas of Specialization:

• Relationships
• Anxiety/Depression
• Cross Cultural Experiences
• Sexuality and Intimacy
• Self Esteem
• Body Image
• Grief/Loss
• Abuse/Trauma
• Spirituality

My therapeutic perspective is Humanistic and grounded in Psychodynamic theory, and I work in a Relational way that acknowledges our working relationship. I believe that we learn to relate from our families, so use Attachment Theory and Internalized Family Systems in my work. I believe in incorporating mind, body, and spirit so also draw from Somatic and Transpersonal Psychology.

I received my Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology from the California Institute of Integral Studies, and have a Master of Arts in English and American Literature from the University of Minnesota. I have training in several modalities including Emotionally Focused Therapy, Collaborative Couples Therapy, EMDR, and The Hakomi Method.

I am a member of: The San Francisco Chapter of the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists; The California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists; and The Association of Family Therapists of Northern California.

If you would like to learn more about me or speak with me about an appointment, please contact me at: 415-255-2521. I look forward to hearing from you.

Sometimes we have thoughts and feelings that we don’t understand. We can be afraid of what we’ll hear if we slow down and listen. I provide a safe warm environment for you to find the voice inside you that speaks your truth.

My Specialties Are

• Adult Children of Alcoholics ACOA
• Depression
• Anxiety
• Relationships/Communication/Trust
• Childhood Trauma
• Addiction
• Spirituality
• Transition Periods

I work to help you build awareness and bring mindfulness to your process. I believe when we are aware of our thoughts, patterns, triggers and feelings we then have the choice to go forward in our lives consciously, creating the life we want to live. Regardless of past or current issues bringing awareness to ourselves and our process can empower our future.

People have reported after working with me they feel more in touch with what they want.

They are Better able to set boundries
Have a better understanding of themselves
Have more compassion for themselves
Have a deeper sense of knowing
Feel more balance between the emotional world and the practical world.
Are better able to tolerate and understand their emotions
Manage their anxiety
Understand their depression
Understand family patterns and how they influence present choices