placing down the burden
Auguste Rodin, “Fallen Caryatid Carrying an Urn,” 1883
Individual Psychotherapy in San Francisco
People seek therapy for many reasons. For some, life feels unbearably heavy — weighed down by sadness, anxiety, or exhaustion. For others, the problem is repetition: the same arguments, the same cycles of self-criticism, the same disappointments no matter what they try. Still others describe a sense of disconnection — present in the world, but cut off from themselves or those they love.
Whatever form it takes, these struggles are real and deserve to be taken seriously. I offer a space where what feels too much can be named, understood, and gradually transformed. Therapy offers more than coping tricks. It’s a place to bring the parts of your life and your mind that feel too difficult or confusing — and to be met by another human being who can help you make sense of them.
I offer therapy in San Francisco for adults seeking both relief from immediate distress and the deeper change that makes life feel more livable.
Why People Seek Therapy
Most people start therapy because something has become too painful to manage alone. You may be facing:
Persistent sadness, emptiness, or loss of motivation
Worry, panic, or constant tension that doesn’t let up
Harsh self-criticism or perfectionism that leaves you depleted
Conflicts in relationships, or fear of closeness that keeps you isolated
Grief after a loss
The emotional impact of illness, pain, or major life transitions
None of these struggles exist in a vacuum. They are shaped by your history, your culture, your relationships, your body, your social context. Therapy with me is a place where the whole of you — your experiences, identities, and contradictions — belongs.
How Therapy Helps
Finding relief now
In the early sessions, therapy can feel like exhaling after holding your breath for too long — a first breath of steadiness, a place to set something down.
Working through the past
Unprocessed experiences don’t stay buried; they show up in symptoms, anxieties, and relationship patterns. Old injuries live on as tension in the body, dread about the future, or fights that repeat like a script. Therapy helps you work through these knots so your past doesn’t dictate your present.
Lasting change
Depth psychotherapy doesn’t just reduce symptoms; it reshapes how you relate to yourself and to others. Clients often describe feeling more free, more resilient, and more fully alive.
What Sets Depth Therapy Apart
I don’t promise quick fixes. While I aim to help you feel steadier as soon as possible, the heart of our work is slower, deeper, and more enduring.
Human presence:
In a world of apps and AI, therapy here is grounded in human connection — empathy, responsiveness, and attunement that no simulation can provide.
Holding and containment:
Therapy with me offers a container for what feels unbearable, where it can be held and gradually transformed.
Rarely, if ever, are any of us healed in isolation. Healing is an act of communion.
bell hooks, All About Love (2000)
Active engagement:
I am an active participants, not a passive observer. I listen deeply, but also respond, question, and sometimes challenge — always in service of helping you understand yourself more fully.
The healing relationship:
Research is clear: the quality of the therapeutic relationship matters more than any specific technique. I work to build a relationship with you that is secure, authentic, and able to sustain the hard but rewarding work of genuine change.
Tailored to you:
No two therapies look the same. I meet you with curiosity and skill, following the threads that matter most, and at times offering guidance as well as support.
What to Expect
Therapy unfolds gradually, with trust at the center.
Initial consultation
A first meeting to talk about what brings you, your history, and your hopes. It’s also a chance to get a feel for whether our way of working fits you.
Regular sessions
Many clients come once a week; others benefit from more intensive work with greater frequency.
Exploration & reflection
Sessions may focus on current problems or turn toward deeper material — dreams, early experiences, unconscious conflicts. What matters is not only what you say, but what emerges between us in the room.
Ongoing growth
Over time, therapy can shift how you understand yourself and your relationships. Many clients describe feeling less burdened, more connected, and more able to live fully.
Common Questions
How long does therapy take?
There’s no set timeline. Some people come for short-term support through a crisis. Others stay longer to work through deeper issues and sustain lasting change.
What if I don’t know what to talk about?
You don’t need to arrive with an agenda. Therapy is a place where silence, uncertainty, and confusion are welcome. Often, what feels hardest to put into words becomes the most meaningful material.
Does therapy work?
Yes. Research shows psychotherapy is effective in reducing symptoms and improving quality of life. Long-term therapies, in particular, lead to durable benefits that extend well beyond the end of treatment.
Will you give me tips and tools?
Sometimes. While we don’t work from a script of techniques, we are responsive to your wish for guidance. We’ll help you build capacities that you can carry into life outside the therapy room.
Getting Started
Starting therapy means taking yourself seriously — your pain, your questions, your wish for something different. I provide a space not only to find relief from what hurts, but to grow into a fuller, more authentic version of yourself.
Whether you are facing depression, anxiety, painful relationship patterns, or the weight of illness or trauma, therapy can help you steady yourself now and open the possibility of lasting change.
If you’re ready to begin, I invite you to schedule a consultation and take the first step toward change.