Whether you're in school, working, or somewhere in between: a lot is changing, and the plan you had may not fit anymore. I offer therapy to students and people in their twenties working through anxiety, depression, and the question of what they want, as distinct from what they've been told to want.
Check what fits. We can discuss your answers when you book a consult.
Check what fits. It comes with you when you schedule, so we can start there.
Sessions are collaborative and direct, with room for humor. I have no stake in what you decide, which can be a relief when everyone around you has an opinion.
Some of it is practical. There are skills for anxiety, low mood, perfectionism, focus, and the stress of big decisions (e.g., the spiral before a deadline, or going back and forth between the same two options for weeks), drawing on DBT and ACT.
Some of it is about direction. What do you value, once you set aside what your family, your school, and the people around you expect? We can start with a choice in front of you (e.g., the job that pays versus the one you'd pick, or whether to move home for a year) and sort out how to weigh it, and which parts of your reaction come from you and which from other people.
For one person, the aim is a clearer decision; for another, a different relationship to not knowing yet. Either is a good outcome.
I'm a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with fifteen years in behavioral health. I remember feeling insecure and lost after college myself, and I know what it's like to be early in a career while comparing yourself to everyone around you. For most of the last decade I led clinical services and training at a Bay Area nonprofit, where much of my work was supervising and teaching early-career clinicians and graduate students: people building competence and confidence at the same time, often while doubting both.
We start with a free 15-minute phone call. If it feels like a fit, we schedule a first session.
In person at my office at 518 Hamilton Ave in Palo Alto, or by secure video anywhere in California. You need to be physically in California during video sessions, so students at out-of-state schools can meet over breaks. Walk-and-talk sessions outdoors on the Peninsula are an option once we've met a few times.
50 minutes, $300, private pay. Most people meet weekly to start, and we'll talk through timing on the consult call. I provide monthly superbills if you have out-of-network benefits (including through a family plan), and family can pay on your behalf. Fees and payment details.
What you share is confidential, with limited exceptions that I explain at the start.
That's a fine place to start; you don't need a tidy goal. Bring whatever is loudest right now. Figuring out what you want to focus on is something we can do together, and you have a say in the goals the whole way through.
You don't need to know for sure to start. We'll talk through what you've noticed, and I can use short screeners to see whether anxiety, depression, or ADHD might be part of what you're dealing with. If a fuller evaluation or other support would help, I'll let you know and help you find the right person.
Yes. I don't prescribe medication, but with your permission I'm glad to coordinate with your prescriber. If you're wondering whether medication could help, I can talk it through with you and help you find the right resources.
Campus counseling is a good option for many students, and it's often free or low-cost; if it's working for you, keep going. Where it tends to be limited is session count and continuity: many centers cap the number of visits or rotate clinicians. Private therapy means one person, as long as it's useful, including over summers and after you graduate.
Only while you're physically in California, like over winter or summer break, because that's where I'm licensed. During the school year, your campus counseling center or a therapist licensed in that state is the right route, and I'm glad to help you find one.
Yes. Paying for sessions doesn't come with information about them. If a parent is paying, I'll need their payment details and nothing else. What you and I talk about stays between us, with the limited exceptions I explain at the start.
Fifteen minutes by phone, no obligation. We'll talk about what's going on and whether I'm the right person to help.