Licensed MARRIAGE AND FAMILY THERAPist, #125406
510.550.5854
Telehealth Only
Whatever your reasons for coming to therapy, I will meet all parts of you with respect and non-judgment. My intuitive, somatic focus can help you pay attention to all your feelings and experiences, even the ones that are hard to talk about.
My grounded, caring presence can help you feel supported and safer as you process challenging emotions or memories. My realness and sense of humor keep things comfortable, and even help you laugh sometimes.
Therapy work with me focuses on thoughts and insights of the mind, feelings and sensations living in the body, and relationships with people in the world (including the one between you and me). All of these provide a wealth of resources and information we will use to help you explore, understand, integrate, and move closer to healing.
My practice is trauma-informed. This means that rather than seeing your emotions as a problem to be fixed, I focus on understanding the impact of what's happened in your life; how your feelings, experiences, and behaviors make sense in that context. What most people think of as mental illness can instead be seen as the mind/body’s attempt to protect us from harm, perhaps in ways that once worked to keep us alive, but that are no longer allowing us to thrive. This understanding helps replace shame with self-compassion; ‘fixing' with relearning, reshaping, and healing.
My work is also informed by the values of social justice and anti-oppression practices. These are not just abstract political concepts to me; they deeply influence who I am and how I see the world, and therefore how I practice therapy. “It's impossible to fix someone when what's broken is the system.” (Chavya Babu)
My personal experiences with marginalization inform and inspire how I do therapy. One aspect of this is my commitment to approach my clients with equity and humility. I believe therapy is a journey we are on together. I may have training and experience; but you are the expert on you. I won’t be able to give you all the answers; but I can help you find them for yourself.
I identify as queer, transgender, non-binary, fat-positive and as a holistic, integrative practitioner.
A graduate of John F. Kennedy's Counseling psychology program
Specialization in somatic psychotherapy
Additional training in:
EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing)
DBT (Dialectical-Behavioral Therapy)
Harm Reduction
Gender-Affirmative Transgender therapy.
specializing in treating:
Gay, lesbian, bisexual, queer, asexual, open/polyamorous, kink, and other sexual minorities
Transgender, transsexual, genderqueer, non-binary, and other gender minorities
Trauma and PTSD
Substance use, harm reduction, opioid use
Relationship therapy for couples/moresomes
Grief and loss
Body and self esteem
Disability, chronic pain/illness
Tele-therapy services
For additional information about me, please see my websites at laurentherapy.com, queertranstherapy.com and my profile on Psychology Today.
Contact Us
Starting is easy! Use the form on the right to begin our conversation. We'll start with a free, 30 minute consultation to see if we're a good match. If we're not, for any reason, I'll provide you with other referrals that may be a better fit - my commitment is to your well-being first!