Philosophy

Supporting you in coming back to yourself.

We are all mirrors for one another, our collective experience, and for the human condition, but shame and trauma can distort our way of relating to ourselves and the world.

My clinical approach to therapy is person-centered, trauma-informed, & culturally inclusive. Trauma is often healed relationally, and thus our time is centered on helping cultivate compassion for yourself and others.

I weave together CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy), systems & attachment theory, polyvagal theory, parts work, DBT (Dialectical Behavioral Therapy) skills for emotional regulation support, depth psychology, somatic and body awareness, Acceptance & Commitment Therapy, practice mindfulness skills in session, and always hold a neurodiverse positive frame

Nurturing the process of forgiveness can open our hearts to joy; disrupting our reliance on self-protecting strategies that keep us isolated can reconnect us to ourselves.

About Serene

From my own experience of bereavement, I understand the metamorphic journey of healing that arrives when one steps toward grief.

For many years before becoming a psychotherapist, I was in private practice as a massage therapist, and supported clients in navigating their somatic experiences while living in nature and studying philosophy. For a time I served as a Hospice volunteer and deepened my own relationship to loss and grief. As a life long artist as a metalsmith I’ve learned about patience, process-oriented work, and living with imperfection.

In coalescing these experiences together, my approach to therapy manifests from a deeper place than theory alone. 

Credentials & Education

California State Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist, 147006

I obtained my master’s degree in Integral Counseling & Psychology from the California Institute of Integral Studies in San Francisco.

Before going into private practice, my therapeutic approach was further developed through my work at the community-based collectives Family Service Agency of Santa Cruz and Shine A Light Counseling Center. During my time with those organizations my focus centered on families, children, adults, and couples.