How we do the work:

IFS Therapy (Internal Family Systems)

Most of us have had the experience of feeling pulled in two directions at once — part of you wants to move forward, another part slams on the brakes. Part of you is furious; another part feels guilty about the anger. IFS doesn't treat these as contradictions or problems to fix. It treats them as parts — distinct aspects of your inner world, each with their own history and their own reasons for doing what they do.

Developed by Dr. Richard Schwartz, IFS is a gentle, non-pathologizing approach to therapy. Rather than labeling your anxiety or your self-criticism as disorders, we get curious about them. We ask: what is this part trying to protect you from? What does it need you to know?

At the center of IFS is the idea that underneath all these parts, you have a Self — a calm, compassionate core that is never broken, no matter what you've been through. The work of IFS is helping that Self take the lead, so your parts don't have to work so hard.

IFS is particularly effective for trauma, anxiety, depression, chronic self-doubt, people-pleasing, emotional shutdown, and the sense that you keep replaying the same painful patterns no matter how much you understand them.

EMDR Therapy (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing)

Some experiences don't get processed the way ordinary memories do. Instead, they stay lodged — raw and close to the surface — so that years later, a smell, a tone of voice, or a moment of conflict can send your nervous system right back into the original fear or pain. That's not weakness. That's how trauma works in the body.

EMDR is a highly researched, deeply effective therapy developed specifically to help the brain finish processing what got stuck. Using bilateral stimulation — typically guided eye movements or gentle tapping — EMDR helps your nervous system revisit and reprocess traumatic memories in a way that finally allows them to settle.

Clients often describe the shift as the memory losing its charge. It doesn't disappear — you still know what happened — but it stops pulling you under. You can think about it without being transported back into it.

EMDR is effective for single-incident trauma, complex or childhood trauma, PTSD, grief, phobias, and deep-seated shame. It works powerfully alongside IFS — together, the two approaches address both the meaning you've made of painful experiences and the way your body has held onto them.

CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy)

CBT helps you identify the thoughts and beliefs that are keeping you stuck — and learn to challenge and shift them. It's practical, goal-oriented, and especially useful when anxiety, low mood, or unhelpful thinking patterns are getting in the way of daily life. We draw on CBT tools as part of a broader, integrated approach.

Mindfulness

Mindfulness is woven throughout our work. Learning to slow down, notice what's happening inside you without judgment, and return to the present moment is foundational to almost everything else we do in therapy. You don't need any prior experience — we bring it in naturally as it fits.

Walk & Talk Therapy

Sometimes getting outside changes everything. Walk and talk therapy moves the session out of the office and into the fresh air — many people find that movement helps them open up, feel less guarded, and stay present in ways that sitting across from someone doesn't always allow. San Luis Obispo has no shortage of beautiful places to walk, and we'll find a spot that works for you.