I am glad that you found your way to my about page. I get an opportunity to share a bit about me and how I support people just like you. I am Ryan, and I am an Associate Marriage and Family Therapist (AMFT), and Associate Professional Clinical Counselor (APCC) treating children, adolescents, adults, and couples. I believe that deep down we all want to be seen and valued for who we truly are. I take the time to get to know you and understand the challenges you are facing, so that I can bring clarity and direction tailored to your specific needs.

Every one of my clients is unique, but many clients of all ages come to me looking for support with issues such as depression and anxiety (in all their forms), ADHD/ASD, family support, emotional and behavioral support, marital communication struggles, life transitions (such as launching, marriage, divorce, starting a family, blended families, aging and health issues), addiction, and matters relating to identity and LGBTQIA+. I have experience and training with all these issues.

I find that different people respond to certain treatment styles that fit with their personal lived experience and personality, so I align the form of treatment to suit you from a toolbox that includes orientations such as Trauma Informed, Internal Family Systems (IFS), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT), Play Therapy, and Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) Therapy. I will work collaboratively with you to find just the right fit for you and the particular challenge you are looking to overcome so that you can live your life more freely.

A bit about me and my background, I grew up in Oregon before moving to the Bay Area to attend Cal Berkeley. My time in the Pacific Northwest gave me an appreciation for nature’s beauty, and a deep reverence for the connections between all life. It fostered in me a curiosity to understand and explore self as an individual and in relationship to others with the systems we all find ourselves traveling. I pursued my masters from Dominican University of California in Counseling Psychology so that I can help people live more fulfilled lives.

For families and couples, my philosophy is to see the unit as my client; not one individual over another. In that way I treat the patterns of connection that are not serving the system as a whole. Through greater understanding and fostering better attunement, each person can retain their individuality while also achieving more harmony in connection with one another.

For children, play can be a rich language that they use to speak what might be too difficult to find with other words. Whether in the office, online, or outdoor therapy I help to identify and build their internal strengths, resources, and coping strategies. We identify their goals and process any underlying difficult experiences that might have impacted their ability to thrive in the present.

For all my clients, I am guided by the underlying framework of the Biopsychosocial model, that describes how we are all the culmination of a complex and nuanced interplay between our physical self (genetics, hormones, health factors), our psychology (thoughts, beliefs, habits, passions), and relation with others (society, traditions, norms, roles, shared understanding). Often, ways of healing only address one part of that overall landscape, and as a result growth may be temporary. When all three pillars are supported, however, people may find more lasting and profound life changes.

If you are trying to figure out if I might be a good fit for you, I will offer that studies have shown that the single greatest factor for healing in therapy is the connection between the therapist and client(s). Much of that can only truly be discovered through direct experience. If you would like to see for yourself if this is the right time, right place, and right person to help you move forward, feel free to reach out and we can take that next step together.