Anneli Richards, LMFT

I founded Family Matters of Marin because I've watched what happens when a family does this work together. Parents come in for their child and are surprised to find themselves changed alongside them — closer, more connected, more at ease together. Children are met in ways that help them to feel more secure and relaxed. Parents finally feel like they are understanding their child. They have tools and a path forward that feels more solid beneath their feet. Homes that were tense start having more peace and more fun, more often than not.

I work with children, adolescents, adults, and families. After 30 years of this work, what I know is that healing rarely stays in one person — it moves through a family. A parent learns to see and engage their child differently and finds their way back to themselves in the process. A child feels understood and softens. The whole system breathes easier.

I also see many adults who carry wounds from their own childhoods or from life experiences that left a mark. They come wanting to move forward — and to do so in a way that feels whole rather than managed. That kind of work is some of the most meaningful I do.

I'm a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, an Expressive Arts Therapist, and a Certified EMDR therapist and EMDRIA-Approved Consultant, IFS level 1 trained, and hold a Pupil Personnel Services (PPS) School Counseling Credential. Before private practice, I spent 12 years as a school counselor across the Bay Area and earlier years working with children in shelters, group homes, and residential treatment.

If something here resonates, I'd love to hear from you.