As a clinical psychologist I work with individuals and couples striving to live more fulfilling lives — cultivating self-reflection, integrating self-awareness and strengthening self-compassion.

I specialize in working with professional women addressing a range of issues including prenatal/postpartum transitions, birth trauma, parenting and attachment, family of origin issues, depression, anxiety, eating disorders, addiction, sleep issues, relationships, grief and loss.

My research, writing and ongoing studies have focused on mother-daughter relationships, women’s health, mindfulness and meditation. I am a mother and a longtime practitioner of meditation, yoga and Ayurvedic principles.

Western psychology and Eastern philosophy have deeply influenced my clinical work. I travel to India each year to study with Dr. Shankaranarayana Jois, author of The Sacred Tradition of Yoga, whose wisdom and guidance have made a profound impact on my approach to helping people live with more peace, joy and well-being.

License # PSY20791

Approach

I see therapy as a deep commitment to personal understanding and a practice of cultivating self-care. I seek to create a safe environment where my patients learn to identify and attend to their needs. Through empathic listening, I carefully track my patients’ process and personal histories. Over time, the therapeutic relationship becomes a sacred space to explore and understand oneself.

My clinical style combines a psychodynamic approach — understanding early childhood experiences and attachment — with practical, clear and articulate reflection. I also use mindfulness-based cognitive and somatic techniques for individuals to develop a reflective capacity and healthy discernment. Through examining one’s early conditioning and core beliefs, the therapeutic process sheds light on unconscious patterns allowing for greater insight and clarity in the present.

I often recommend relevant reading material to those who are interested in deepening their inner work beyond the weekly sessions.

I offer both short-term and long-term therapy depending on specific needs and issues. I do not take insurance directly, however, I do provide all necessary paperwork for reimbursement from insurance companies. I offer sessions both at my office in Sebastopol, California, and remotely via phone or Skype. For more information, please call or email me: 415-302-0250 / [email protected]

gillian

Additional Areas of Focus

  • Couple Therapy
  • Parenting Consultation
  • Meditation / Stress Reduction
  • Integrative Restoration Yoga (iRest)
  • Mother-Daughter Relationships
  • Raising Healthy Boys
  • Jungian Psychology
  • Developing a Spiritual Practice
  • Transgenerational Trauma
  • Cultivating a Healthy Lifestyle

Relevant Experience

  • Psychodynamic training at Community Institute for Psychotherapy
  • Pre-doctoral intern: James Goodrich Whitney Clinic / C.G. Jung Institute of San Francisco
  • Post-doctoral intern: Marin Community Mental Health / DBT training
  • Marin General Hospital: facilitating postpartum mindfulness classes
  • MBSR – Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction
  • Training with Dr. Gordon Neufeld on healthy parenting and attachment
  • Mindfulness and addiction studies with Pema Chodron
  • Level 1 & 2 Integrative Restoration Yoga (iRest) in trauma treatment
  • Trauma Treatment Training with Dr. Bessel A. van der Kolk
  • Mental health therapist for adolescent girls in residential treatment
  • Social worker in integrative health for cancer patients
  • Jivana Yoga Certification: in-depth studies in yoga, mediation and Ayurveda

Contact

Phone:
415 302 0250

Email:
[email protected]

Sebastopol Office:
530 South Main Street, Suite 203
Sebastopol, California 95472

Forms

Personal History

Informed Consent

Release of Information

Reading List

Parenting:

 

  • Parenting from the Inside Out, by Daniel J. Siegel and Mary Hartzell
  • The Whole-Brain Child, by Daniel J. Siegel and Tina Payne Bryson
  • Simplicity Parenting, by Kim John Payne
  • The Price of Priviledge, Madeline Levine
  • Maternal Desire, by Daphne DeMarneffe
  • Mothers, Daughters and The Female Body, by Gillian Lerner
  • Hold on to Your Kids: Why Parents Matter More Than Peers, by Gordon Neufeld and Gabor Mate

 

Couples:

 

  • Hold me Tight, by Dr. Sue Johnson
  • How To Be An Adult In Relationships, David Richo
  • And Baby Makes Three, by John M. Gottman and Julie Schwartz Gottman

Mindfulness & Meditation:

 

  • The Sacred Tradition of Yoga, by Dr. Shankaranarayana Jois
  • You Are Not What You Think, by David Richo
  • When Things Fall Apart, by Pema Chodron
  • Meditation: The Notebooks of Paul Bruton, by Paul Bruton
  • The Inner Life, by Hazrat Inayat Khan
  • Toward a Psychology of Awakening, by John Welwood
  • The Power of Grace, by David Richo
  • The Untethered Soul, by Michael A. Singer
  • Discover Yourself, by Paul Bruton

 

Depth Psychology:

 

  • Owning Your Own Shadow, by Robert A. Johnson
  • Hauntings: Dispelling the Myths That Run Our Lives, by James Hollis
  • Trauma and the Soul, by Donald Kalsched
  • Memories, Dreams, Reflections, by C. G. Jung