With awareness comes choice

With choice comes new possibilities

Hi, I’m Sadie

I’m an Associate Marriage and Family Therapist practicing in California. I work with teens, adults, and couples for weekly therapy in person and online.

I work with people who:

  • Feel stuck or dissatisfied

  • Want more connection, depth and intimacy in their relationships

  • Want to relate or interact differently, but don’t know how

  • Are curious to explore their inner worlds and experiences

  • Are open to new possibilities and perspectives

  • Find themselves launching or about to launch into something new

My approach to therapy

Life moves fast - and we tend to move along with it!

Therapy is a place to pause, take a breath, think and feel. Slowing down and turning inwards allows us to notice new things - the rate of your heart, the fluttering in your stomach or the knot in your chest.  Often we act on these feelings without knowing it - we push through, ignore, or suppress because life must go on.

But when we take the time to be with these feelings and sensations with curiosity and compassion, a whole new landscape begins to unfold. Ironically,  being with the things we often try to ignore or avoid -- being with things that feel painful --  allows us to see a new path emerging. By being with what is, we open up space to make a choice.  It's not always easy to do this alone. I'm here to help

Not Just Talk Therapy

Therapy with me will be a mix of experiments and traditional talk therapy. Experiments can feel a little awkward at first but they can be very meaningful. It’s what makes therapy different than just speaking to a friend about your life. Will you meet me in the curiosity?

Click the arrows to the right to read about these experiments.

  • Role play different aspects of ourselves (yes, in different chairs), speaking to and from these parts. These dialogues help resolve inner conflict, bring fresh insight and increase emotional access.

  • Let’s stop for a minute and take a deep breath. You have nothing to do and nowhere to go. Maybe you want to close your eyes. Mindfulness lets us be without having to do anything. It cultivates awareness. Sometimes something important emerges, other times it just helps us slow down and rest.

  • Sometimes we can really feel feelings inside our bodies. Retroflexion allows us to investigate a feeling from the inside of us on the outside - what would that pain in my shoulder say if it could talk? While this may sound silly, when we listen, truly listen to our bodies, we learn they have a lot to communicate with us, often in surprising ways.

  • The body holds so much information. With families and couples, I invite you to create a sculpture using your bodies to illustrate a dynamic. Each person can demonstrate how their experience is different using something other than words. Sometimes we getting out of our minds and using our bodies brings new insight.

  • We live life having digested things we “should” do. Often these are helpful. This experiment involves slowing down to notice the difference between shoulds and wants - which can help us identify our boundaries, needs and where we are putting unnecessary pressure on ourselves.

  • We all have different parts (for example, the part that shuts down and binges on Netflix after a long day, or the part that’s agitated when someone dismisses you). In parts work, we name the parts, get to know them, shift the relationship with them and unburden them from the roles they’re playing.

The benefits of therapy

Therapy is hard work, but the outcomes can be truly life changing. Together, we’ll discover what you want from therapy, such as:

Improving Relationship Quality. With stronger communication skills and self knowledge, your relationships will become more fulfilling

Speaking with a Self Compassionate Voice. Say goodbye to the inner judge and critic, with love.

Locating your Wise Self. Notice when there’s that urgent pull, and let the wise centered self take charge.

Building Confidence. Let go of masking, playing a role or trying to fit in a mold that simply isn’t yours. 

Expressing Emotions. Many of us are taught that only some emotions are okay to express. I believe mental health is based on allowing all emotions to express.

Setting Boundaries. The art of setting boundaries will create more space and freedom in your life.

Communicating Needs. Practicing identifying and speaking your needs shifts relationships and elevates your standards.

Finding Nourishing Self Care Practices. Find your unique self-care practice that actually shifts things.

My offerings

I’m currently seeing clients in-person in San Francisco and Oakland, and via telehealth. My fee for a 50-minute session is $175 for individuals and $200 for couples and families. I have a sliding scale available for those in financial need. I’d love to connect with you to see if we’re a good fit! Schedule a free consultation for more information.

  • My style is relaxed and collaborative with just the right amount of direction to support you in getting to the place you want to go. I use an integrative and experiential approach, drawing from gestalt, somatic, and psychodynamic therapies. Many of my clients come in experiencing the following, and our work aims to foster emotional healing and growth, cultivate a sense of aliveness, and nourish inner wisdom.

    • Anxiety

    • Depression

    • Burnout and work stress

    • Relationship challenges

    • Sex, sexuality and sexual trauma

    • Gender exploration

    • Grief and loss

    • Working through trauma

    • Life transitions and adjustments

    • Creative expression

  • When you’re in it and can’t seem to figure out how to communicate without things getting worse, couples therapy can be a helpful place to land. It’s common to have the same issues and fights come up again and again -- and without new tools or perspective, it’s easy to get stuck. I use Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) as a foundation from which to support couples and polycules with:

    • Improving communication, especially during conflict

    • Decreasing conflict and promoting mutual understanding and respect

    • Managing anger and emotional awareness

    • Increasing intimacy, both physical and emotional

    • Pregnancy and Family planning

    • Navigating polyamory and/or ethical non-monogamy

  • Adolescence can be a challenging time, and therapy offers a supportive space for pre-teens and teens to explore their emotions, relationships, and personal struggles. Together, we’ll focus on improving emotional resilience, communication skills, and healthy coping strategies, empowering your teen to manage life's challenges with confidence and self-awareness. I work with the following issues:

    • Anxiety, depression, or mood swings

    • Stress from school, social pressures, or family life

    • Low self-esteem or body image concerns

    • Identity exploration (sexuality, gender, etc.)

    • Relationship difficulties (friends, family, partners)

    • Behavioral changes or acting out

    • Grief and loss

    • Coping with perfectionism, self-harm, or substance use

Reach out for a free consultation call.

Relationship and rapport matters.

Reach out for a free 20-minute discussion for us to get to know each other. I’ll ask you some questions about yourself, share more about myself and answer any questions you may have.