WELCOME
“Compassion is not a relationship between the healer and the wounded. It's a relationship between equals. Only when we know our own darkness well can we be present with the darkness of others.”
― Pema Chödrön
ABOUT ME
I'm Crystal. I guide individuals & couples toward more clarity & calm using trauma informed, experiential, relational psychotherapy. My work is often philosophical in nature as we deepen into the felt sense of what it is to know, to not know, and to be known.
I am most passionate about working with clients who feel lost - shrouded in a fog of not knowing, uncertainty, or feeling blindsighted by loss, grief, betrayal, or heartache. We can work together to piece together bewilderments and make sense of pain. I believe out of our darkest hours come our greatest gifts. I know it often means trudging through the swampland of the soul. Together, we'll embark on the creative process of showing up to the world from a more connected place, deepening intimacy with self and others, developing thriving relationships & finding more fulfillment.
I received a master's degree in counseling psychology specializing in Jungian depth psychology from Pacifica Graduate Institute. I meet with clients in my office a few blocks from the beach in La Jolla Shores, CA, and throughout California using a secure telehealth platform. When I'm not working with clients I like to read, pet dogs, spend time in the ocean, and connect with loved ones.
MIND & BODY APPROACH:
External changes don't lead to lasting satisfaction- internal ones do. Our emotions are felt in the body before being translated into rational thought. Many people who've experienced trauma (chronically or episodically) have difficulty accessing sensations in the body that might otherwise clue them into emotion states. I often work with my clients to heighten somatic awareness in real time, fostering equanimity. This shifts patterns of hostile reactions, replacing them with calm, centered responses. We use these mindful practices to nurture self-compassion and strengthen internal guidance.
DEPTH PSYCHOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE:
I believe out of our darkest hours come our greatest gifts, which form the building blocks for embodied wholeness. Depth psychology guides us into the darkness with gentleness and receptivity to find that the place we’ve feared to enter may hold the treasures of intuition, truth, purpose, and belonging. It includes integrating shadow parts of self with mindfulness, compassion, and reverence.
CONSCIOUS COUPLES WORK:
I aim to offer couples a safe & effective place to learn to co-regulate, communicate effectively, break negative cycles, & understand each other better. I hold particular interest for and advanced training in Terry Real's Relational Life Therapy, Sue Johnson's Emotionally Focused Therapy, Ellyn Bader's Developmental Model, & Martha Kauppi's intimacy model to facilitate couples with sex and intimacy challenges. I have also regularly assisted with the Gottman's Art and Science of Love Workshops in La Jolla, CA, with The Center for Couples Therapy.
LET'S CONNECT
I meet with clients in my office in La Jolla Shores, CA & throughout California using a secure telehealth platform. Feel free to reach out and we can set up a consultation call to see if we might be a good fit.
Finding a therapist can be an overwhelming process. I can also point you in the direction of some people I would trust to work with my friends and family.
