LINDA J. ENGELMAN Psychotherapy and Counseling Services Lafayette, California (Contra Costa County, San Francisco, East Bay Area) 925.295.1036
Site Last Updated: August, 2008
I am a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in the East Bay (Lafayette, California), and I work with couples, individuals, teens, and families around a wide range of issues.
Couples Therapy Issues
De-Escalating Conflict / Getting Unstuck
Understanding the cycle/pattern of repetitive arguments and misunderstandings
Resolving communication meltdowns
Regaining secure attachment with your partner
Finding or Re-Finding the passion
Turning arguments into intimate and loving conversations
Discovering new ways of communicating your needs to your partner
Finding ways of talking about sex, finances, in-laws, intimacy, and other sensitive topics
Getting more of what you really want from your partner
And...for separating/divorcing couples: Exploring ways of separating with love and compassion, and even successful co-parenting after the breakup of the marriage or partnership
Individual Therapy Issues
Depression & Anxiety
Stress/Trauma
Panic Attacks
OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder)
Phobias (including Social Phobias)
Life transitions
Existential issues (what's my life about? where is the meaning? is this all there is? why do these things keep happening to me?)
Intimacy/communication problems
Desire to create more satisfying relationships
Chronic pain or illness
Self-esteem issues
Grief / Bereavement
Teen & Family Therapy Issues
Self-esteem
Peer pressure
Parent-Teen communication meltdowns
Empty-Nest Issues
Anxiety/Depression in Adolescents and Families
Self-Mutilation, including cutting
School related problems
Social difficulties
Choosing a Psychotherapist is a Very Personal Decision. The confidential relationship that you have with your therapist should be one in which you feel heard, understood, and safe.
I WON'T JUST ASK YOU "How does that make you feel?" Clients tell me that they like my approach because it's interactive and collaborative. My goal is to help you reduce your symptoms and enhance your life and relationships.
For some of my clients, working through childhood issues, and connecting the past with the present, is important. For others, taking a more solution-focused, "here and now" approach is best.
Clearly, each client is unique. I respect those differences, remaining flexible in the way that I work.
Theoretical Orientation:
While I work using a variety of modalities (including CBT, EMDR, and Emotionally Focused Therapy), I was trained as a psychodynamic therapist, and specifically attachment theory. Thus, I have a particular lens through which I formulate treatment plans. I believe that we are hard-wired for secure attachment to others and that symptoms develop when our most primal needs are not being met: the need to be heard, to be seen, to be understood, and to feel that we matter to the important people in our lives. When these things aren't happening, we experience "attachment injury" and as a result, our relationships become unbalanced, our symptoms increase, and our security feels threatened. I work with clients to validate and put order to these experiences. In the process of doing so, I collaborate with clients to create more effective ways of getting needs met, and to help individuals, couples, and families, regain a sense of peace and security. Some people refer to this as creating a new narrative for their story. Whatever you want to call it, it works...and it makes a difference in people's lives, relationships, and internal experiences.
Master's Degree, Counseling Psychology John F. Kennedy University, Pleasant Hill (East Bay, Contra Costa County), CA
Additional Training:
Emotionally Focused Therapy for Couples (EFT): An Attachment-Based Perspective For Healing Relationships
EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization & Reprocessing) Therapy
Prepare/Enrich Trained - Administer and Assess Pre-Marital and Marriage Inventories
Couples Communication
Working With Children and Parents of Divorce
Existential Therapy
Managing Chronic Pain and Chronic Illness
Co-Parenting for Divorcing and Separating Couples/Families
Creating Intimacy
Understanding Attachment Disorders
Work Experience:
BAPTI (Bay Area Psychotherapy Training Institute) (Location: Lafayette, East Bay, San Francisco Bay Area, Contra Costa County, California)
JFK Community Counseling Center, Pleasant Hill, CA
Stanley Middle School, Counseling Intern, Lafayette, CA
Kids' Turn (Running Groups for Parents and Children in Divorcing Families
The Obstacle Is The Path
Every challenging situation in our lives presents us with an opportunity -- to gain insight, to enrich our understanding of ourselves and others, to seek purpose in our lives, or to create more satisfying relationships.
Taking the next step, seeking out a therapist and beginning the journey toward insight and change, takes courage and motivation. You'll know when you're ready to do that. If you have questions or would like to set up a first appointment, feel free to leave me a confidential voicemail.
Fees: My fee is $100 for a 50-minute session, and $150 for an 80-minute session. Therapy is generally once per week, although crisis times may be best served by more frequent therapy. For couples and families, I generally schedule 80-minute sessions, one time per week.
I am currently accepting new clients and look forward to speaking with you.
Linda J. Engelman Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist
