emotional wounds
power struggles
separation anxiety
trouble focusing
sibling rivalry
disruptive behavior
defiance & disrespect

Family dynamics can be challenging, especially when communication breaks down or conflicts arise. Family therapy provides tools to manage communication struggles, sibling rivalry, parenting differences, and life transitions. Whether addressing a specific challenge or working toward overall cohesion, sessions create a supportive space for both immediate and extended families to rebuild trust and connection.
Counseling can also help families see how they work together as a unit and how each person’s actions and emotions affect the whole. Rather than placing blame on any particular person or issue, we work on how to grow and make the family stronger. Sessions are designed to feel safe and supportive, where everyone feels heard and valued. Families leave with insights and skills to communicate better and create a healthier, more connected dynamic.

Let's Connect
Explore Our Specializations
Family Therapy
in Pleasant Hill and Alamo, CA
emotional reactivity
hostility & sarcasm
blame shifting
pressure & control
manipulation
guilt & shaming
defensiveness

Family dynamics can be challenging, especially when communication breaks down or conflicts arise. Family therapy provides tools to manage communication struggles, sibling rivalry, parenting differences, and life transitions. Whether addressing a specific challenge or working toward overall cohesion, sessions create a supportive space for both immediate and extended families to rebuild trust and connection.
Counseling can also help families see how they work together as a unit and how each person’s actions and emotions affect the whole. Rather than placing blame on any particular person or issue, we work on how to grow and make the family stronger. Sessions are designed to feel safe and supportive, where everyone feels heard and valued. Families leave with insights and skills to communicate better and create a healthier, more connected dynamic.
Family dynamics can be challenging, particulary amidst aggressive personalities or communication that is hostile, defensive, demanding, or judgmental. Family therapy provides tools to manage struggles, sibling rivalry, parenting styles, and expectations. Whether addressing a specific challenge or working toward overall cohesion, sessions create a supportive space for both immediate and extended families to rebuild trust and connection.
Family therapy also addresses unhealthy dynamics like aggressive communication overpowering quieter voices, judgment creating distance, or family members imposing their expectations on others. Many families struggle with manipulation, guilt, or power imbalances, where certain voices dominate while others feel silenced. Sibling or parental competition can create tension instead of support, while unspoken expectations lead to resentment. Therapy helps untangle these patterns, foster direct and respectful communication, and create a balanced family system.
Counseling can also help families see how they work together as a unit and how each person’s actions and emotions affect the whole. Rather than placing blame on any particular person or issue, we work on how to grow and make the family stronger. Sessions are designed to feel safe and supportive, where everyone feels heard and valued. For example, a family struggling with constant arguments will learn new conflict resolution tools and skills, or parents might discover new ways to respond to a child’s ADHD without frustration. Families leave with insights and skills to communicate better and create a healthier, more connected dynamic.

Adjusting to structural changes like blending families or adoption
Parenting challenges, setting boundaries, managing behavior
Supporting a family member through mood or anxiety disorders
Coping with grief, loss, or major life transitions as a family
Finding new ways to co-parent or handle the impact of divorce
Addressing trauma or addiction while fostering resilience together
Breaking unhealthy communication habits
Resolving misunderstandings or conflicts in extended families
Exploring and healing long-standing patterns of family dysfunction
We Help With:

Murray Bowen
people in a family must learn to act with their own
individuality and not get trapped in emotional reactivity

Our Preferred Evidence-Based Treatments
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is an empirically supported treatment that helps change distressing thought patterns that contribute to anxiety and depression. Through CBT, you'll learn to identify and challenge negative thoughts, reframe irrational beliefs, and replace them with healthier, more realistic perspectives. CBT also focuses on breaking patterns of self-doubt and worry by learning how to re-evaluate situations and adopt more constructive thinking. These tools empower you to make lasting changes in how you think and respond.
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) combines cognitive-behavioral techniques with mindfulness principles to help individuals manage emotions, navigate challenges, and improve relationships. It focuses on four key areas: mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotion regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness. By building these skills, DBT empowers individuals to replace destructive patterns with practical, lasting strategies that promote resilience, balance, and a greater sense of control in daily life.
TF-CBT helps by combining practical coping skills with gradual exposure to difficult memories. It starts by teaching relaxation techniques, emotional regulation, and ways to challenge unhelpful thoughts. Once a strong foundation is built, individuals slowly and safely process their trauma with the support of a therapist. This approach reduces fear and distress, strengthens personal resilience, and fosters healthier ways of thinking and relating to others.
Motivational Interviewing (MI) is a proven, client-centered approach designed to help individuals overcome ambivalence and create lasting change. It focuses on exploring personal motivations and values, guiding clients to take actionable steps toward their goals. MI is highly effective in treating issues like addiction, unhealthy behaviors, and low motivation by strengthening confidence and commitment, empowering clients to drive their own positive transformations.
Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) is a proven approach that that helps couples break negative cycles and strengthen emotional bonds. In therapy, partners identify patterns of conflict and learn techniques like emotional validation and replacing reactive behaviors with empathetic responses. EFT targets underlying emotional triggers, promoting healthier attachment while deepening intimacy. It’s particularly effective for couples facing disconnection, insecurity, and trust issues, leading to genuine understanding and lasting change. This therapy is effective with treating emotional withdrawal, fear of abandonment, and attachment wounds, creating stronger, more secure relationships.
EMDR helps your brain reprocess stuck memories so they no longer feel overwhelming or intense. Unprocessed experiences can trigger or worsen anxiety, shame, distress, and physiological reactions. After EMDR, difficult experiences often feel neutral, distant, or easier to manage. We use techniques like eye movements or handheld tappers to activate both sides of the brain, supporting your brain’s natural ability to heal and make sense of the distressing experiences. Sessions follow a structured 8-phase protocol to help you build resilience and process memories, while fully awake and alert. EMDR is effective for distress related to loss, illness, trauma, childhood wounds, and relationship pain.
ERP is a structured therapy that helps reduce distress from obsessive thoughts and compulsive behaviors. It involves gradual, guided exposure to feared situations or thoughts without doing the habits or rituals you usually do to feel better. This process helps decrease anxiety over time and breaks the cycle of obsessions and rituals. You remain fully present and supported throughout, learning new ways to tolerate discomfort and regain control. ERP is especially effective for OCD, skin picking, hair pulling, and related anxiety challenges. Sessions are available in person and via telehealth throughout California.
Let's Connect

395 Taylor Blvd
Pleasant Hill, CA 94523
3189 Danville Blvd
Alamo, CA 94507
925-830-7900