My training in community mental health settings was an incredible experience as I worked with people battling depression, anxiety, PTSD, and trauma. I have also worked with clients convicted of sexually abusive behaviors. However, I am quite versatile, and I have worked with people needing help in many areas of their lives. I am a psychodynamically trained psychologist. I also believe in using an integrated approach when helping someone to understand the how and why of what got them to this p...
Client's that work well with my collaborative style are often people who are struggling with life transitions. I often connect with people who are working to find different methods to manage anxiety and perfectionism. I also hold space in my practice for queer couples....
Recognizing the need for help is challenging enough; finding the right and best clinician should be simple and straightforward. Below you will find a brief discussion of my techniques, experience and central therapeutic tenets. My name is Dr. R. Austin Heafey – I am a licensed clinical psychologist who works with children, adolescents, parents and families, to provide both support and treatment for a wide range of social, domestic, personal and psychological concerns. Regardless of who I am work...
I specialize in working with LGBTQIA+ identified folx, highly empathic or sensitive individuals (HSPs), and those who are dealing with the impacts of antagonistic or high-conflict individuals. Life can feel overwhelming. Within a collaborative setting, we can explore ways to make life feel more manageable and, ultimately, more enjoyable. The quality of the therapeutic relationship itself has been shown to significantly influence treatment outcomes. My approach emphasizes authenticity and the ide...
At The San Francisco Center for Compassion-Focused Therapies, we provide individual, couple, family, and group therapies for adults in California online, and in-person. Our clinicians apply effective and evidence-based psychotherapy methods that are reputable for addressing emotion regulation related challenges, and facilitating self-compassion. Besides providing therapy, we also conduct practice-informed research focusing on compassion and betterment of psychotherapy. Our Center is a place wher...
My deep belief, rooted in both my practice as a therapist and in my experience healing my own trauma, is that our brains and bodies have the innate ability to heal from trauma when provided with a safe enough space to connect to and experience our internal world. As human beings, we are neurobiologically wired to be in relationships with others. For that reason, I have also learned that a key aspect of trauma recovery involves being in the presence of someone who can create safety and hold space...
My approach in sessions is to assist clients to connect with the strengths and resilience they may or may not be aware they have and support them to utilize those to make changes in their lives that are consistent with their goals in therapy. I work collaboratively with clients to be sure that therapy feels meaningful and beneficial. I believe strongly that each human has the capacity to heal, no matter how large or small their challenge appears. I am a therapist at Octave, a behavioral healt...
I'm an integrative therapist, which means I pull from several different theoretical orientations. I utilize elements of humanistic, psycho-dynamic, attachment theory, and family systems. As an integrative therapist, I view each of my clients as an individual rather than a diagnosis. My style is direct, warm, and collaborative. I believe in the importance of the therapeutic alliance between therapist and client. The relationship that emerges between therapist and client is a powerful healing ...
Whether borderline, narcissistic or simply toxic, wounded and self-centered parents create wounded children. And these children grow up without the basics of warmth and kindness, acceptance and encouragement. In order to survive, we adapt to the needs of our demanding parents. That might mean we learn to parent our parent. Or we develop antennae and quickly respond to their changing moods and needs, simultaneously ignoring our own. We hope if we do and say the right thing long enough, then o...
Are you looking to make a change in your life? Feeling stuck with behaviors that used to serve you and now seem to weigh you down? Do you have plans and dreams that you never quite get around to enacting? You are not alone. We have all been there at one time or another. I know I have been. In fact, by some estimates, at any given time 80% of people are feeling ambivalent about a significant decision or change they want to make in their lives. It was with this in mind that Time for Change, Psycho...
I approach my work with sensitivity and compassion to create a safe environment in which issues can be explored. I have twenty plus years of experience working with individuals and couples. I work to de-mystify the therapeutic process in order to help you maximize your efforts to create the life and relationships you wish to have. My approach is to help you to discover the unique person you are, whether you are a professional, an artist, a parent, or a couple. Whether your challenge is sit...
I approach therapy from an integrative standpoint, using evidence-based therapy modalities that best suit the individuals, couples, or groups with whom I am working. I find the exploratory techniques espoused in Psychodynamic models to be core to and underpinning a great deal of my practice. Psychodynamic work, for me, provides a solid foundation of knowledge on which to base my understanding of my client, and it is the basis from which I tailor subsequent interventions, including the use of alt...
I feel that psychotherapy is most effective when it is collaborative, flexible, and grounded in what is important to you. While I have training in a number of modalities, I am always learning from you. In light of that, I will meet you where you are and make space to explore new ways of being and understanding. People who have worked with me appreciate my patience, warmth, and attentiveness. I'm a therapist with Octave and Evernorth Behavioral Care Group. Octave is a mental health practice pr...
As a former attorney-turned-psychotherapist, I enjoy helping clients figure out where they're headed. This includes identifying what fulfills you, what resonates with you, what you want your life's purpose to be. I also specialize in helping clients improve relationships and feel happier / more relaxed. For so many of us, anxiety gets in the way. We become distracted by thoughts about classes, about our friendships, about the climate crisis, about the future, etc. For others, social anxiety ...
Through a collaborative, strengths-based approach, clients identify places where they feel stuck and learn and practice skills that support their therapy goals. I'm passionate about being a therapist and believe that the therapeutic process is instrumental in helping clients address and navigate difficult life experiences. I believe in making therapy both accessible and enjoyable so that clients walk away with an understanding of the challenges they face and a readiness to embrace a more fulfill...
To learn more about my practice, areas of expertise and therapeutic style, please visit my website (tylervpsyd.com) or Psychology Today profile (https://www.psychologytoday.com/profile/717959). To set up a free 20-30 minute phone consultation to talk about the possibility of starting therapy, visit my booking page at: https://calendly.com/tylervpsyd/30min....
When I was in school, I needed extra support to manage the challenges life was throwing at me in all directions. Sometimes it seemed never ending! Counseling helped me figure out who I was, who I wanted to be in relationships, and how to get through the stress and triggers of school. Since then I've worked in student affairs, was a clinical supervisor for graduate students for 10 years and now have a private practice where I love supporting students. I have a sliding fee scale to make therap...
Some of the areas I have provided treatment for include substance use/abuse, depression, anxiety, grief/loss, and adjustment disorders due to life transitions. For nearly 20 years, I have worked with adults, families, and couples both individually and in group settings. I am a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) in the state of California and obtained a Doctorate Degree in Clinical Psychology (PsyD) in 2005. I relocated to the Bay Area in 2020 from Los Angeles. I have worked in num...
Direct, empathic, collaborative, trauma-informed. The purpose of therapy, from my perspective, is working to gain understanding about yourself and the underlying rationale for what makes you you so that you can take steps to be the best version of yourself. I tailor my approach to each individual's unique needs and work with them to actively restructure the patterns of thought and behavior that are keeping them stuck and unhappy, allowing them to move through life with a greater sense of freedom...
I tend to work with clients who are exploring Queer/LGBTQ+ identities. I help clients explore sexuality, sex, and identity. This includes healing from histories of oppression and discrimination, work around coming out, and exploring relationships. I also work with clients suffering from stress, anxiety, and depression....