Danielle Brandon, AMFT (she/her)
I have seen that with support
all of us can grow in new directions
and recognize strengths we already have available
to fully live a life with more meaning, belonging, wellbeing, and enjoyment.
I bring curiosity to our unique life experiences, upbringings, communities, identities, and the various contexts we find ourselves in. Always interested in how these experiences both impact and nourish our lives.
Couples
As a therapist trained in Emotionally Focused Therapy I know that for many of us relationships are where a lot of our wounds have occurred. I also know that relationships are also where great healing occurs.
Knowing how to have healthy relationships and communication with others, is not something we inherently know how to do. Most of us have not had modeled or been taught, how to engage in healthy relationships. So it is no wonder we find ourselves feeling stuck repeating the same patterns and feeling less heard and less understood, reacting rather than responding, and not knowing what to do.
We tend to miss each other and not actually hear what the other is saying. Instead we hear our past wounds, and our worst fears. This is where this change work can be so powerful.
Slowing down enough to learn what is actually going on can be such a reassurance. Resetting our nervous systems and beliefs about what is possible. And finding a new way in relationships.
As a client in couples therapy I was relieved, surprised and ultimately optimistic. In the process me and my partner discovered so much about our relationship, each other and ourselves. We learned tools that supported us to communicate in honest and caring ways, learned how to respond rather than react, grew emotional health, and experienced a safety and care neither one of us had ever felt before. Even healing some generational relationship wounds in the process.
As a therapist I have seen this same thing unfold with others.
Together in therapy we can support new patterns, healthy communication, and increase awareness. Helping you achieve your relationship goals, reduce conflict, increase understanding, and ultimately to feel secure in your partnership. Which allows you to experience true interdependence as a couple and enjoy life together.
Individuals
I am passionate about supporting individuals in: emotional health including anxiety and depression; grief and loss; inner criticism, trauma resolution; addiction recovery; relational wounds and complexity; sensitive people and empaths; and generally helping people navigate the intricacy of being a human.
Part of my life that is really important to me
I regularly co-facilitate Death cafe where strangers gather and talk about whatever is on their hearts and minds around the topics of death and grief. In a dominant culture that tends to think of these as taboo, it can be deeply relieving and connecting to share this way. Yes there may be tears, but often there is a lot of laughter. If you are interested to find out more: https://deathcafe.com/.
Important parts of my life
All my relationships, animals and plant friends, meditation, the necessity of play as an adult, and enjoying all food, nature, and the creative spirit of the Bay Area.
Experience:
Approaches that inform me: Collaborative, Strengths-based, Emotionally Focused Therapy(EFT), Mindfulness, and Somatic therapies.
- 2023-Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)Training
- 2023- Bereavement Group Facilitator Training for Youth, Teens and Families
- 2022-Emotionally Focused (EFT) 4-day externship
- 2022- Foundations in Somatic Abolitism
- 2021- Integrative Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy (EFT) Workshop
- 2020- M. A. in Counseling with a concentration in Expressive Arts Therapy from California Institute of Integral Studies.