About Kiersten
Hi there, I’m Kiersten.
I believe that we’re all meant to be seen and known in relationship with other caring and supportive humans.
We’re not meant to struggle alone. I believe we’re meant to be in relationship with others and we’re meant to have spaces to just be. Many folks are missing this. Unfortunately, our emotional needs are not always met in our communities, families, and society — or, these systems cause us harm. Many people suffer without others seeing the depth of their pain. There are wounds that need to be attended to and therapy is one place where we can do this.
About me as a therapist…
History of providing therapy in school-based, clinic, and private practice settings
Experience in community based work supporting adolescents with a complex trauma history
As a pre-licensed clinician, attended weekly supervision and received training from highly experienced supervisors
As a licensed therapist, I continue to be in regular consultation with seasoned trauma specialists.
Education —
Santa Clara University
Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology
Bachelor of Science in Liberal Studies
Advanced trainings include —
EMDR Basic Trained, by EMDR Consulting
Attachment Focused EMDR Trained, Parts 1, 2, and 3, Parnell Institute
Foundations of Chicanx Psychology
Safe and Sound Protocol (in progress)
“I want to know if you have touched the center of your own sorrow, if you have been opened by life’s betrayals or have become shriveled and closed from fear of further pain. I want to know if you can sit with pain…without moving to ‘hide it’ or ‘fade it’ or ‘fix it’…
I want to know if you will stand in the center of the fire with me and not shrink back.”’
~ Oriah Mountain Dreamer
About me as a human…
The quotation above is from one of my favorite poems.
As I believe is the case for all therapists, my own life experiences brought me to this work.
I know what it’s like to be in pain. In particular, my adolescence and early years of adulthood were deeply painful. As a survivor of relational trauma, I found my pain was often minimized, invalidated, or pathologized.
As I’ve worked through my own wounds, I have found healing in spaces where I feel seen and accepted — where I know the person sitting next to me won’t be afraid of the depth of my pain. This personal work led me to become a therapist and has deeply informed the way I practice as a clinician.
Because I have done (and continue to do) this personal healing work, I know it isn’t easy. I know what it’s like to sit with heavy stuff. If the pain feels too big right now, I want you to know that I won’t be afraid to sit in the fire with you.
Working through our past wounds can help create space for us to connect with parts of ourselves in new ways. We may notice a difference in ourselves through big changes, but often changes show up in smaller ways in the day to day. There might be more quiet, peaceful moments that may never have felt possible years ago.
As I seek out those moments of peace, I love spending time at the beach or finding new paths to hike, especially when wildflowers are blooming.
Positionality
I’m multiply privileged, including as a white, cisgender person in a straight sized body with higher education. I hold marginalized identities as a woman with lived experiences of chronic illness and complex trauma.
I share this because I recognize the impact that social location has on the ways in which we interact with others and the world. An important part of my work is recognizing the harms of social systems of oppression and examining the ways that these systems may play a significant role in the “symptoms” that many folks experience.
