I believe (and research supports) that the best predictor of successful therapy is the quality of the working relationship between the therapist and the client. Like any relationship, much of that bond is based on a hard to pin down sense of fit. Finding this fit isn’t always easy, and I encourage any potential client to shop around a bit before selecting a therapist. Should you choose to work with me, I will honor the weight of that choice and endeavor to foster a space where your whole self feels welcome.

I support individuals who are exploring a wide variety of challenges and goals. Some areas of focus in my practice include:

*Anxiety
*Depression
*Grief and Loss
*Chronic Pain and Illness
*Major Life Transitions
*Creativity and Creative Blocks
*Relationship and Communication Challenges
*Disordered Eating and Challenging Relationships with Body/Food/Movement
*Substance and Process Addictions
*Seeking One’s Voice in Life and Relationships
*Sexuality and Gender Exploration and/or Challenges
*Integrating Expanded State Experiences (psychedelics)

I have close to a decade of experience as a community counselor, social worker, and therapist working in various settings—suicide and crisis hotlines, schools, community mental health clinics, residential programs, and private practice. I received a Masters in Clinical Social Work from Boston University.

In addition to my work as a therapist, I’m a writer with a past life as a touring musician and comedian. I teach creative writing at San Francisco State University.

My style is warm, relational, and straightforward. I’m a sensitive and attuned listener, skilled at navigating intense and complicated thoughts, feelings, and interactions.

In my experience, good psychotherapy involves more than just listening, and I especially enjoy working with clients who are seeking a collaborative and engaged experience. I will undoubtedly (and sincerely) smile, nod, and at times ask, “how did that make you feel?” I will also ask other kinds of questions, share my thoughts with you, reflect on patterns that may be emerging, and offer tangible tools.

A flexibility in approach helps me meet the needs of different clients and the needs of the same client in different moments. Some of the schools of psychotherapy I draw from are: Narrative, Relational, Psychodynamic, and Depth/Jungian. My attention to the body and nervous system processes is informed by studies in body-oriented trauma healing modalities.

I draw on the philosophies of Intuitive Eating and Health at Every Size when working with individuals who struggle with challenging relationships to food, exercise, and body. For those with more acute eating disorders, I may want to collaborate with your physician, an eating disorder registered dietitian, and other members of your care team.

I strive to situate my life and therapy practice in social, historical, and environmental context. Psychotherapy conducted without engagement of these broader contexts can dismiss real, lived experience, and perpetuate dynamics and narratives that pressure people to hide aspects of themselves not in conformity with dominant paradigms. I welcome to my practice artists, outsiders, and those who move through margins such as those of gender, sexuality, ability, race, and class.

I believe one of the most helpful things we can do for ourselves and each other is get to know who we are. Engaging this process with a trusted other can be especially helpful for making contact with vulnerabilities and strengths that may be outside of our conscious awareness. By moving towards what has been pushed away and expanding how we think and feel, we can access new freedoms, learn to struggle better, and live more vital and engaged lives for the time we have. In this spirit, therapy can be an act of generosity towards oneself and a process that ultimately helps us show up in deeper ways for the relationships, communities, and ecosystems we are a part of.

• Young Adult: 18-25
• Adults: 26-65
• Seniors: 65+

• Individuals
• Groups

• Activists
• Artists
• Gender Fluid or Gender Non-Conforming Individuals
• Highly Sensitive Person/s
• LGBTQIAA+ persons
• Persons in Polyamorous Relationships
• Persons Recovering from Traumatic Events/Experiences
• Persons Struggling with/Recovering from Addiction
• Persons with Histories of Childhood Sexual Abuse
• Persons with Histories of Physical or Emotional Abuse
• Other:

I do not at this time accept health insurance. If your insurance coverage includes reimbursement for therapy services, I can provide you with a superbill on a monthly basis.

• Check
• Credit Card

$160

I reserve part of my practice for reduced fee/sliding scale spots. Please inquire if needed.

Yes

(510) 394-2051

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I currently offer video and phone sessions to California residents.

• Tuesday Afternoon
• Tuesday Evening
• Wednesday Afternoon
• Wednesday Evening
• Thursday Afternoon
• Thursday Evening

Please contact me by email at tracyshapirotherapy@gmail.com or phone at (510) 394-2051 with any questions and/or‬ to set up a free 20 minute consultation to explore if we are a fit.

Michael Marsman, LCSW #92899

08/07/24