You don't have to wait until your next therapy session to feel supported. Explore therapy, somatic intensives, between-session support, and self-guided resources.
Therapist in San Jose, CA
Experience Change
Not Just Understand It
You may already understand yourself pretty well.
You know where some of your patterns came from. You can recognize when you're overthinking, overworking, shutting down, people-pleasing, or pushing your feelings aside.
And yet, knowing why you do something doesn't always change what happens inside of you.
My work brings the mind and body into the same conversation.
Through somatic, experiential, and mindfulness-based therapy, I help you slow down enough to notice what is actually happening beneath the thoughts: the emotions, sensations, protective responses, needs, and patterns your body has learned to carry.
So instead of only talking about change, you can begin to experience it in individual therapy.
Online therapy throughout California + in-person therapy in San Jose, CA
You Might Be Here Because...
You're capable. Thoughtful. Responsible. Maybe even the person other people come to when they need support.
But underneath all of that, you might be tired.
You might be:
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Holding yourself to standards you would never expect from anyone else.
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Accomplishing a lot while rarely feeling like you've done enough.
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Thinking your way through emotions instead of actually allowing yourself to feel them.
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Afraid that if you really let yourself feel, you won't be able to pull yourself back together.
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Questioning yourself even when something inside of you already knows the answer.
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Saying yes when you want to say no, or keeping people so far away that they never really get to know you.
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Feeling anxious, overwhelmed, numb, disconnected, or constantly "on."
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Recognizing your patterns intellectually but still finding yourself living them.
You don't necessarily need more insight.
Sometimes you need a different way of working with what you already know.
What If You Didn't Have to Fight Yourself So Much?
The goal of our work isn't to make you endlessly calm, endlessly productive, or unaffected by difficult things. It's to help you become more capable of being with yourself through the full range of being human.
That might look like:
You are not trying to become someone else.
The work is often about creating enough safety, awareness, and capacity to become more fully yourself.
A MIND-BODY APPROACH TO THERAPY
Talking matters. Your story matters. Understanding your patterns matters.
But sometimes we can understand something beautifully and still find our shoulders tightening, stomach dropping, heart racing, mind spiraling, or entire system shutting down when life touches the same old wound.
That's where the body becomes part of the conversation.
I integrate somatic psychotherapy, nervous-system awareness, mindfulness, movement, and other experiential practices with traditional talk therapy.
During our work, I may invite you to notice a sensation, slow something down, experiment with a boundary, follow an impulse, sit with an emotion, notice what happens when you say something out loud, or simply become curious about what your body is communicating.
You don't have to perform therapy here.
You get to experience it.
SAN JOSE THERAPY SERVICES
Support Doesn't Have to Look Just One Way
Different seasons of life require different kinds of support.
Sometimes you want a therapist who knows you deeply and walks alongside you over time.
Sometimes there is one particular pattern, transition, or emotional experience that needs your concentrated attention.
Sometimes what happens between therapy sessions is where you need the most support.
And sometimes you don't need another appointment at all: you need a practice, reflection, or resource you can return to on your own.
That's why I've intentionally built several ways to work together.
Hi, I'm Alyssa
I'm a California Licensed Clinical Social Worker, mental health therapist, somatic practitioner, and longtime yoga and barre instructor based in San Jose.
But more importantly, I believe therapy should feel human.
I'm not interested in sitting silently across from you while you try to figure out what you're supposed to talk about.
I'm curious. I'm active. I'll ask questions. I'll slow you down when something important happens. We'll notice what's happening in your body. We might experiment with something rather than simply analyze it.
There will be room for seriousness, grief, anger, uncertainty, humor, silence, movement, and whatever else belongs.
My job isn't to become the authority on you.
It's to help you develop a deeper relationship with the person who already lives inside your own experience.
What Therapy With Me Feels Like
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Warm
Therapy can feel like a real conversation while still being intentional, clinically grounded work. -
Active
You won't be left alone to figure out what you're supposed to talk about. I'll participate, ask questions, offer observations, and guide experiential practices when they're useful. -
Collaborative
I don't believe there is one correct way to heal. We'll pay attention to what works for you and adjust as we learn together. -
Experiential
We won't only discuss what happens outside the therapy room. When appropriate, we'll work with what is happening emotionally and physically in the moment. -
Human
You don't have to arrive polished, insightful, calm, or prepared.
You just have to arrive.
Therapy Is Only One Part of the Practice
Thorough Talk Therapy is also a home for practices, reflections, workshops, and resources that help bring this work beyond the therapy room.
You'll find opportunities to explore mindfulness, nervous-system regulation, emotional awareness, somatic practices, and deeper connection with yourself, whether or not you're currently in therapy with me.
ONLINE THERAPY IN CALIFORNIA, IN-PERSON THERAPY IN SAN JOSE
Individual Therapy is Available
You don't have to know exactly which offering you need before reaching out.
We can talk about what's happening, what kind of support you're looking for, and whether one of my offerings feels like the right fit.
FREE PRACTICES + REFLECTIONS
Take some of the work with you.
Receive somatic practices, reflections, guided resources, and new offerings created to help you build a more connected relationship with yourself and your nervous system.