Hello, World!
In-Person Therapy and Telehealth for Teens (15+) and Adults in Folsom, California
Your Space, Your Healing,
Your Pace.
Life can get incredibly heavy sometimes. . .
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Loss changes everything, whether you are grieving a person, a relationship or a life transition. The pain can feel sudden, messy and deeply heavy. Remember grief is a process not a permanent state.
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You cannot rewrite your history, but you can change how it affects your life today. Healing involves understanding the connection, releasing the emotional weight, and rewriting your story.
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When you are in a fog it is hard to see the path ahead. You don’t have to figure out the rest of your life today, you just have to take one small step.
My deepest goal is to ensure that you feel safely seen, genuinely heard and fully understood.
True growth doesn’t mean pushing away the pieces of yourself that feel anxious, angry or stuck. Growth isn’t about fixing what is “broken” it is about helping your protective and wounded parts feel safe enough to soften.
As a Marriage and Family Therapist, I look at systems—not just the systems out in the world, but the complex system operating inside of you. Often, the behaviors or patterns that leave us feeling stuck, anxious, or overwhelmed are simply "parts" of us trying their best to protect us from pain.
Working with me is a collaborative process where we will discover together what is keeping you stuck, alleviate the pain that you are experiencing, and look to the future where you are living the life and having the relationships you deserve to have.
I’m Shari
“Nothing can dim the light which shines from within.”
In our sessions, I bring a grounded, deeply calm energy to hold whatever heavy stuff you need to unpack. But I also bring plenty of humor. Life is messy, and sometimes a shared laugh or a moment of genuine levity is exactly what helps break through the noise. I look at therapy as a collaborative partnership—we will pace things entirely at your speed, look closely at old patterns, and figure out practical ways for you to feel genuinely at home in your own skin.
When I’m not in the therapy chair, I am usually looking for my next adventure or leaning into deep rest. I am a big believer in life's dualities: you can find me finding my zen at a yoga retreat, and just as easily screaming my head off riding roller coasters.
I love traveling to new places, but my absolute favorite spot is being home in California, hanging out with my family and spending time with my animals.
I am a collaborative therapist that believes no matter how difficult life can seem at times, healing is possible. Therapy isn’t about me telling you how to live or fixing what is "wrong." It is a true partnership. You bring your lived experience, your history, and your hopes; I bring a gentle framework, clinical insight, and a deep curiosity for your inner world.
Together, we will look at the patterns keeping you stuck and collaborate on a path forward that feels realistic, sustainable, and entirely your own. Your goals set our direction, and we move at a pace that honors your whole system.
Consider me your steady co-pilot—offering warmth, encouragement, and practical tools as we move closer to the life and relationships you deserve.
How I can help AND AREAS OF SPECIALTY
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When anxiety hijacks your body and mind, you need tools that work right away. DBT provides concrete, evidence-based skills to lower your physiological arousal. Through mindfulness, we train your brain to stay in the present moment rather than spiraling into the future. Through distress tolerance (like TIPP skills) and emotion regulation, you will learn how to interrupt panic, manage physical symptoms, and regain control when anxiety feels overwhelming.
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In our sessions, you won’t just talk about your depression, you will actively learn how to relate to it differently. We will use mindfulness to anchor you in the present, distress tolerance to navigate moments of acute despair, and emotion regulation to gently shift out of debilitating lows.
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Your grief is welcome here. exactly as it is. In my office, there is no “checklist” of grief stages that you need to move through. We will together, create a compassionate space where you can honor your pain, and your loss at your pace, and work on how hope, discovery and joy can re-enter your life.
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I specialize in helping individuals navigate the painful, reactive patterns that cause distance and conflict in relationships. We first work on establishing immediate emotional safety, lowering the temperature during conflict, and implementing practical tools for healthy, assertive communication.
We then look at healing your childhood or past relationship wounds that fuel your current triggers, allowing you to show up in your relationships with vulnerability, authentic presence, and secure attachment.
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I specialize in helping teenagers navigate the intense emotional storms of adolescence. Being a teen today means facing an overwhelming amount of pressure from school, social media, and shifting identities, which frequently manifests as extreme mood swings, anxiety, or behavioral outbursts.
When a teen is in the middle of an emotional spiral, abstract talk therapy doesn’t work. DBT provides them with a concrete, actionable toolkit. Through distress tolerance (like using ice or paced breathing to change their physiology) and emotion regulation, teens learn how to hit the pause button before acting out impulsively, self-harming, or shutting down. Interpersonal effectiveness skills also give them the exact scripts they need to communicate boundaries clearly with parents, teachers, and peers.
Teens naturally think in terms of "parts" (e.g., "Part of me wants to do well in school, but another part just wants to give up"). IFS normalizes this inner conflict. Instead of telling a teen that their anger, rebellion, or perfectionism is "bad behavior," IFS looks at these behaviors as protective parts trying to keep them safe from rejection, failure, or hurt. When teens realize they aren't "broken"—that they just have parts working overtime—the shame lifts. They can connect with their core Self, building genuine self-esteem and internal emotional control.
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Trauma and chronic stress fundamentally alter how your brain and body perceive safety.
Trauma work requires an absolute foundation of safety. Our sessions are paced deliberately so you never feel pushed beyond what your nervous system can handle:
Establish Safety First: We utilize DBT skills to build your external coping toolkit, ensuring you feel stable, grounded, and capable of managing daily stressors and triggers.
Heal the Root Wounds: Once your system feels stabilized, we gently use IFS to approach the traumatic memories and stressed parts of your psyche, transforming your inner world from a place of conflict and fear into one of deep self-compassion and peace.
You do not have to remain a prisoner to your past or live in a constant state of exhaustion. Together, we can build a structured, compassionate roadmap to help you move from simply surviving to deeply thriving.
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Women are often socialized to suppress their feelings or put everyone else's needs first, which can lead to overwhelming anxiety, burnout, or emotional outbursts. We will work together in therapy to give you the tangible tools you need to stay anchored. You deserve a space where all parts of you are welcome, seen, and understood. If you are ready to move from survival mode into true empowerment, I invite you to reach out. I
How it works
Stepping into therapy takes courage, and I want to make this process as seamless as possible.
Click the button below to login to my client portal and to choose a day and time for a free, 15 minute confidential consultation to so we can talk about your goals, and to see if I am a good fit. I would be honored to walk right beside you on your journey toward growth.