My formal name is Margaret but I go by Peggy. I am a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (MFT #117151) and a licensed Professional Clinical Counselor (PCC #8648). I obtained my M.A. in Counseling from Palo Alto University. My first career was as a middle school teacher and art teacher, teaching youth aged 5-18. I am a working artist and a certified yoga teacher and use both art and yoga extensively in my practice, as well as play therapy, Brainspotting, and Sandtray.
I feel confident in working with issues like depression, anxiety, life transitions, relationships, trauma, and grief/loss. My clients range in age from 4 years to 104 years old. I use Brainspotting as an intervention and have been successful in treating trauma and intrusive thoughts. I am eclectic in my interventions but was trained in Existential Humanism at Agesong’s Gero-Wellness Institute in San Francisco. I am solution-focused, strength-based and use Expressive Arts, yoga, and Sandtray to help my clients. I have been successful in using Mindfulness and meditation for people suffering from anxiety and stress. Every client is different, and I tailor my interventions to the individual.
- Member of the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists (CAMFT) since 2018
- Member of Chi Sigma Iota, PAU
- Work in private practice in San Mateo, CA
- Counseled college students as a personal counselor at Cañada College in Redwood City, CA, and at Skyline College in San Bruno, CA
- Worked as a child therapist at El Granada Elementary School in El Granada, near Half Moon Bay.
- Counseled elders and disabled persons as a therapist at Agesong – University Campus.
- Co-taught groups about Mindfulness and Yoga.
- Volunteered at Star Vista’s crisis line in San Mateo, working with callers in crisis, with suicidal ideation and utilizing very brief therapy.
- Certified in Brainspotting: Level 1, Level 2, and Expansion Brainspotting in 2021. I recently learned the Crocodile Set-up to help with addiction and addictive behaviors and have completed the training “Brainspotting for Kids and Teens” in 2022
- Certified Yoga teacher from Avalon Yoga International, Palo Alto, CA
- Graduated from the University of California, Santa Barbara with a Bachelor of Art in Art Studio and a Master of Education in Education
- Graduated from Palo Alto University with a Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology
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