About Me

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.

Peggy Farrell LMFT #117151 peggy@peggylmft.com 415-841-2634

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