My approach
Marriage and Family Therapists focus on relationships, and every relationship we have begins with what we bring into it, so that is where our work begins. We often repeat patterns of interacting without knowing we are doing so. The result is frustration, disappointment, and a host of other emotions. Sometimes we just find it safe to shut down or we give up in despair. These reactions can affect not only our close relationships with family, lovers, and friends, but also with co-workers, employers, and strangers. Therapy is changing and I am excited about it. You will see that I usually have a book on my desk. I take relevant trainings to keep up with those who are doing groundbreaking work in the field. I love this work and have been studying psychology all my life. We are learning more and more about how the brain works and what brings about change in people. And we are learning that the relationship between you and your therapist is the strongest factor in healing. For that reason our therapy work is open and honest. What occurs in my office is the result of our interaction, not of me teaching you or assigning you homework. We explore together what we learn in our work. No one needs to be perfect as we work, so we can make mistakes, fix them, laugh together, cry together, wonder together, and change each other. We reflect on what we learned as we worked, so that our consciousness, our mindfulness increases when we are outside the office. By developing a healthy way of interacting inside therapy, injured parts will feel safe enough to grow and learn to attach and interact that way in other relationships. We will celebrate your successes and know how they came about by examining that. It is in this way, through the work we do, that new patterns of thinking, feeling, and acting will be imprinting in your brain, making the changes stronger. Specifically, we are following the emotional trail to core feelings, going to the root of the problem and learning what happens when those feelings come up. You are in control of the speed and intensity of our work. I bring the techniques and skills that I have learned and developed over the years. We both bring our felt sense of where to go with it. |
 Gail Van Buuren
About Gail
I came to the field of Marriage and Family Therapy later in life after two other careers in quite diversified settings. Psychology has been my avocation since as far back as I can remember. I received my Masters Degree from Pacifica Graduate Institute in Carpenteria, CA in 1999 and practiced on the Monterey Peninsula until I moved to Sonoma County at the end of 2005. My studies have always focused on what makes us tick at the deepest core of our beings and include Jungian Depth Psychology, Attachment Theory, Object Relations, Dream Work, and Existential Theory. All of that basically boils down to the question of what has come together in our lives to make us what we are today and how can we find the keys that will allow us to change old patterns to more workable ones. 
I have trained in and taught Parenting Education and love working with families. I work with couples and with individuals by exploring what we are feeling about what is going on and developing ways to change it. I encourage clients to look at the bigger picture of their lives and find the way to align their behaviors with their values so they can feel more at peace. Our work is powerful and deep but it is also gentle and loving, so you feel safe. We do not force change, we make a welcoming space for it to come into.
If you are interested in a trial session, please contact me.
Call 707-494-4198 or send me an email: gailvb13@gmail.com. 
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