The question is not what you look at, but what you see ~ Henry David Thoreau
I am a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and I work with individuals, couples, adolescents, and children in Berkeley, CA. As a graduate of the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology (recently renamed Sofia University), my training and approach are holistically based. I focus on transforming your life, not just treating symptoms. My insights and experiences come not just from therapy training but from my own personal introspection, meditation, body based practices, and spiritual studies.
I have an eclectic array of interests and hobbies which have gifted me a wide range of experiences and tools to integrate into therapy. Some of these include visual arts such as painting, drawing, and writing, and performing arts such as acting and dance. I find utilizing creative expression with clients to be very fruitful when desired. Another more obscure hobby of mine is Scuba Diving.
Over the last several years, I have developed a warm yet direct style when working with clients. I weave together a unique blend of somatically-oriented (body-oriented) techniques, strength-based approaches, and mindfulness. In other words, integrating the wisdom in the body with that of the mind, taking the time and attention to discover and utilize the strengths that (you maybe didn't even know) you have, and tuning into present-moment experience with curiosity and compassion. I also utilize Psychosynthesis. This way of working can be helpful to reintegrate disparate parts of ourselves and reconnect with our deeper self that can get covered by all of the demands, conditioning, and traumas of life. This process can lead to a greater sense of ease, naturalness, and enlivenment. I studied with Ann Gila , a prominent and published Psychosynthesis therapist.
Regardless of who I’m sitting with, I have deep respect and compassion for each individual’s unique process.
Serena Miller-Sears, MA, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist #109064