Reviewed by Kathryn Vercillo, MA Psychology | Last Updated: November 2025 You have probably heard that mindfulness is good for you. Perhaps you have tried meditation apps, attended a yoga class, or experimented with breathing exercises during stressful moments. These practices can genuinely help. But if you have ever wondered whether mindfulness in therapy techniques might offer something different...[ read more ]
Center for Mindful Psychotherapy is a non profit collective of approximately 100 Associate Marriage and Family Therapists in the San Francisco Bay Area. You can learn more about each of them from perusing our Therapist Directory. In our Conversations with Clinicians series, we interview therapists in more depth. They share more about the work that they do, the clients that...[ read more ]
In this video, Phoenix L. Quetzal DeLeon, MA, AMFT, a somatic therapist at the Center for Mindful Psychotherapy, explains what somatic therapy is and demonstrates how it works differently from traditional talk therapy. Using a live example of working with anxiety, Phoenix shows how changing the state of the body can shift emotional experiences—offering clients more agency and choice in...[ read more ]
This is a book review by Phoenix L. Quetzal DeLeon, MA, AMFT, a somatic therapist at the Center for Mindful Psychotherapy who specializes in supporting individuals working through eating disorders, body image concerns, anxiety, and trauma recovery. In this review, Phoenix reflects on Eating in the Light of the Moon: How Women Can Transform Their Relationship with Food Through Myths,...[ read more ]
In this post, we share a video from associate therapist Phoenix L. Quetzal DeLeon demonstrating a simple yet powerful somatic practice for shoulder tension relief, and explore why our typical approach to relaxation often backfires. Plus we share some of the neuroscience behind why working with contrast, rather than against your body, creates lasting change. Why Trying to Force Relaxation...[ read more ]
Associate therapist Erma Kyriakos is offering an online holiday support group this year. The holidays can be tough for many reasons and it helps to have a place to connect during this time. When the Most Wonderful Time of Year Doesn't Feel Wonderful At All The holiday season is often portrayed as a time of joy, connection, and celebration....[ read more ]
Welcome back to Conversations with Clinicians where we interview one of our associate therapists. We like to give you this opportunity to learn more about the way that they work. It can also give you insight into the differences between various therapeutic modalities, approaches and techniques. Today, meet Corinne Crone. Corinne is a transpersonal West Marin, California therapist. Asked to...[ read more ]
Welcome back to Conversations with Clinicians where we interview one of our associate therapists. We like to give you this opportunity to learn more about the way that they work. It can also give you insight into therapeutic modalities, approaches and techniques. Today, meet California telehealth associate therapist Erin Boyle, "a trauma-informed relational therapist who pulls from somatic, psychodynamic, and...[ read more ]
Welcome back to Conversations with Clinicians where we interview one of our associate therapists. We like to give you this opportunity to learn more about the way that they work. It can also give you insight into therapeutic modalities, approaches and techniques. Today, meet Courtenay Houk, a somatic/ relational associate therapist who specializes in helping people with anxiety, boundaries, relational...[ read more ]
Welcome back to Conversations with Clinicians where we interview one of our associate therapists. We like to give you this opportunity to learn more about the way that they work. It can also give you insight into therapeutic modalities, approaches and techniques. Today, meet Karen Baker, a somatic and depth therapist who works virtually with people throughout California, specializing in...[ read more ]