When you’re stuck in a cycle of compulsive behavior—whether it’s endless scrolling, substance use, overworking, or people-pleasing—it’s easy to label the problem as addiction. But what if addiction is only part of the story? Compulsive behaviors often have complex roots, including burnout, trauma, and underlying mental health struggles. In a city like San Francisco, where high-pressure careers collide with a...[ read more ]
When most people hear the word addiction, they think of substance use—alcohol, drugs, nicotine, or even prescription medications. But addiction doesn’t always involve chemicals. Some behaviors, such as gambling, gaming, social media use, shopping, and even sex, can create compulsive patterns that feel just as powerful and difficult to break. Behavioral addictions, also known as process addictions, occur when a...[ read more ]
We are honored to have a team of therapists who bring a wealth of perspectives and lived experiences, including those who identify as trans, non-binary, and queer. These talented professionals have self-identified as part of the LGBTQ+ community in their professional bios on our site, offering clients an opportunity to connect with therapists who bring unique insights and empathy to...[ 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 so that you get to know them in more depth. They share more about...[ read more ]
Center for Mindful Psychotherapy is a non profit collective of 80 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 the do, the clients that they...[ read more ]
There are many different ways to approach therapy for addiction / substance use. You may want to quit using all substances or some substances, reduce your use, reduce the harms associated with your use, or make no changes and just discuss the role it's playing in your life right now. Those are all perfectly okay ways to show up to...[ read more ]
Sometimes you need a good belly laugh. And sometimes you really just need a good long cry. You might do both of those things in therapy. However, you might also reap the benefits of laughing and crying in many other places in the San Francisco Bay Area. Are some places better than others for these things? We asked our California...[ read more ]
Sofía Escudero is a bilingual (Spanish/English) San Francisco Bay Area therapist who is part of our associate therapist team here at Center for Mindful Psychotherapy. She is currently seeing clients via Telehealth only but hopes to offer in-person East Bay (Oakland or Berkeley) appointments soon. Learn more about her approach to her work in the interview below. What are your...[ read more ]
Therapy is a professional relationship. Sometimes people overlook the importance of that keyword: relationship. Of course, there are many different types of therapy. The modality is important. However, the person the therapist is - the way they work, the clients they serve, their core values - is also very important. Therefore, you'll want to look for the therapist who is...[ read more ]