Angela C. Raffo, MFT
Offices in San Francisco & Mill Valley – phone/video session available
Introduction
Welcome to my mindfulness-based psychotherapy practice! My goal is to empower you to recognize and build on your internal strengths, change old thinking patterns and behaviors, and encourage new growth towards wholeness, confidence, joy, and vitality.
I work with adults, youth, and couples, and my method is suited to both short-term and long-term treatment.
I consider myself an advocate for each of my clients in their unique search for more ease and emotional health in their lives, and I also seek to foster each individual’s ability to advocate for themselves. Thank you for your interest!
How I Work
My work is essentially mindfulness-based, integrating dialectical-behavioral therapy (DBT), cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), and psychodynamic modalities.
Mindfulness-based therapy adapts Eastern and Buddhist meditation traditions for use in a Western psychological and stress reduction framework.
DBT takes a direct approach to emotion regulation and interpersonal effectiveness by teaching and practicing concrete skills for use both in therapy sessions and in the midst of real-life challenges.
CBT is geared to identifying patterns of problematic or incongruent thinking and behaviors in a way that promotes positive change in those patterns.
Psychodynamic therapy is a broad term for “talk therapy” that takes both present-day concerns and past history into account, allowing the individual to emerge at their own pace.
This combination of modalities equips me with the techniques and tools to address the unique needs of each client, couple, or adolescent. Based on those unique needs, we balance strategic problem solving and skills-based work with intuitive and more open-ended exploration. In this way, specific goals can be addressed and life narratives can be revisited, processed, and enriched.
My work is collaborative. While I bring knowledge, experience, and intuition, I believe each client holds the key to his or her own most congruent self, and healing, recovery, and growth are the results of pooling these resources for the task at hand.
Adult Individual
No matter what concerns bring you in for individual therapy, your goals will guide us. Whether those goals are to address a single, specific problem area, or to get help addressing more pervasive difficulties, we will gear our work accordingly.
Focus on Couples
I specialize in work with couples, whether married, in a relationship, straight or gay, cohabiting or living separately. My integrative, mindfulness-based approach lends itself to couples work because of its flexibility, balancing exploration with concrete skills work. We will think reflectively about couple challenges and conflicts taking place outside of therapy, as well as address in-the-moment tension or discord as it takes place in session.
Work with Adolescents and Young Adults
Adolescence is a developmentally and emotionally eventful period of time! I have worked extensively with teens and young adults in both private practice and school settings, with a broad array of concerns encompassing the typical challenges of development as well as challenges compounded by social, family, learning, or mood-related issues. My work with adolescents includes collateral consultation with parents/guardians and other family members as needed.
DBT Skills Training
I provide both individual DBT skills training and individual DBT therapy. These treatment approaches can either supplement attendance of the DBT skills training groups offered by Mindfulness Therapy Associates, or can be utilized independently.
Areas of Specialty
My areas of specialty include:
- Anger management
- Anxiety
- Childhood or adult trauma/PTSD
- Codependence
- Communication/interpersonal skills
- Couples counseling
- Depression
- Emotion regulation
- GLBT issues—coming out/identity, relationships, transitioning, alternative families
- Grief/loss/bereavement
- Infidelity
- Life transitions
- Marital/premarital counseling
- Parenting
- Self-esteem
- Self-harming behaviors
- Sexuality
- Teen and young adult concerns
- Trust issues
Degrees and Training
- In practice since 1998
- Licensed as a Marriage and Family Therapist by the Board of Behavioral Sciences (MFT, MFC 39637)
- MA in Clinical Psychology, New College of California
- BA in Psychology, University of Oregon
- Clinical training placements included the Iris Center, Pyramid Counseling and Education, and New Perspectives Center for Counseling
- School-based work in Bay Area middle and high schools including Jefferson, South San Francisco, and Cabrillo school districts