My name is Rob (he/him) and I'm a therapist who helps people understand themselves and have better relationships. I've been a therapist since 2017 and I have no intention of slowing down!

When I'm not working, I enjoy cooking big meals for loved ones and hiking trails with dog. I live in Northern California with my wife, dog, and chickens - it's an eggs-cellent life!

Like anyone else, though, it took a while for me to get to a stable place.

Throughout my teens and early 20’s, I was unable to find my voice with my loved ones and I felt hopeless to change. It took years for me to realize some of my relationships were abusive. 

It's not talked about enough, but abuse means so much more than just physical or sexual violence. Things like gaslighting, intimidation, isolation, emotional abuse, coercion, and threats can leave long-lasting scars.

People like to ask survivors of abuse, "Why don't you just leave?" Well, what happens when you try to leave an abusive relationship? Does the abuser just stop abusing? No.

I told myself this was normal. I told myself this was love. 

Overcoming that type of thinking is not easy. Fortunately, I still had some loved ones who were willing and able to support me in this process. I resisted mental health treatments until I gained the strength to face my issues. Once I was finally in therapy, I was able to recognize the signs of unhealthy relationships, learn better ways to set boundaries, and reduce my depression symptoms. 

Now as a seasoned (and licensed) therapist, I help others achieve similar success using approaches like Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Narrative Therapy, Mindfulness, Harm Reduction, and trauma informed care. In other words, I provide therapy for peace of mind.

My clients come to me when they need to find their voice, learn acceptance, set better boundaries, and end toxic relationships; and I'm looking forward to helping you do the same.

Hi there!

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Meet Rob

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Everything starts with you clicking the button below to schedule your 15-minute Consultation over Zoom! I look forward to exploring your path to healing!

Ready to Get Started?

Other Services

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For individuals exploring their gender identity or sexual orientation, finding a group where they feel accepted and encouraged to be themselves can be difficult.

For years, we've had the pleasure of working with many amazing clients of the LGBTQ community.

Our priority is always to create a safe space for growth and reflection, while always moving at a pace that feels comfortable for you.

In this safe space, clients typically participate in mindfulness activities and reflect on their personal journeys when they feel ready.

Whether you're still in the closet or your shouting it from the rooftops, we all feel more supported when we know that safe space exists.

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LGBTQ

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For people who identify as Black, Indigenous, and other People of Color (BIPOC), finding a therapist who understands our experience is essential to the healing process.

It feels isolating to be the only person in your social circle who gets it - even worse is when you try to explain but get dismissed like your pain doesn’t matter.

That's why having a therapist who listens before they speak and holds space for your experience is important.

We can’t fix systemic racism or heal generational trauma in a hour, but we can feel more resilient.

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BIPOC

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You have tried everything with your teen or tween and things still aren't getting better. You've received calls from their teachers and you're having a hard time getting them to listen at home.

For parents, knowing that you have tried your best but things remain the same is exhausting. In these times, it can be helpful to bring a new adult to talk to them.

In therapy with teens and tweens (age 10 and up), we connect on common interests, play games, make art, and establish a safe space before diving into deeper issues.

Once we have that safe space to operate in, we can process issues which they may be struggling with. For many teens and tweens, we are their first experience with therapy. Therefore, a safe space is absolutely necessary for therapy to be effective.

Some issues we commonly treat in teens and tweens are social anxiety, self-harm (cutting, skin picking, etc.), suicidal thoughts, and gender identity.

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Teens & Tweens

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Trauma can impact people in many different ways. Often times, it can leave scars on our mind or body which are painful and debilitating. When triggered, these trauma scars can make us feel unheard, unworthy, or unsafe.

With the support of a trained trauma therapist, you can feel heard, worthy, and safe again. Each of these goals is accomplished in specific ways.

To feel heard, clients are encouraged to share their traumatic memories once they feel ready. To feel worthy, we will explore core memories and how they relate to your trauma narrative. To feel safe, mindfulness and grounding skills will help you find that happy place.

To experience PTSD is to feel completely out of control. What is in your control is the ability to contact a well-trained trauma therapist. We have numerous therapists ready to help you recover from the impact of trauma - and we look forward to helping you.

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Trauma & Abuse

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Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) helps clients become more aware of the mind-body connection, explore when and where their unhelpful thoughts started, and find the answers to their own questions.

Since EMDR is a more advanced therapeutic model, not every therapist in our group practice has received the opportunity to be trained in EMDR.

EMDR can be a highly effective method of helping clients discover the roots of their problems and change how those roots impact us today.

Originally created to treat trauma, EMDR has been found to be helpful with many other issues including, but not limited to, anxiety, depression, and addictions.

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EMDR

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Sometimes we may stop being social, stop doing the things we love, or stop going to work/school - and even though we know we should change, we don't. These behaviors are often red flags for something much bigger brewing under the surface.

At our lowest points, we may experience unhelpful thoughts, like "I'm not good enough" or "I'm unlovable" even if we know they aren't true. These unhelpful thoughts usually go hand in hand with hurt feelings like guilt, shame, anger, or embarrassment.

When we don't talk about it, we may experience unhelpful thoughts and hurt feelings as a never-ending cycle. This can lead to us doing things we wish we could take back - the kind of things which can cost us the trust, respect, admiration, or love we once felt from others.

We use Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) with my clients to help them understand and change the cycle of unhelpful thoughts and hurt feelings in order to create more positive behaviors.

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If setting boundaries with them often leads to an emotional outburst, we may feel powerless to change. We may tell ourselves this is normal and we may believe this is love.

Overcoming this type of thinking is not easy. With the support of domestic violence counseling, you can recognize the signs of unhealthy relationships and learn better ways to set boundaries.

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Domestic Violence

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Talking with others about our boundaries doesn’t always feel good; so sometimes we might let things go instead of asserting ourselves.

People who are used to passive and passive-aggressive communication styles often feel they can’t be assertive without being aggressive.

We are here to tell you that’s not the case - and that you can assert yourself in a way that gets both attention and respect.

Through teaching you how to assert your feelings and needs, we support people of all races and gender identities who struggle with communication skills a bit more than others.

Rob Nganga

Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist