What is a Marriage and Family Therapist Intern?
An MFT Intern is a person who is working toward licensure as a Marriage and Family Therapist. I am registered with the Board of Behavioral Sciences and have a Master's degree in Counseling Psychology. I am supervised by Stephen Polin, a licensed MFT. I work at the Oak Creek Counseling Center, out of offices in Berkeley and San Francisco.
Do you work with individual clients who aren't married?
Absolutely. MFTs and MFT Interns work with people of all ages and discuss all types of relationships. We talk with our clients about topics that impact individuals, such as those stemming from our families, work and relationships, both platonic and romantic. The majority of the therapy I've facilitated thus far has been with adolescents.
What kind of therapy do you do?
While I don't exclusively practice Narrative Therapy, I find that the tenets of the theory influence many of the ways I work with clients. I also rely on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, Object Relations (Psychodynamic), Attachment Theory and Motivational Interviewing.
That's a lot of jargon that I haven't heard of before, please explain...
I tailor the kind of therapy I do respective to each individual client. Regardless of the type of therapy I use, I focus on individualized therapeutic techniques that are respectful, culturally contextualized, trauma-informed and focus on the strengths a person, couple or family possesses. I seek to honor the lives of each client and employ the training I've received to co-develop and refine the best possible therapeutic path. I believe that lasting change can best occur in a non-pathologizing environment where process and change are achieved by cooperative discussion and creative expression.
Does the fact that you're an intern mean you are inexperienced?
My being an intern reflects that I am working toward my license, however I've had the opportunity to work with many clients throughout my graduate studies as a trainee. I will work diligently with each client with whom I meet to develop an appropriate, meaningful treatment plan.
I've had experience working with clients in the following areas:
Depression, anxiety, stress, trauma (PTSD), compulsive behavior, self-harm, eating disorders, addiction, sexual violence, domestic violence, identity development, differentiating from one's family of origin, sexual and gender identity, chronic illness, bullying, death of loved ones, trauma and challenge endured through the process of diaspora and immigration, suicidality, crisis, bipolar disorders, cultural identity development, factors unique to the LGBTQIQ community, integrating back into one's family of origin after foster care placement, family relations, childhood trauma, pre-verbal trauma, psychosis, schizophrenia, borderline personality traits.
Where did you go to school?
I have a Master's degree in Counseling Psychology from the Wright Institute in Berkeley. I also have a teaching credential in Visual Arts from San Francisco State University. I earned my Bachelor's degree in Visual Arts at Kenyon College in Gambier, OH.
