When I was five, my best friend and I would walk to the pond nearby and collect baby frogs.  One day we took them to a cool shady spot, connected with our hearts, and kissed them.  We weren’t sure this would change them into princes- in fact we were doubtful- but we sensed that it would somehow change us.

This early experience blossomed into a life-long passion for kissing the shadow, and activating change, personally and collectively.

I grew up in a multi-cultural, multi-class, and multi-religious family, and became fascinated by how culture shapes our personal and collective experiences.  This led me to majoring in Cultural Studies at Sarah Lawrence College.  However, I didn’t want to just be an intellectual, I wanted to change people’s lives.  My quest to learn how led me to get a Master’s at Smith College School for Social Work and a Graduate Fellowship at Stanford University.

Through my studies I gained a visceral understanding of the power of psychotherapy to catalyze change that radiates outwards.  When we change inside, our world opens up, and our capacity to change the world opens up too.

Over the past 18 years I’ve offered therapy to the most vulnerable members of the society, to the most privileged, to everyone in between.  I’ve guided people from a wide breadth of life experiences, cultures, ethnicities, races, spiritualities, genders, and sexualities, out of the shadows and into the light.  My work today is guided by a deep knowing that when we connect with our hearts and kiss the frog, our deepest darkest problems begin to transform.  This is where the real magic begins.

 

Let’s chat: 510.290.8303,

 or email me: therapy@astraeabella.com

I’d love to hear about you and see if I can honestly be of help.