Therapy can give you support, validation, coping skills, and strategies to change your perspective and your behaviors. It can give you greater peace of mind and help you tolerate difficult feelings and situations. It can give you a “corrective emotional experience:” your therapist creates a safe, non-judgmental space for you to express yourself authentically and may “get” you in a way that no one else has. When this happens, it is extremely powerful and transformative. Therapy cannot change other people or external circumstances. Therapists provide psychoeducation, feedback, and guidance, but they don’t give advice or answers. If you’re new to therapy, or are exploring unprocessed trauma, therapy may make you feel a bit worse before you feel better. I can’t tell you how long it will take for you to feel better. But, generally, the more you put into therapy, the more you’ll get out of it.

A good relationship with anyone -- including your therapist -- depends in large part on chemistry. It also depends on transparency. If we work together, I encourage you to let me know if something I say rubs you the wrong way, or if I do anything to let you down. Disappointment is inevitable in any relationship (and in life!); in therapy, the goal is to work through it together.

I am licensed to practice therapy only in the state of California. However, I can and do provide coaching for people outside of California. Coaching is different from therapy, which focuses on working through emotions and experiences. Coaching with me is usually short-term and focuses on setting and achieving goals. It is more directive and solution-focused than therapy. Feel free to contact me for my coaching fees.

The call is for you to tell me about your situation and ask me questions about how I work and what methods I would use to help you. It also gives you a sense of my personality and what it’s like talking to me. By the end of 15 minutes, you should have a good idea of whether or not you want to work with me. The call also gives me information on how I can best meet your needs; if I feel that I’m not the right therapist for you, I will give you an appropriate referral to someone else I think could help you.

Please email me at drsheava@gmail.com and I'll make every effort to respond within 24 hours and work with you on scheduling an appointment.

I do not accept insurance at this time; however I am happy to provide what is called a "superbill" with relevant information if you would like to try to get reimbursed by your insurance company. Please note: I do NOT guarantee that your insurance carrier will reimburse you and strongly recommend contacting your insurance carrier beforehand if this is something you are considering.

A psychoeducational evaluation is needed when it is suspected that a child, teen, or adult may have conditions that are impacting their ability to learn and/or function adequately within the educational setting or work environment. These conditions may include, but are not limited to, the following: Developmental learning disabilities that may affect reading, math, writing, and receptive and expressive language. Processing disorders Attention and concentration disorders Memory problems Difficulty planning, organizing, and initiating tasks Poor school or work performance despite the apparent ability Behavior problems Social and emotional difficulties including anxiety related to academic tasks Language and communication deficits including pragmatics i.e. social language

If you answer "yes" to any of the following statements you may want to consider a free consult to determine if a psychoeducational evaluation is the next step for your child. I am concerned about my child's academic progress. My child is struggling with reading, spelling, or math. My child has trouble understanding what he or she reads. My child has trouble understanding directions. My child seems unmotivated or complains of being bored. My child is easily frustrated and has "meltdowns" and cries when doing homework. My child does whatever they can avoid doing homework. We have frequent battles when doing homework. After studying for a test, my child forgets what they have learned by the following day. Information seems to go in one ear and out the other. My child seems very distracted, has difficulty focusing, or loses interest easily. My child seems depressed, irritable and their mood changes frequently. My child seems excessively worried or anxious about school. My child is disorganized and forgetful. My child has trouble relating to other children, has trouble making or keeping friends, or has trouble getting along with peers. I feel my child needs accommodations in the classroom to help them be more successful in school. I feel my child may need to be in special education.