What's therapy with Dr. Hart like?

 Dr. Allison Hart is a licensed clinical psychologist (PSY34109). She received her  doctorate in Clinical Psychology from Bowling Green State University, her Masters in Experimental Psychology from Saint John’s University, and her Bachelors at Saint Mary’s College of CA. She completed her internship at the Veteran Affairs of Northern CA Healthcare System working in the PTSD, center for inpatient rehabilitation and extended care (CREC), and general mental health units. Her training emphasizes cultural sensitivity, and is grounded in systemic thinking (individuals are part of, effected by, and effect social, economic, political, and familial systems). This includes providing affirming therapeutic care for clients of marginalized or minority backgrounds and engaging in advocacy work.

Her clinical interests include providing support for:

trauma/PTSD

perinatal/post-partum/maternal care to birthing persons

Substance abuse/harm reduction/addiction

Depression/anxiety

Perfectionism

Life transitions (loss, career, divorce/marriage, aging, moving, etc)

Religious and spiritual struggles

Borderline personality struggles

Unhealthy relationship patterns (codependency, parentification, poor boundaries, role conflict)

Parenting – role, conflict, boundaries, responsive and firm parenting

Career changes and professional identity

Social/Work Performance difficulties 

Dr. Hart takes an integrative approach to providing therapy, with a strong and guiding belief that humans heal in holistic and dynamic ways. This often requires attention to the present moment in therapy session, meeting clients where they feel most authentically themselves, sitting together with uncertainty or intense emotions, and compassionately challenging at appropriate times in order to help clients experience deep change in themselves, their relationships, and their life journey in much desired ways. 

Therapeutic modalities include Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), functional analytic psychotherapy (FAP), Internal Family Systems (IFS), and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). For clients with trauma, therapy will regularly include Cognitive Processing Therapy, which Dr. Hart is certified in, or Prolonged Exposure Therapy. Dr. Hart is also in the final stages of obtaining certification in Perinatal and Postpartum Health Treatment, which often includes Interpersonal Process Therapy (IPT).  If you identify as religious or spiritual, and believe this is an important part of your identity, these Dr. Hart is also trained in Spiritually-Integrated Psychotherapy (SIPT).

Work together will also regularly include components of mindfulness, action-oriented acceptance, somatic awareness and nervous system regulation interventions, behavior analysis, detachment skills, distress tolerance, clarifying values, and building a more workable and purposeful sense of self. When working with people who have relationship difficulties, Dr. Hart regularly incorporates tools for relationship effectiveness, including compassion, attachment-based interventions, problem-solving, stress management, emotional tolerance, coping skills, healthier boundaries, and encouraging thoughts and feelings that support a fulfilling interdependent experience between self and others. 

Dr. Hart often states that the ultimate goal of any therapeutic endeavor is to be free from the suffering that holds us back from living and being fully ourselves, while learning to endure and hold to our values during inescapable suffering that’s ever-present in the human condition and this imperfect world, in order to create a meaningful and purpose-driven life.

Clients describe me as direct, compassionately challenging, collaborative, conversational, warm, and providing of a safe and curious environment for us to work together to change your relationship with your mind while we work to help your mind adapt and change according to your goals. I am usually semi-structured in my approach, expect clients to engage in thinking, writing, and engaging in behavior change between sessions.