Lisa Wenninger
Associate Professional Clinical Counselor - APCC, NCC
I’d like to help you feel better.I will ask questions, and mostly listen. When I catch something that has a charge, I will invite you to look at it. We would collaborate to identify your goals and what you need help with. I seek to build trust first, and uncover together what’s going on in the patterns that make you feel stuck. You’ve probably tried lots of things already, and there may not be quick fixes, but together we can work to understand what’s really going on. I care about emotions, and what’s underneath them, and the tactics we use to try to avoid them. Some people, especially men, have learned not to feel them at all. Emotions are telling us something, though, and there’s a way for them not to overrun us. I also tend to experiences in the body, and will bring attention to your physical experiences in the moment, and where your body is trying to communicate with you.
Change happens from the inside, and all that’s required is a willingness for things to be different. Or if you’re not yet willing to change, I understand that, too, and we can start exactly where you are.
I can help with anxiety, depression, relationship issues, and trauma. I have particular expertise in grief work, and major life transitions such as going back to school, breakups, retirement.
I am building a specialty practice in social justice counseling, which includes working with white people who would like to understand white privilege. I also am trained to support BIPOC individuals in a cross-culturally sensitive style, though I appreciate if you feel a non-white therapist may be better suited for you, because I am still unpacking my own white bias. I have devoted half of my practice to serving low-fee clients. If you choose to work with me at full fee ($100 or up) then you will be supporting that work, too, in helping to provide access to others who may not otherwise be able to afford therapy.
I have particular interest in a variety of niche areas including: dissociation and DID, plurals and systems; gender identity and trans people; and non-heteronormative lifestyles, poly, ace, childfree, kink/BDSM, and people who identify as lesbian, queer, or questioning.
I am an Associate Professional Clinical Counselor and a National Board Certified Counselor. I work entirely by telehealth (zoom), with flexible options for therapy available to California-based clients.
Skills and Expertise
Adjusting to Change / Life Transitions
Anxiety
Attachment Issues
Breakups
Coping Mechanisms
Depression
Dissociation
Family of Origin Issues
grief
Guilt
Identity Issues
Individuation
Life Purpose
Loss
Stress
Transgender Issues
Women's issue
Multicultural Concerns
Emptiness
Treatment Orientation
Psychodynamic
Therapy unique to each client
Telehealth-based
Interpersonal
Humanistic
Feminist
Modality