Red paint dripping downward with uneven vertical streaks against a black background.
A watercolor painting of a lemon slice.

ABOUT TRUE YANG THERAPY

THE TRUE YANG TEAM AND S-KAP PRACTITIONERS

We are a group of humans that care a lot about other humans.
You pay for our time, the love and compassion flows out naturally.

We come from different ethnic and cultural backgrounds and have a vast array of previous careers. We are mothers, daughters, single, married, divorced, dancers, nurses, doulas, musicians, yogis, meditators, and clowns!

OUR TEAM

Close-up of a woman with dark curly hair, wearing earrings and a light-colored shawl, outdoors with blurred green background.
Close-up of a woman with dark curly hair, wearing earrings and a light-colored shawl, outdoors with blurred green background.

  • Hello! As the creator of True Yang Therapy and the S-KAP approach I feel humbled to have been trusted to work with and learn from inspiring clients over the last 10 years.

    I’m all about the “aha moments” that emerge out of a desire to grow and expand. I’m someone who knows some things and knows enough to know that I know very little. My own personal journey of growth includes messing up, growing pains, trying again, laughing at it all, crying about it alI, celebrating the whole thing, and doing it with other caring humans.

    It is a true honor to “co-shepherd” a healing process. In our work together we will tune into your own innate wisdom as we hold the younger, wounded parts. You’ll likely experience my flavor as a heart-centered nurturing, encouraging, spiritual-cheerleader, and a light-hearted silly creative.

    I was raised by an immigrant parent (Moroccan) and a first gen parent (Hungarian). In my early years I was praised for achievements and taught the way of survival. While grateful for all I was given, I found the path towards more freedom and peace meant turning towards the pain points in my heart/body and my lineage. I love working with children of immigrants and engaging with the lineage as an agent of healing and growth.

    As a lifelong dancer, and meditator in the Soto Zen tradition, I’ve learned to tune into the wisdom of the body, to attend to the emotions, needs, and expressions.

    My work is based in a Mindfulness/Somatic approach called Hakomi. I also use Internal Family Systems, EMDR, Poly Vagal Techniques, and Neuroaffective Touch-a cranial sacral/attachment healing approach. I teach workshops and offer training in and around the bay area.

    EXPERIENCE AND TRAINING:

    • Masters in Counseling Psychology, CIIS , 2015

    • 11 years practicing psychotherapist

    • 2 years training in somatic/mindfulness based Hakomi Method

    • 6 months training in Emotional Focused Therapy

    • EMDR trained for trauma healing

    • Various training in IFS (Internal Family Systems)

    KETAMINE TRAINING

    • 44 hours Sage Institute and Polaris Insight Center

    • 24 hours training in KAP and EMDR for trauma healing

    INTER-GENERATIONAL TRAUMA HEALING

    • 30 hours with Mark Wolynn-Inherited Family Trauma Method

    • 30 hours of Jungian/Shamanic  Ancestral healing work with Florian Birkmayer and Cathy Skipper

    SOMATIC/TOUCH TRAINING

    • 96 Hours of NeuroAffective Touch (NAT) with Dr.  Ailine LaPieree

    • 24 Hours of Hakomi Attachment based touch therapy Shirley Bar-Dvir and Allison Post

    • 24 Hours of Cranio Sacral Therapy with Catharine Wood Anderson 

A woman with dark brown hair smiling, wearing a maroon blazer and necklace, sitting in a room with bookshelves and potted plants in the background.
A woman with dark brown hair smiling, wearing a maroon blazer and necklace, sitting in a room with bookshelves and potted plants in the background.

  • Grounded in psychodynamic and attachment-based principles, my approach is holistic, relational, and attending to a person’s mind-body connection. I strive to create a process where people feel less alone in their pain and fear—where empathy becomes a source of comfort and a catalyst for strength.

    My approach is body centered and includes mindfulness based therapy including IFS (Internal Family Systems), DBT, and EFT. I tailor therapy to each person’s unique journey, working from the inside out and the outside in to foster lasting growth and transformation.

    We’re not meant to navigate this emotional work alone. With the right support, change becomes possible and can take root. As self-awareness deepens and healing unfolds, relationships often transform—becoming more authentic and connected.

    I’ve had the opportunity to work with individuals from various backgrounds, supporting them through grief, end-of-life challenges, depression, anxiety, and substance dependency—particularly those tapering off benzodiazepines and opioids. My experience also includes work in schools with children and parents, as well as specialized training in Emotionally Focused Therapy for Couples. My background as a Wellness Specialist and Massage Practitioner informs my somatic approach to therapy, emphasizing the deep connection between mind and body.

    I hold a bachelor’s degree in Gerontology and a master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. I work with Individuals, Couples, Families, and Groups. I live in San Francisco with my husband, two children, and two cats.

    Supervised by Marni Levy LMFT 99850

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Close-up of a smiling woman with short dark hair, wearing a white top and a thin necklace, standing outdoors.

  • My passion is in guiding you in discovering more about yourself and to achieve a sense of fulfillment and harmony in your life.

    I believe that we all have the potential to change our lives, and the ways in which we relate to ourselves, to each other, and to the world around us. Through our work together, we will co-create the possibility for understanding what needs to occur in order to evolve in a different way.

    As a therapist, I believe wholeheartedly in the sacred practice of holding compassionate space during intimate and vulnerable moments. As a former Birth Doula and Apprentice Midwife, I have witnessed the impact of consciously preparing for and moving through life’s highs and lows, especially during moments of intensity and overwhelm. It is often during these special moments that we can reconnect with our true essence and unique power, which is also what draws me to psychedelic therapy.

    My experience supporting people through pregnancy, birth, and postpartum, informs my clinical practice, especially when I am working with people who are preparing for birth, and parenthood. As a mother to two young adults, I come with my own lived experience to help inform my work with you.

    I was born in Iran, grew up in Israel, and spent most of my adult life in the Bay Area. I am fluent in Hebrew and basic Farsi. With a deeply rooted, multicultural lens, I can see the many ways in which we hold and sometimes struggle with our multiple and diverse identities. This struggle can affect the ways in which we relate to ourselves, to our experiences, and to others. Together, we can hold all our identities with compassion and grace while we tend to life’s challenging moments.

    I work with a wide range of challenges and identities, but am especially equipped to work with people with:

    • Complex PTSD - relational struggles as a result of not getting what we need as children.

    • Folks who inhabit multiple cultural identities and/or have lived experience of immigration and assimilation (first or second generation and more).

    • Individuals affected by or struggling with relationships with Narcissists, with possible codependence tendencies.

    • People who are pregnant, postpartum, or parenting

    • Teens (13+) and their families

    I am experienced with modalities of relational, client-centered, mindfulness, attachment, transpersonal, somatic, Hakomi, parts work, inner-child, trauma-informed and depth psychologies. I am an EMDR trained therapist and I received my MA in Counseling Psychology from the California Institute of Integral Studies and am LGBTQIA+ friendly.

    Supervised by Marni Levy LMFT 99850

A smiling woman with long red hair, wearing gold hoop earrings, a gold bracelet, and a large ring, sitting outdoors with greenery and a curb in the background.
A smiling woman with long red hair, wearing gold hoop earrings, a gold bracelet, and a large ring, sitting outdoors with greenery and a curb in the background.

  • It is a gift to be able to provide ketamine-assisted psychotherapy for people who are seeking help outside of the traditional frames of psychotherapy. Many people who work with me have had years of talk therapy, which may have been helpful, but they still feel stuck in their lives. Insight has often times not brought the change people have been seeking. I offer a warm, safe environment for healing and transformation to unfold. My work involves somatic (body-oriented) and other non-verbal ways of working, like expressive arts, which, in addition to ketamine, help get beneath the logical, linear mind to deeper layers of the Self that long for healing. Many people who work with me tell me that the somatic and expressive arts work we do in the preparatory sessions is different than therapy they've done and hugely helpful, even before we begin working with the ketamine. 

    In addition to my experience as a psychotherapist for over twenty-five years, and fifteen years previously as a bodyworker, I have completed an 8 module training program for Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy at Polaris Insight Center, as well as advanced training at Healing Realms Center for Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy, both in San Francisco. I have also been trained and certified by MAPS — the The Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies — as an MDMA therapist. I am the co-founder for GoldenWeave Network for Ethical Psychedelic Practices, a network of ketamine-assisted psychotherapists, social workers, medical doctors, psychiatrists, and trainers, who consult with each other to continue to further our education and ongoing training in this pioneering field so that we may bring the most cutting edge services to our clients, in a safe, ethical, and friendly environment.

    I look forward to getting to know you and together, finding new pathways for healing and change.

A woman with dark hair and hoop earrings, smiling, wearing a maroon top.
A woman with dark hair and hoop earrings, smiling, wearing a maroon top.

  • I am honored to be an award-winning therapist who has worked with hundreds of clients over the past 2 decades. Having grown up in a family that struggled with mental health and depression, I have always been interested in going deep with people. I believe in compassion. I love giving people opportunities to be seen and heard.

    I started my journey to study the psyche as a way of healing myself and my family, to understand the process of undoing past wounds and sabotaging patterns. The changes that I have seen in my sense of self are incredible and I am inspired to share this possibility with others.

    I continue to be humbled and honored by the transformation that I get to see with my clients every day. I believe in this work and it is my greatest privilege to work with people like you.

Portrait of a woman with long black hair, standing outdoors near a tree, smiling, wearing hoop earrings and a patterned black-and-white top.
Portrait of a woman with long black hair, standing outdoors near a tree, smiling, wearing hoop earrings and a patterned black-and-white top.

  • I come from a background of 17 years as an ICU nurse.  After two decades at the bedside tending to people’s physical trauma within a broken healthcare system, I shifted my passion in offering healing services into healing emotional wounds through a holistic lens. We live in a fast-paced world that demands more of us that we are able to give and yet when we slow to listen to the messages of the body, we can tend to ourselves and others in a more meaningful and sustainable ways.

    I often use the EMDR approach of desensitization and reprocessing old memories, which I lovingly refer to as "brain-hacking." EMDR has been proven to be highly effective in treating the cognitive and physiological effects of trauma. It's incredible to witness how quickly internal shifts occur in the body and psyche with this approach in folks healing from any hue of trauma. I also weave in techniques from training received in Somatic Experiencing, Hakomi, d Internal Family Systems in my work with individuals, couples, as well as in my Ketamine Assisted Therapy work. 

    I have a passion for "healing the healers”– who give themselves to others and find themselves without the same loving support that they give every day. I hold a tender space for those who yearn to have their lived experiences validated by others and want to deconstruct/reconstruct limited belief systems holding them back from living authentically. I welcome the perfectionists and people-pleasers who are seeking the permission to love themselves more deeply. I bring compassionate curiosity to the physical manifestations of anxiety, depression, grief, and trauma that often start a person’s journey in therapy, growth, and transformation.

    The therapeutic relationship is a profoundly sacred one, and I look forward to being a loving witness and supporter of your personal metamorphosis.

    Supervised by Marni Levy LMFT 99850

We know how important (and sometimes challenging) it can be to find the “right fit.”

Please feel free to schedule multiple consultation sessions in order to meet a few of us!

MORE ABOUT US

We practice self compassion and believe that while survival strategies cause humans to act in ways we’re not always proud of, that all humans at the core (you included!) are good natured and deserve compassion.

Like the caterpillar that surrenders to its inevitable transformation, we are humans who know the courage it takes to give-in to growth-(we’ve done it, we do it)-and to stand wobbly and uncertain in the moment of risk, needing to castoff the comfortable armor in order to serve the soul’s blossoming. 

We believe (self)forgiveness is possible; anger and grief are necessary; phones are good tools but harmful masters; psychedelic medicines are sacred teachers and that nature, music, and movement are just as powerful medicines.

The likelihood of us vibing with you is high-we are genuinely enthusiastic with plenty of humor. Our training is on-going and we use specific therapy approaches that go beyond “talk therapy.” (check out our bios for specifics).

We are told our office is a beauty filled space and we agree. Our furniture, healing tools, and amenities have been chosen to be comfortable and cozy.

We feel honored to hold hurts with love and successes with celebration and encouragement. Reach out to say hello…we are excited to meet you!

The “True Yang” is a philosophical concept created by Zhen Dao the founder of MogaDao Institute and the philosophy of Post-Daoism; a trans woman, playwright, poet, novelist and master innovator in the arts of qigong, yoga and spiritualized martial arts. “True Yang” is the place we arrive at when we are beyond the normal plane of the material world’s notion of cause and effect, and instead are operating on a vertical plane where the values align between the underworld and the heavens. In this place we are in our own right-awareness of our truth and passionately risking for what is essential and beyond the illusions of our minds.

Watercolor illustration of a crab holding a yellow moon.

  • The S-KAP Training introduces therapists to the use of body-centered psychotherapy as an essential therapeutic bridge between the mind and body. For that purpose, S-KAP Practitioner Listing is here to assist you in locating an independent professional who completed at minimum the S-KAP foundational training. Some of the individuals appearing on this list are independent providers and not employed or contracted by S-KAP or True Yang Somatic Ketamine Therapy.

    The individuals referenced on this list are for your general information and convenience only, and use of the list does not constitute an endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by S-KAP or any employees or contractors acting on its behalf. Specifically, S-KAP cannot guarantee that professionals appearing on this list have the credentials you may require beyond their attendance at S-KAP trainings. Accordingly, you acknowledge and agree that you will conduct your own due diligence prior to selecting a practitioner with which to work. S-KAP/True Yang Somatic Ketamine Therapy is neither liable nor responsible for any acts or omissions of any practitioner who appears on this list.

    The relationship between a client and a practitioner is highly individualized and dependent on many factors; as such, a successful relationship cannot be predicted, promised, or guaranteed. Therefore, S-KAP/True Yang Somatic Ketamine Therapy does not and cannot make assurances that the practitioner you select will be suitable for your specific needs. Accordingly, S-KAP/True Yang Somatic Ketamine Therapy makes no representations, warranties, or guarantees, either verbally or in writing, promising or guaranteeing any outcome with or result from the practitioner that you have selected. You agree that neither S-KAP/True Yang Somatic Ketamine Therapy nor any of its employees or contractors can promise or guarantee any specific results of any kind or nature and that no representations thereto have been made by S-KAP/True Yang Somatic Ketamine Therapy or its employees or contractors. By using the Practitioner Listing, you acknowledge and agree that there is an inherent risk of loss of capital and there is no guarantee that you will reach your goals as a result of working with your selected practitioner. Hence, you agree to take full and total personal responsibility for your own actions and decisions, including, without limitation, the selection of a listed practitioner.

    Any dispute, disagreement, challenge, action, cause of action, claim, or controversy (collectively, “Claims”) that arises out of or results from the relationship between you and your selected practitioner shall be strictly between you and that practitioner. You hereby irrevocably release, waive, and discharge S-KAP/True Yang Somatic Ketamine Therapy and its employees, instructors, assistants, officers, directors, members, contractors, agents, and representatives from any liability whatsoever relating to any Claims between you and your selected practitioner. Further, S-KAP/True Yang Somatic Ketamine Therapy will not participate in or assist you or your practitioner with any Claims of any sort unless otherwise required by applicable law. If at any time you are unhappy with your practitioner’s work or concerned about your relationship with a practitioner, please select another practitioner.

    All representations, statements, descriptions, and information presented on the Practitioner Listing is submitted by that practitioner and is made available through the S-KAP/True Yang Somatic Ketamine Therapy website (the “Website”) solely for general information purposes. The information submitted by practitioners is strictly their responsibility and may include the following: their first and last name; the city, state, and country in which they reside; their phone number, email, and Website; the level of training they completed with S-KAP/True Yang Somatic Ketamine Therapy; their licenses, specialties, and other qualifications; the languages they speak; and their profile picture. Please note that, other than confirming the level of S-KAP training completed by a practitioner, S-KAP/True Yang Somatic Ketamine Therapy neither verifies the accuracy, truthfulness, or correctness of the information the practitioner chooses to submit nor conducts any type of background check of the practitioner. All statements and/or opinions expressed on this list, and any other content related to this list, are solely the opinions and the responsibility of the practitioner providing such statements and/or opinions.

    With regard to the information submitted and posted on the Practitioner Listing, or any related third-party link, S-KAP/True Yang Somatic Ketamine Therapy does not warrant, promise, or guarantee the accuracy, truthfulness, completeness, adequacy, or usefulness of this information; and thereby expressly disclaims liability for errors and omissions in the contents of this Website, No warranty of any kind, implied, expressed, or statutory, including but not limited to the warranties of non-infringement of third party rights, title, merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose or freedom from computer virus, is given with respect to the contents of this Website or its links to other Internet resources, including, without limitation, a website of a practitioner listed on the Practitioner Listing. S-KAP/True Yang Somatic Ketamine Therapy is not responsible for the content of or any technical issues with any website or social media platform not operated or controlled by S-KAP/True Yang Somatic Ketamine Therapy. Thus, any reliance you place on such information is strictly at your own risk. S-KAP/True Yang Somatic Ketamine Therapy disclaims all liability and responsibility arising from any reliance placed on the Practitioner Listing by you or any other visitor to the Website, or by anyone who may be informed of any of its contents, or for its content or accuracy of any information, including, without limitation, links to a website, provided by a practitioner.

    This website is neither intended to create nor does create a therapist-client relationship between you and S-KAP/True Yang Somatic Ketamine Therapy or any employees or contractors acting on its behalf. A therapist-client relationship with S-KAP/True Yang Somatic Ketamine Therapy cannot be formed by reading the information available at this Website. Accordingly, you should not communicate information to S-KAP/True Yang Somatic Ketamine Therapy that you view as confidential or private until such a relationship has been established. The information provided on this Website is not intended to constitute therapeutic advice or to be a substitute for obtaining therapeutic advice from a therapist licensed and/or certified in your location.