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mary mykhaylova LCSW

psychotherapy for authenticity and connection

The people who come to me are curious to get to know themselves more deeply and want to bridge authenticity and connection in their relationships. My therapeutic approach integrates psychodynamic theory, attachment theory, Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT), The Gottman Method, mindfulness, and cognitive behavioral methods.

Modalities

Individual Therapy

The individual clients I work with come to therapy for a variety of reasons. A recurring theme in my work is the interplay between our relationship with ourselves and our relationships with others. Somewhere along the way, you may have learned to keep your emotional world zipped up in order to survive, succeed, caretake, or be loved—but this way of being can leave you feeling depleted and disconnected. In our work together, we’ll explore how to show up more authentically, clarify your needs, set healthy boundaries, and shift recurring patterns in your relationships. Together, we can work toward both short-term and long-term change.

Couples Therapy

I use an attachment lens and systems perspective when it comes to thinking about your relationship dynamics. Together, we can slow things down in order to gain a deeper understanding of what occurs in your relationship, and what vulnerable feelings are in the mix. I can assist you with building skills to interrupt unhelpful patterns, increase intimacy, navigate conflict, create shared meaning, explore intercultural dynamics, dialogue across polarization, and talk about your sex life. With this knowledge and my support, you can explore communicating in new, authentic, and effective ways.

Family Therapy

As a dyadic therapist for children and parents or adult siblings, I use an attachment lens and systems perspective to understand your family dynamic. Our work together may entail tracking and reshaping patterns of interaction, building skills to improve communication, renegotiating boundaries in a new phase of life, processing your immigration and acculturation experience, or unpacking past emotional injuries that linger in your relationship.

My background

You may be wondering about how my professional background as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) informs my abilities to help you as your psychotherapist.

I graduated with my MSW from Smith College School for Social Work in 2016, and completed a postgraduate fellowship at Access Institute for Psychological Services. I was trained with a psychodynamic theoretical orientation, which instills a curiosity about the unconscious and how our past experiences impact our current patterns. Subsequently, I completed the Externship and Core Skills Training in Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy (EFT) and Level I and II Training in The Gottman Method. Currently, I attend an Intensive Study Program with the Psychoanalytic Couple Psychotherapy Group (PCPG).

In addition to my private practice, I teach and supervise clinicians in training. I am an Adjunct Professor at University of San Francisco, where I teach courses including Theories of Counseling and Psychotherapy, Child and Adolescent Development, and Relationship Therapy. I have supervised for Queer LifeSpace, and currently supervise for Big Life Change Therapy and Access Institute.

Mariya "Mary" Mykhaylova © 2021
License number:87694