Kate Whittle-Utter
Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist # 95757
Psychotherapy for San Francisco Bay Area Residents
Specialties
Anxiety | Depression | Trauma | Narcissism | Codependency | Couples Counseling Domestic Violence | Jungian/Depth Therapy | Dreamwork | Women's Issues
Below you can peruse my specialties or jump to more detailed pages above.
Depression
Depression exists on a spectrum from mild fatigue and lack of motivation to feelings of complete despair, emptiness, loss of pleasure, and suicidal thoughts.
I work with you to find the source of your depression and help you process through difficult material that has led you to feeling stuck. I help you create a plan and develop steps toward increasing joy, motivation, a healthy sense of self, and a solid support system.
Anxiety
Anxiety disorders affect 18% of the population and can present in a variety of ways. Anxiety can show up as persistent nervousness or worry, or it can strike us with intense panic and fear of dying. It can also exist in very specific areas of our lives such as social situations, our performance at work, or as one of many symptoms of trauma.
Therapy can be hugely successful in treating anxiety. In my work with you, we will consider what type of anxiety you're experiencing and how to best approach it together. For a more detailed description of how I work with anxiety, CLICK HERE.
Trauma
We all experience traumas throughout our lives. Trauma encompasses abuse, assault, accidents, loss, breakups, and more. Depending on the nature of the trauma that you're seeking therapy for, I will draw from several different therapeutic modalities including psychodynamic therapy, somatic experiencing and mindfulness to help you on your path to recovery and healing.
I will help you decrease symptoms such as anxiety and depression and assist you in processing through difficult feelings that have arisen as a result of the trauma. I'll support you in re-orienting and reregulating your body, bringing you out of the fight, flight, or freeze response that you may be stuck in.
Navigating relationships with narcissistic individuals
Are you wondering if your partner, boss, parent etc. is a narcissist? Consider taking the quiz and reading more about people who live on the spectrum of Narcissistic Personality Disorder HERE.
Learning how to navigate a relationship with a narcissistic person can be very challenging. Therapy can help you understand and hold compassion for this individual while managing the relationship, creating necessary boundaries, and processing through difficult feelings that you may be holding onto.
Codependency
It is impossible to articulate an all-encompassing definition of codependency. In the broadest sense, codependency is excessive emotional or psychological reliance on a partner or other significant person. Codependency is a common dynamic when one is involved with a loved one who suffers from addiction or has Narcissistic Personality Disorder.
Therapy can help you identify and shift out of your codependent patterns by respecting and prioritizing your needs, moving away from caretaking behaviors, and teaching you how to assert and communicate boundaries.
CLICK HERE for a more in-depth description of codependency and how I work with it.
Couples Counseling
Intimate relationships provide immense joy, passion, connection, and safety. They can also leave us feeling heartbroken and paralyzed. Couples enter therapy for a number of different reasons, including lack of emotional and physical intimacy, diminishing communication, parenting, or in an effort to decide whether or not to stay together.
I'll work with you and your partner to find the heart of what you're struggling with, to identify your relational patterns, express and meet each other's needs, and develop safe communication. For a more detailed description of how I work with couples, CLICK HERE.
Domestic Violence
Are you wondering if the problems that exist in your relationship may stretch beyond the line of what is considered appropriate? Are you wondering if what is going on between you and your partner may be abusive?
Intimate partner violence can be verbal, physical, psychological, sexual, financial, spiritual, or emotional. If you are wondering if whether you are experiencing is abusive CLICK HERE, for an in-depth description and questions that will help you clarify whether or not what you're experiencing is abusive behavior, and how I can help you process and heal.
Jungian/ Depth Therapy
Jungian Therapy (also known as depth therapy) is a therapeutic orientation that pays special attention to an individual's soul and the the unconscious. Jungians view symptoms such as anxiety or depression as expressions of the soul, signaling us that we need to pay attention to what the soul is communicating through dreams, images, and synchronicities in the service of our personal growth and healing.
Depth therapy is a less common therapeutic approach but can deepen one's understanding of oneself and their lives in a way that other therapies cannot. Dreamwork is an integral part of working with this therapeutic lens.
Dreamwork
Yes, dreams are therapeutic, and yes, they are there for a reason. Many people choose to dismiss their dreams by simply calling them crazy, pointless, weird, and in the case of nightmares, frustrating and scary. However, when we start to pay attention to our dreams, we notice that they aren't random collages of images from our brains, but instead are communications from our psyche that can help us move further down our paths of individuation and personal growth.
If you decide you would like to integrate dreamwork into your therapy, I will assist you in interpreting the prolific images, symbols, and narratives that they present and will work with you using them as resources in your therapeutic work and healing.
“A woman is the full circle. Within her is the power to create, nurture and transform.” — Diane Mariechild
Women's Issues
In this specialty, I include a wide range of what I consider to be "women's issues." On a broad scale, the recent political climate in our country has unveiled a deep-seated sexism and undervaluing of women. Women experience objectification, harassment, and sexism on a day-to-day basis. My goal is to offer support in navigating what it is to be woman in 2020.
I help you come into your power as a woman, ask for what you need, and realize you're unique gifts. Also, we will work toward knowing how and when to offer your gifts to others.
Do you find yourself attracted to unavailable or immature men? We can work together in recognizing red flags in potential partners as well as helping you feel stronger on your own so that you can choose partners more wisely.