Jane Alfonso, LMFT holistic psychotherapy

About me

I’m a Filipina licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) with over 16 years of experience in the San Francisco Bay Area. I specialize in working with professional women and BIPOC who have a lot on their plate and feel like they’re going to collapse or explode if one more thing happens. I am also comfortable and have experience working with adults from all walks of life and have practiced psychotherapy in a variety of settings including hospitals and community-based programs.

My approach is tailored to your needs and is informed by my training and experience in massage therapy, somatic (body-oriented) psychology (e.g., Reichian character analysis, aka orgonomy) and trauma-informed care (e.g., somatic experiencing). I also have extensive experience using CBT, DBT and facilitating therapy groups.

In your first session, we'll explore what brought you to therapy, what your goals are, and over time, the obstacles to those goals. We will talk about your needs, expectations, and previous experience(s) of therapy, including what has worked and what hasn't. Whether there is a specific issue that you want to address, or you are looking for more insight and growth, healing comes in many forms. During treatment, I will work with your present-moment and bodily experience to help you feel more alive, aligned with your values, and grounded in your everyday life.

Research shows that a good relationship with your therapist is the main ingredient in getting the most out of therapy. Call and find out if I might be a good fit for you.

Empowering Change with Jane Alfonso, LMFT

about somatic therapy

I've been using somatic work in my practice for the past 20 years, first as a massage therapist and now as an LMFT. As a somatic therapist, I understand that insight and talk are insufficient to help people live their best lives. Understanding oneself and having the "right" language for one's thoughts and experiences, while valuable, are not enough if you continue to feel disconnected and not present for the life you want.

Through becoming more aware of your somatic experience (how you embody thoughts, feelings and behaviors), greater connection with the self and others and life satisfaction are inevitable. Ways we may do this in therapy are by mindfulness, movement, grounding and play. My work is experiential, present-focused and interactive.

Somatic therapy can help you feel the wordless joy, clarity and calm that arise from being at home with yourself.

Self-Discovery

Explore your values, goals, and beliefs to gain insight into your own identity and purpose. Get to know yourself in a new way and grow into the person you were meant to be.

Mindfulness

Learn how to cultivate a more present and mindful approach to life, and reduce stress and anxiety so that you have more ease, grounding and stability. There are many ways to practice mindfulness, so if you're concerned that this isn't for you, trust that maybe you haven't found the right way for you just yet.

Positive Psychology

Remember your strengths, develop and practice positive habits to increase happiness and well-being. Use your resources, whether that's writing, hiking, improv, listening to music, or anything else you enjoy. Therapy is just as much about pleasure and resilience as it is about exploring what's wrong or no longer serves.

Healthy Relationships

Learn how to communicate effectively, resolve conflicts, and build stronger, healthier relationships. Cultivate more meaningful contact with the people in your life. Set boundaries and say no when necessary, and say "yes!" when opening up, taking a risk, and being vulnerable would be the best thing for you.