“I never felt hurried. Dr. Graham let me think out loud, and she was comfortable with the pauses.”
Martha L.Individual therapy
Therapy for adults who think in words
See life from a new perspective.
Talk-based therapy for adults who live in language: writers, editors, researchers and students. Sessions are conversation at your pace, in person in San Francisco.
About the work
Therapy for people who live in language.
You may spend your days building arguments, editing sentences or reading closely, and still find it hard to say what is going on with you. Here, talking is the method. We follow what you say, and what you leave out, and look at the patterns underneath.
You set the pace, and you decide what to bring.
Services
What we can work on.
Individual sessions for adults, each shaped around what you bring.
Individual therapy
One-to-one sessions for adults, built around conversation. We look at how you think, what you avoid and what you want to change.
Work, writing and study
For a stalled project, a long thesis or a career that no longer fits. We look at the habits and pressures around the work, not the work itself.
Worry and stress
A place to talk through the worry and tension that follow you from desk to bed, and what keeps them going.
Life transitions
Moves, endings, new roles and big decisions. We take time to look at what you want before you choose.
My approach
How I work.
I am a licensed clinical psychologist. My method is talk-based psychotherapy: you speak, I listen closely, and we pay attention to the words you choose and the ones you avoid.
I see adults, one to one. Many of my clients are writers, academics and others who spend their days with ideas and find it hard to turn that attention on themselves.
My part is to listen, to say what I notice and to ask questions. Your part is to decide what to bring. Neither of us needs to rush.
Licensed clinical psychologist in California
Talk-based therapy, one to one
Adults only
50-minute sessions
Dr. Deborah Graham
Licensed Clinical Psychologist
Two ways to do therapy
Talking it through, or learning skills.
Both are real therapy, and they suit different people. Here is how they differ, so you can choose.
Talk-based
Open conversation that follows what you say
Time to think, with reading or writing only if you want it
Patterns in how you think, speak and relate
A pace set by you, session by session
Suits people who want to understand before they change
Skills-based
A set structure, with an exercise for each session
Practice tasks to try between sessions
Specific habits and techniques for changing them
A pace set by the plan and its steps
Suits people who want a clear routine to follow
Testimonials
What clients say
What sessions are like
“It felt like talking with someone who actually listens. I could say things in my own words, at my own pace.”
Jacinda W.Individual therapy
“The office is quiet and I felt welcome from the first minute. Nothing about it felt rushed.”
Alla K.Individual therapy
Sample reviews.
FAQ
Common questions answered.
Answers to common questions about starting therapy. Still curious? Write to me any time.
What happens in a first session?
We talk about what you want from therapy and how you like to work. You do not have to tell your whole story. At the end we decide together whether to continue.
What do you work on with clients?
Adults, one to one: worry and stress, work and creative life, life transitions and questions about direction. If you are unsure, write and ask. If I am not the right fit, I will say so and help you look elsewhere.
Do you offer video sessions?
Yes, for clients who are in California when we meet, because that is where I am licensed. I cannot see clients who are in other states.
How long does therapy take?
It depends on what you want from it. Some people come for a few months and others for longer. We check in often, and you can stop whenever you choose.
How much does a session cost?
Your fee depends on how you pay, and I give it to you in writing before you book. If you pay without insurance, you have the right to receive a Good Faith Estimate before care starts. The page on how fees work has the details.
Contact
Get in touch.
Send a note and I will reply on weekdays. I keep your details private and share them only as the law allows.
Ready to see things from a new perspective?
Write to me and tell me how to reach you. I reply on weekdays.