All associates have completed their graduate programs and hold master’s degrees. Our associates are carefully selected based on their experience and skills. They all work under the supervision of Nes Pinar, consulting about their clients weekly to provide excellent care.
Seeing an associate can be very beneficial because:
Their education is based on the most current research in the field.
They receive support and supervision every week (1-3 hours per week) while collecting the 3,000 hours required by the licensing board before they can take their licensing exams.
They can offer a sliding scale as needed, providing the most affordable yet high-quality therapy.
Current Associate Team
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Anna Davidson, AMFT's experience is expansive— through roles as a teacher, facilitator, artist & writer while living & learning in a variety of countries such as Guatemala, Nepal, & Ghana that have shaped her passion for supporting people’s innate connection to themselves, others, and their environment. Her therapy practice is focused on guiding individuals & couples+ back to their most authentic & empowered selves by exploring our unprocessed stories & most intimate desires, all while integrating tools that support people’s ability to facilitate their own healing.
Anna holds a Masters of Counseling Psychology with a specialization in Expressive Arts Therapy and therefore is trained in how to utilize creative writing, visual art, movement/dance, music, & drama in the therapy space as a means of healing. This also means her toolbox for therapeutic interventions is vast, including unique practices of altar building, oracle cards, mask making, and more.
She is an intuitive, empathetically skilled facilitator of depth-oriented practices that encourage folks to access the root of their blockages around intimacy of all kinds. Because of her natural ability to create a safe, welcoming environment for people’s most vulnerable feelings and experiences, Anna has developed a niche for sex & intimacy therapy. This recently landed her in the classroom where she taught Couples Therapy, Sex & Intimacy for the graduate level Integral Counseling program at California Institute for Integral Studies.
Through a relational & highly attuned holding, both Anna’s clients and students can settle into a loving, non-judgmental space that allows them to open deeper than they have before while exploring communication, conflict, & connection styles—of the mind, body, and spirit. Anna's practice is focused on guiding LGBTQIA+ individuals & couples+ back to their most authentic & empowered selves by exploring unprocessed depths, intimate desires, and energetic alignment.
Anna is available in-person in Rockridge and Lafayette as well as online.
Please visit https://www.oceanhearttherapy.com for more information about Anna.
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Deb Shell, AMFT, is an Associate Marriage and Family Therapist and holds a Master’s Degree in Counseling Psychology from The Wright Institute.
She is committed to supporting her clients to help them find calm in the chaos and light in the darkness. Deb believes that if we change the conversation from problems to solutions and weaknesses to strengths, we can reach our potential and change our narrative to something we never imagined possible. Deb offers a safe space free from judgment and considers race, values, culture, religion, gender, and all intersectionalities of a client’s identity/lived experience when identifying how to support them.
Having worked as a counselor in a school setting, Deb can support parents in advocating for their child and navigating the system to support getting their child the most appropriate accommodations. Deb works with individuals, couples, and families of all ages and stages of life.
In addition, she supports parents/caregivers and children struggling with: Neurodiversity, Tic Disorders, Sensory Overload, Anxiety/Fears, Depression, Giftedness, Social Skills, Big Emotions, Challenging Behaviors, Power Dynamic Struggles, Resistance, Gender/Identity, Transitioning, Families/Divorce, Making Sense of Loss, Marriage conflict.
Deb is also the founder of TechNKids, an organization with a mission to educate both parents and kids on the impact technology has on our youth’s mental health as well as inform parents of safeguards that allow them to embrace technology while also protecting their children’s mental health.
Deb is a mom to three kids who keep her busy in her spare time. When she does have a moment to herself, she can be found playing piano or guitar and singing. She also loves all things studio arts including drawing, painting and sculpting. Hiking the trails of the Bay Area is where she finds her inner peace.
Deb is available in-person in Lafayette as well as online.
Please visit www.debshell.com for more information about Deb.
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Tim O'Keefe trained in Integral Counseling Psychology at the California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS) and orients around a Gestalt approach to growth and healing that invites the fullness of the present moment. His approach can be playful and his demeanor warm and accepting, leaning into experimentation with awareness and exploration of all of our inner parts. He takes a deep interest in supporting connection with our true selves and in living from a place of goodness and connection with our shared experience of existence and consciousness.
With all of his clients, Tim focuses on co-creating a relationship where expression and exploration are key to inviting all of ourselves, the light and the dark, to be seen and accepted without judgment. He has extensive training and experience with integration practices and working with non-ordinary states of consciousness and welcomes in the numinous, the spiritual, and the transpersonal in the exploration of our emergent expression of the collective consciousness through creativity, reflection, and mindful curiosity.
When he's not working with clients, Tim loves spending time raising his kids and chickens, singing and playing music, creating large-scale art and immersive experiences, and playing in the ocean.
Tim is available for in-person sessions in Lafayette and Rockridge as well as online.
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(510) 998-0406
Ari is an Associate Marriage and Family Therapist with a Master's Degree in Counseling from California State University, East Bay. He works with clients of all ages and backgrounds.
Ari's background in community health settings offers experience supporting clients challenged by trauma (including complex trauma and CPTSD), grief, depression, anxiety, neurodivergence in a neurotypical society, ADHD, Rejection-Sensitive Dysphoria, LGBTQ identity and self-acceptance, and surviving families with difficult or narcissistic parents.
Ari is committed to celebrating neurodiversity, to making a safe space for grief and self-acceptance, and is a profound believer that good therapy goes beyond relief into helping find meaning, inspiration and self-compassion.
Ari has experience working with somatic therapies such as Internal Family Systems, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), mindfulness, and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. He has significant experience leading groups with diverse themes, ranging from Grief to OCD to Autistic Adults.
For fun in his downtime, Ari likes to game, do improv comedy, sing, and on occasion hike -- but not for too long, because he thinks hiking gets boring. ;)
Ari is available in-person in Lafayette or for remote sessions.
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Sometimes life presents us with seemingly insurmountable challenges. But everyone deserves to find joy and love within themselves, to know that they are not alone even when things appear to be at their lowest. To that end, it is Adrian’s aim to offer her clients a safe space to explore all parts of themselves, and to feel acknowledged and valued in that process.
Adrian’s approach is deeply personalized and adaptable drawing from a range of modalities including drama therapy, expressive arts, mindfulness, and talk therapy. Whether you’re seeking to explore your inner world through creative expression or prefer a more traditional conversational approach, she tailors her methods to what resonates most with you.
Adrian is passionate about offering care from an intersectional lens to a variety of populations. She provides queer and gender-affirming care, and she is dedicated to supporting neurodivergent clients as well as individuals from diverse cultural and racial backgrounds. Adrian strongly believes in embracing and honoring all aspects of your identity with gentle curiosity and respect.
Adrian holds a Master’s in Psychology with a concentration in Drama Therapy from the California Institute of Integral Studies. Her background as a theater teaching artist has influenced her journey, guiding her to integrate theater and expressive arts into her therapeutic practice. This unique blend of experience allows her to offer a rich, multifaceted approach to therapy.
Adrian is here to support you in discovering and nurturing your authentic self though whatever way feels best for you.
Clinical areas of interest:
Queer and trans affirming care
Polyamory
Neurodiversity primarily experienced with autism and ADHD/ADD)
Identity exploration
2SLGBTQIA+/Kink friendly/Sex positivity
Depression
Anxiety
Attachment, trauma, and stress-related issues
Spirituality
Low self-esteem and confidence
Suicidal ideation/self-harm
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In the past decade, Marisa has worked as a teacher, wellness practitioner, artist, expressive movement facilitator, and now a therapist. She brings her experience in these varied fields into the therapy room. Marisa holds a master’s degree in Marriage and Family Therapy from The Wright Institute of Berkeley. Marisa has spent the past two years strengthening children and families who have been affected by complex trauma.
Everybody has a story, moments of darkness and light, pain and joy, that they carry with them wherever they go. A therapist is someone who has the honor of holding these stories along with their clients so their load may become a little lighter. Marisa invests warmth, curiosity, humor and non-judgmental support into learning her clients’ stories, drawing connections, and helping to put all the pieces into place. Marisa utilizes strength-based humanistic approaches that can empower clients in authoring their own narrative. Marisa enjoys working with CBT and mindfulness-based interventions for tangible practices clients can incorporate into their lives as well as narrative therapy, art therapy, and other interventions that can support clients’ self-expression and overall well-being.
Marisa specializes in personality disorders, disordered eating, sexual trauma, childhood trauma, relationship issues, couples counseling, anxiety, life transitions, and depression.
Marisa works under the supervision of Nes Pinar, LMFT, and is available for in-person or telehealth sessions in Lafayette.
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Doug Taylor is a therapist and educator who offers a welcoming and empathetic space for individuals seeking self-discovery, growth, and healing. He believes that the therapeutic relationship is paramount, and encourages clients to express themselves freely without fear or shame.
Doug brings warmth, empathy, and a welcoming presence to his work with clients. He deeply values the unique talents, abilities, and strengths of his clients. His primary goal is to help individuals identify and utilize these strengths to find greater happiness, well-being, and personal fulfillment.
Doug recognizes the power of storytelling in healing. He understands that people heal when they have the space to share their unfolding stories. This process helps them uncover meaning and purpose in what may initially seem like suffering and chaos, and develops the increased awareness needed for change.
As an African American therapist, Doug has a deep understanding of the unique challenges faced by BIPOC clients. He is dedicated to providing culturally-sensitive and inclusive therapy. Doug approaches all cultures with humility, recognizing the importance of learning about and respecting the rich diversity within them.
In addition to his work as a therapist, Doug Taylor has a background in education. He has served on the faculty at The University of Texas at Austin, Howard University, and Cal State East Bay. He holds an M.S. in Counseling from Cal State East Bay, a Ph.D. in English from the University of North Carolina and an M.A. in English from San Diego State University.
Clinical areas of interest:
Anxiety, Self-esteem and Assertiveness
Ethnic and cultural challenges
Men’s struggles
Aging and Midlife Transitions
LGBTQ+/Polyamory/Kink/Sexuality
Financial Challenges
Grief and Loss