Healing by Writing

/in /by

Description: A supportive gathering for everyone who ever wanted to write down feelings and memories and make a record of life. In truth, there are few better—or simpler—ways to discover ourselves and awaken creative practice. In this therapeutic group, Liberation Institute therapists Dan and Mario will nurture a safe and inspirational space designed to get us writing together, keep the words coming, and share whatever winds up on the page. No judgment, no critique: just openness, self-exploration, and support. The more we write, the better we will know ourselves and each other.

Day/time/start date: Wednesdays, 5:30-7 PM

Suggested donation per session: $10 per session. Nobody is turned away for lack of funds.

Where: Online

Facilitator: Mario de la VegaCo-facilitator: Dan Duane

For more info or to RSVP contact: groups@liberationinstitute.org

Mario de la Vega
After more than 20-years working in film and the digital content space for global media companies, Mario pivoted careers to pursue work that is more aligned with his values of service, empathy, and, ultimately, peace. His longtime interest in psychology and positive behavior change inspired him to pursue becoming a marriage and family therapist. He is currently an MFT trainee at the Liberation Institute, a volunteer suicide crisis counselor, and will soon begin an internship at the Felton Institute working with individuals experiencing early psychosis. Mario is also a student of the Dharma and has cultivated a dedicated mindfulness practice rooted in a philosophy that explores the nature of the mind. Encouraged by his Dharma teacher, Allan Lokos, founding guiding teacher of the Community Meditation Center on the Upper West Side of NYC, Mario leads a sangha in his living room that is freely offered to all members of his community.  Mario is supervised by Paul Allen Jr, LMFT 121687

Daniel Duane
Daniel Duane is the author of many books, including the surf memoir Caught Inside: A Surfer’s Year on the California Coast. He has written journalism for the New York Times and many other publications and holds a PhD in American Literature. Duane is currently a psychotherapist in training with the Liberation Institute. He is a longtime mindfulness practitioner and student of Buddhist dharma. 
Daniel is supervised by Toni M. Schrader, LPCC #7498

Couples Relationship Building Workshop

/in /by

This 12-week group for couples is based on The Gottman Method of building a Sound Relationship House. This group consists of 12 sessions and is meant to be an enjoyable, game-type format in which you and your partner interact with tools and exercises designed to better your relationship, bring more intimacy, increase conflict resolution, and build an overall positive perspective in your relationship.  These methods have been shown through years of research to be highly effective at improving couples satisfaction in their relationship.  The group setting encourages you to express your love for your partner and learn about them alongside other couples with the same goals.  This in itself will strengthen your relationship and is bound to provide members with some humorous moments, offering a sense of humor in the face of growth with your partner.

Day/time: Sundays at 11 AM, beginning June 30th 


Where: Online 


Cost: Suggested donation per session is $10, no one is turned away due to lack of funds

Facilitators: Jeremy Evanston & Michelle Kramer 

Jeremy Evanston is a therapist intern working at Liberation Institute and Aegis Treatment Center in Eureka California.  He completed his BA at Humboldt State University and continues to work toward his license as a Marriage and Family Therapist and Professional Clinical Counselor at Touro University.  Jeremy works primarily in the treatment of addiction with the goal of becoming a licensed addiction specialist. Jeremy also continues to work toward Gottman Therapy certification and is an active student at the Gottman Institute.  He holds AAMFT and CCAPP membership as he works toward his several licenses. 

Michelle Kramer is a graduate student at Touro University, passionately pursuing her studies in Marriage and Family Therapy with a deep commitment to Rogerian principles of empathetic understanding and unconditional positive regard. With a solid foundation in psychology, Michelle aims to facilitate personal growth and strengthen relationships through evidence-based interventions. She believes in the innate potential for healing and self-actualization within each individual, guiding clients towards a path of greater self-awareness and fulfillment. Outside of her academic pursuits, Michelle cherishes moments with her beloved pet dog, finding solace and connection in their companionship. She also delights in exploring new places and indulging in the magic of Disneyland, where she embraces the joy and wonder that enhance her well-being. These experiences not only rejuvenate Michelle but also enrich her empathetic approach, allowing her to connect deeply with others and provide compassionate support on their journey towards healing and personal growth. 

Jeremy and Michelle are supervised by Antoinette Schrader, LPCC #7498

For more info or to RSVP contact: groups@liberationinstitute.org

Mindfulness and the Art of Emotional Maintenance

/in /by

Day/time/start date: Thursdays, 6:30-7:30 PM, starting 6/20/2024

Description: The term mindfulness is everywhere nowadays. But what does it even mean? In this group, we will explore what it means to be mindful. We will learn skills to cultivate increased awareness of our senses and the nature of the mind. Through this unreactive, curious awareness we can begin to unhook and manage thoughts, emotions, and experiences, rather than thoughts, emotions, and experiences controlling us.

W

Suggested donation per session: $10 (No one is turned away due to lack of funds)

Facilitators: Mario de la VegaCo-facilitator: Dan Duane

For more info or to RSVP contact: groups@liberationinstitute.org

Facilitators: 
Mario de la Vega
After more than 20-years working in film and the digital content space for global media companies, Mario pivoted careers to pursue work that is more aligned with his values of service, empathy, and, ultimately, peace. His longtime interest in psychology and positive behavior change inspired him to pursue becoming a marriage and family therapist. He is currently an MFT trainee at the Liberation Institute, a volunteer suicide crisis counselor, and will soon begin an internship at the Felton Institute working with individuals experiencing early psychosis. Mario is also a student of the Dharma and has cultivated a dedicated mindfulness practice rooted in a philosophy that explores the nature of the mind. Encouraged by his Dharma teacher, Allan Lokos, founding guiding teacher of the Community Meditation Center on the Upper West Side of NYC, Mario leads a sangha in his living room that is freely offered to all members of his community. 

Mario is supervised by Paul Allen Jr, LMFT 121687

Daniel Duane
Daniel Duane is the author of many books, including the surf memoir Caught Inside: A Surfer’s Year on the California Coast. He has written journalism for the New York Times and many other publications and holds a PhD in American Literature. Duane is currently a psychotherapist in training with the Liberation Institute. He is a longtime mindfulness practitioner and student of Buddhist dharma. 
Daniel is supervised by Toni M. Schrader, LPCC #7498

Yoga for Grief

/in /by

5 week online group with Ken Breniman

Embark on a transformative journey of communally supported self-discovery with our 5-week online Growing with Grief series. With a focus of healing through the Celtic Medicine Wheel, the course is rooted in the ancient wisdom of Celtic tradition and guided by the transformative power of yoga. This series offers a brave and dynamic space to navigate the depths of grief and loss and find meaning in life changes. Each week, we’ll journey through one of the four directions of the Medicine Wheel—North, East, South, and West—culminating in the center, where balance, sovereignty and integration await. Through gentle movement, guided meditations, soothing sound baths and soulful reflection, we will embrace the wisdom of the seasons, honor the cycles of life and death, and emerge stronger and more wholehearted on the other side. Join us on this sacred path of healing and renewal.

Dates: Wednesdays May 29, June 5, June 12, June 19, June 26

Time: 6:00pm – 7:30pm Pacific Time

Location: In the comfort of your own home. (Zoom link will be sent upon registering)

Suggested offering: $111 (You are invited to contribute an amount that aligns with your ability to pay.) Venmo, PayPal, Zelle: kjbreniman@gmail.com

D&D Therapy Group (Ages 11-17)

/in /by

Group Description: Dungeons & Dragons Therapy uses tabletop roleplaying to promote growth, learning and exploration. Drawing on traditions of Jungian sand tray therapy, Gestalt parts work, and Drama Therapy, D&D Therapy encourages emotional, cognitive, and somatic expression in a fun, supportive and creative environment.

This group meets virtually Tuesdays from 6-7:30 PM and welcomes all new members ages 11-17, no prior experience required! Mark your calendar, as this group begins May 7!

Facilitator Bios:

Geoffrey Morris is a Marriage and Family Therapist and Professional Clinical Counselor trainee at the Liberation Institute, working under the supervision of a licensed person. He is currently pursuing a MS in Counseling at California State University, East Bay. He completed his MS in Symbolic Systems from Stanford University in 2006, where he focused in Computer Music and Sound Art. For the past decade he has worked as an instructor with the Stanford Pre-Collegiate Studies program teaching Game Design to students aged 12-18 across South America and Asia. Prior to starting at the Liberation Institute, Geoffrey worked as a counselor at the San Francisco Suicide Prevention Hotline. His abiding interest in creativity and the unconscious led him to a career in counseling, where his expertise in music, cognitive science, and creative playinform his work in helping clients discover meaning and purpose. He lives in San Francisco. Geoffrey is supervised by Paul “JR” Allen, LMFT #121687


Marc Manning: “I am an MFT / PCC trainee currently studying at Cal State Eastbay Hayward. I have an MFA from CCA in fine art and maintain an active artist practice that focuses on embroidery, painting, and sound performance. I am interested in exploring how the unconscious unfolds and can be accessed through creative acts. I believe in the power of art, music, and fantasy to process and heal the effects of traumatic events. I have a background of working with the developmentally disabled community as a social worker at the Golden Gate Regional Center. I am originally from Asbury Park NJ, and am currently living in San Francisco’s mission district with my husband and two cats.” Marc is supervised by Ariadna Armenta, LCSW#102477

Contact information for group: groups@liberationinstitute.org

Art as Healing Practice

/in /by

Art as Healing Practice is for anyone interested in learning about themselves and receiving supportive feedback on their art. Liberation Institute therapists Edward and Pam will facilitate a collaborative, safe space where you can share what you’re working on and receive thoughtful reflections and encouragement from other creatives. The emphasis will be on exploring one’s personal myth through expressive arts drawing from Jungian and narrative psychotherapies. This group has a suggested donation of $10 per session and is open to California residents. 

Group time: Tuesdays at 6 PM, held virtually via Zoom

Group contact/to join: groups@liberationinstitute.org

Facilitator Bios:

Pam Strugar is an MFT Trainee at Liberation Institute studying counseling psychology at Pacifica Graduate Institute in Santa Barbara. Pam holds a BFA and MFA in fine arts and has had a long career in art-making as a solo artist working in painting, sculpture, installation, and performance art. Pam has also worked in a collaborative art group called Multipoint for over 20 years. Pam is also a fully certified Evolutionary Astrologer and fully licensed in somatic Deep memory processing (past life regression). Pam has worked with psychic surgeons in the Yucatán for over 20 years. Pam has spent dozens of years working with inner images, art images and understanding dream images while doing my own inner work. Pam has studied images from many cultures; cultural competency is vital when looking at images. Pam has taught art and led dream image seminars. Pam is Caucasian, is involved with the Queer community, and has Eastern, Western European as well as Baltic heritages. Pam’s psychological bent is towards humanistic, integrative, psychodynamic, Jungian, and archetypal psychologies. 

Edward Suprenant  is a Level-1 ATG coach with extensive training in the contemplative lineages of Zen Buddhism (lay ordination with Tenshin Reb Anderson, 2019) and Hatha Yoga (TT with Tias Little of the Prajna Yoga School, 2013). He is currently an MFT trainee at the Liberation Institute of San Francisco and a student of Counseling Psychology at Pacifica Graduate Institute. His thesis research focuses on the integration of transpersonal and somatic approaches to psychotherapy.”

Supervisors: Pam is supervised by Lynndal Daniels,  LMFT License #78183
Edward is supervised by Syd McClune, LMFT License #118779

Weekly Support Group – Wednesdays at 6PM

/in , /by

Every Wednesday at 6:00pm-7:00pm PST

For anyone looking for a safe space for general support.
Weekly group therapy focused on offering a safe, collaborative space for general support.

Facilitators:

Shelly Holland, Supervised by Crystal Haviland, LPCC7633

Bio: Shelly is a MFT Trainee with Liberation Institute and a graduate student at Alliant International University. She previously worked for a Planned Parenthood clinic in Denver, at biosecurity and neuromodulation start-ups here in the Bay Area, and with environmental education youth groups near her hometown, Half Moon Bay. Shelly studied communication and human sexuality at UC Santa Barbara, and has several years of experience working in human sexuality education groups. When Shelly isn’t exercising her mind, she’s running, rock climbing, and gardening.

Grace Currier, Supervised by Crystal Haviland, LPCC #7633. Supervised by Lynndal Daniels, LMFT #78183

Bio: Grace is a counseling trainee passionate about self-care and community. She is currently a graduate student at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary to earn an MA in Clinical Counseling, and she recently graduated with an MA in Religion to study spirituality and healing from religious trauma. Her therapeutic approach is human-centered, trauma-informed, and empowering, and in her free time she enjoys playing video games, embroidery, and taking care of her houseplants.


RVSP/Contact: groups@liberationinstitute.org

Weekly Support Group – Tuesdays at 12PM

/in , /by

This group is temporarily closed. To be added to an interest list for when it resumes, please contact groups@liberationinstitute.org. For now, please consider joining us Wednesday evenings at 6 PM

Wednesday group: https://www.liberationinstitute.org/weekly-support-group-wednesdays-at-6pm/