Andy Patton (she/her)

Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist #127415

CLINICAL APPROACH

I specialize in adolescent and young adult mental healthcare, particularly those with meaningful connection to the LGBTQ+ community. I facilitate change by first building a trusting and collaborative relationship with my clients and their families. Therapy is a personal experience, so I meet my clients on a personal level by tailoring interventions to support their goals for growth, whatever that may look like to them. I often utilize cognitive behavioral therapy, dialectical behavioral therapy, and person-centered approaches sprinkled with mindfulness, family-systems and internal family systems, solution-focused therapy, and the gender-affirming clinical model in my work. I also practice from a trauma-informed, strengths-based, and multiculturally aware foundation.

To my prospective clients: therapy isn’t always easy, but as a team, we navigate it together with hopefulness and just the right amount of humor. In our interactions you will notice my curiosity, lack of judgment, and deep care for and attunement to your experience. I’m not here to tell you what’s right or wrong, but to help you build a deeper connection to your values, your thoughts and feelings, your compassion for yourself, and your joy and meaning in the world. Therapy is a space for us to talk through the hardest things in life and the most wonderful, you lead the way knowing that I am 100% on your team with your best interest at heart. Come just as you are, and I will create a safe and supportive, warm and empathic space just for you.

ABOUT ME

To sum it up, I am my own human, and I have learned a lot the hard way. That’s the beauty of this world we live in though, there is always a path forward, even if it’s a bit messy and unconventional. My motto is: everything happens just as it’s supposed to. And I believe the greatest gift that life gives us is the opportunity to learn and “grow through what we go through.”

I grew up in Silicon Valley, experiencing first-hand the pressures to be the best of the best in school and sports, on social media, and in life in general. It nearly broke me my junior year of high school. That’s when I was first introduced to therapy. Thank goodness for it, because life has thrown a few dozen curveballs my way since that time and I can’t imagine trying to get through live’s twists and turns alone. Thanks to some very patient therapists, a support system that never gave up on me, and a dedication to myself, I overcame these adversities and learned so much more about what helps me thrive. Through this process, I developed a deep admiration for the helping profession and a desire to “pay-it-forward” to the next generation of humans going through similar hardships, if not harder ones.

In addition to being a therapist, I am a queer-identified, nature-loving extrovert who enjoys food, classic rock, and laughing. You can find me napping on the beach, hiking the Bay Area trails, cruising the farmer’s market, playing pool, geeking out over my plants, and snuggling my friends’ pets. I love flowers, sunshine, my hydroflask, and the color yellow.

SERVICES I OFFER

In-person & virtual sessions for:

  • Individual Therapy (Teens, Adults)

  • Parent Support Therapy

THERAPEUTIC MODALITIES & PRACTICES I USE

  • Humanistic Therapy

  • Internal Family Systems Therapy (parts work)

  • Mindfulness

  • Motivational Interviewing

  • Narrative Therapy

  • Person-Centered Therapy

  • Solution-Focused Therapy

  • Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

  • Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (trauma-informed)

  • Crisis Intervention

  • Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT)

  • Existential Therapy

  • Family Systems Therapy

  • Gender Affirmative Clinical Model


SPECIALTIES

  • Anxiety and Depression

  • Parent support

  • LGBTQ+ issues/concerns (coming out, romantic relationships, transitioning, stress/anxiety, depression, etc.)


AREAS OF CONCERN I WORK WITH

  • LGBTQ+ Concerns (Incongruence, Interpersonal Connections, Parenting, Romantic Relationships, Sexual Orientation Exploration, Transitioning)

  • Life Transitions

  • Perfectionism

  • Self-Esteem

  • Self-Harm

  • Stress & Stress Management

  • Suicide (Attempted)

  • Suicide (Ideation)

  • Anxiety (Generalized, Social)

  • Body Image

  • Communication Difficulties

  • Depression

  • Family Conflict

  • Grief, Loss & Bereavement

  • Identity Exploration

  • LGBTQ+ Concerns (Anxiety, Coming Ou, Depressiont, Discrimination from Family/Friends/Community, Gender Dysphoria, Gender Identity Exploration, Gender

EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE

Education:

  • M.A. in Counseling Psychology, emphasis in LGBTQ+ psychology

  • B.A. in Psychology, minor in child development 

Work Experience: 

  • Therapist at Teen Therapy Center (2020-present)

  • Video therapist at Family Therapy Center (2022)

  • Marriage and Family Therapist Trainee/Associate at Bay Area Clinical Associates; providing group and individual outpatient and intensive outpatient services to children, teens, young adults, and their families. (2018-2020)

  • Group facilitator for Gender Identity Awareness Network “Group Nite;” providing support to gender-diverse children, teens, and their families. (2019-2020)