Simrin Dhillon, Psy.D.
Hello and welcome! I have been working with individuals and couples for over a decade, helping them improve the way they feel about themselves and enhance the quality of their relationships. Common feedback from clients is that they can’t believe the details I remember from past sessions and how they feel listened to and understood in a way they haven’t experienced before. It’s with this close understanding that I’m able to help clients create solutions to problems they didn’t think were solvable.
Modern day life increasingly necessitates managing multiple roles and stressors, but it also has numerous ways to distract and numb ourselves. It’s easy to become disconnected from our relationships and ourselves, and lose sight of our values and goals. Engaging in therapy provides a unique opportunity to slow down, examine our emotional and behavioral patterns that may no longer be effective, and make more conscious choices about how to live. In a warm and respectful environment, I will help you define your goals and create a supportive and collaborative partnership that empowers you to achieve them.
I’m a doctoral level psychologist who trained at Stanford University. My previous career was in the business world, so I have a keen ability to connect with stressed out professionals who want to find a balance between the demands of one’s career and family. Some of my specialties include working with relationship and interpersonal concerns, feelings of anxiety and depression, self-doubt and insecurity, assertiveness training, parenting concerns, women’s issues, and life transitions. I use an integrative approach that incorporates cognitive-behavioral, psychodynamic, and solution-focused techniques.
Keri Turner, Psy.D.
Welcome! I am a licensed psychologist with over a decade of private practice experience. My passion lies in working with individuals and couples to help them find their unique and authentic path in life that creates balance, understanding, and intentional living. In therapy with me, you will experience the warmth and understanding that is critical to successful growth. I will offer you a safe and non-judgmental environment that will allow you to explore your emotions and patterns of behavior as well as your personal history.
Life can become complicated with conflicting messages you receive throughout life from your environment. This can cause confusion about who you truly feel you are or how you want to live. Therapy provides you the time and space to sift through these messages to gain greater awareness about your authentic self and explore how to live in accordance with your values. You will also gain understanding about your emotions, behaviors, and patterns of relationships that cause distress. Together, you and I will find new ways for you to cope with your challenges while also creating the life story that you want to tell.
I have passion for working with individuals of all ages, sexuality, and gender struggling to find their voice and identity in the world and in relationships. I will help you find your unique voice and explore your identity so that you can feel more fulfilled with how you navigate your life and relationships. Some of my specialties include eating disorders, anxiety, life transitions such as launching into adulthood or becoming a parent, relationship concerns, unique challenges of single-parenting, and dealing with difficult familial relationships. My approach is integrative, utilizing psychodynamic and family systems theory while using behavioral techniques to help with more immediate needs.
Jean-Arellia Tolentino, Ph.D.
Hello! I have spent nearly two decades dedicated to empowerment and healing practices. I am a postdoctoral level therapist with a background serving as an educator, restorative justice facilitator, nonprofit leader, and community organizer. I use an integrative approach in helping individuals and couples navigate the, often difficult, nuances of building intimacy to oneself and others. I truly believe that resiliency may be achieved by building deeper connections to oneself and others.
I often relate the therapy-relationship as a road trip – you are the driver, and come into therapy with a map of where you have been or where you want to go. As a therapist, I am here with a flashlight or knowledge of options, tools, and resources to help you better navigate life’s highways (potholes, detours, and all).
I have a depth of experience working with women’s concerns, intergenerational trauma, oppression wounds, and identity empowerment. Some of my specialties include relationship difficulties, body image or insecurities, concerns about work-life balance, uncertainty about future goals, dealing with difficult family members, anxiety, depression, and microaggressions. Whether your concerns are focused on transitioning into a new phase in your life, dealing with grief and loss, or romantic complications, I’d love to provide a safe space with authentic conversations to help you figure things out.
Stacie Coveleski, Psy.D.
Hi there! I’m a postdoctoral level therapist who has worked with clients from varying backgrounds, experiences, and identities (gender, sexual orientation, religion, culture, socioeconomic status, etc.). By using an integrative approach, I individually tailor therapy to each client’s unique situation. I enjoy helping clients learn about themselves, their relationships, and their past experiences. Often, these aspects of one’s life may intertwine and influence present struggles and we address these collaboratively.
Therapy is viewed as a puzzle that is slowly put together to create a clearer understanding of self, others, and past/present relationships. Clients can speak freely regarding topics that they may have never felt comfortable sharing before due to the warm, welcoming, and non-judgmental atmosphere that is provided. The therapeutic relationship is prioritized, as well as a shared understanding of client goals.
I have extensive training working with males, females (cisgender), and transgender-identifying clients who struggle with mild body image concerns as well as those who have eating disorder diagnoses. Another area of passion is helping individuals who have had traumatic experiences such as sexual assault, domestic violence, and physical assault (whether in childhood or adulthood), among other forms of trauma. Additionally, my work is specialized for those who are grieving, experiencing depression, anxiety, and/or family of origin issues. I would love to talk with you further about how I may be of help.
Daniela Pallafacchina, Psy.D.
Hello! I’m a postdoctoral level therapist with experience working with a variety of clients who have different backgrounds, interests, and concerns. I work with couples and individuals, both adults and adolescents, in a safe, understanding, accepting, non-judgmental environment. My intent is to focus on you as an individual, honor your experience, and genuinely hear your truth. I foster an inclusive environment for everyone, regardless of sexuality and gender.
I use an integrative, psychodynamic approach, which means I combine different therapeutic interventions tailored to each client’s individual needs. My specialties include relationships, attachment trauma, gender identity, eating disorders, addictions, adolescence, infertility, postpartum depression, and aging.
I believe that all of the answers are already inside you. My role is to help you examine your past, your unconscious, and the archetypes that impact you as you grow on your journey and develop into your authentic, integrated self. Together, we will discover your inner truth. By acknowledging, accepting, and honoring that truth, we will cultivate change. No matter what trauma you have experienced, everyone has the ability to lead a happy, safe, meaningful life. As we work together, you will see that your most painful experiences can become the gateway to true growth and genuine happiness.
Mariya Wolff, Ph.D.
Hello! I am a postdoctoral therapist practicing compassionate, empowering, and transparent therapy with individuals of all walks of life. I am consistently humbled to be invited into the vulnerable emotional processes of others, and it is vital to me that I honor your true and lived experience. I utilize an integrative style of therapy that balances awareness of your unique individual experience in collaboration with the cultural and societal challenges that we all navigate on a daily basis. I consider transparency, humor, and humility to be core elements in the therapeutic relationship and it is imperative to me that you feel our work together mirrors your hopes and goals for a fulfilling future.
Though there are times during which we feel uncertainty, fear, loss or even hopelessness, I believe we all possess an internal reservoir of strength and resiliency that never runs dry. The often-overwhelming challenge for many of us is accessing this sense of strength in self and trusting our ability to heal ourselves. I am dedicated to a strength-based, non-pathologizing process of empowering my clients to listen, honor, and validate their own internal experiences through a lens of self-compassion.
My therapeutic framework draws from feminist, humanist, internal family systems (IFS), and psychodynamic modalities. I have experience and am passionate about working particularly with women’s issues, disordered eating and body dysmorphia, healing from trauma and shame, formation of identity and self, and understanding roots of anxiety and depression. I am honored to have the opportunity to collaborate with you in the process of identifying and actualizing your internal sense of power and resilience to find a content, peaceful, and intentional way of living.
Rehana Raheem, Psy. D.
Welcome! I am a postdoctoral therapist experienced in working with children, adolescents, and adults with diverse identities and histories. The fundamental core of my practice is to foster a safe and nurturing environment with authenticity, spontaneity, and humor. As your therapist, I will listen closely, ask questions, share my observations, and offer insights and tools for us to consider together. My aim is to help you understand the roots of your thoughts, feelings, and actions. I pay close attention to the ways in which culture and society influence your sense of self and understanding of the world.
Even when you’re doing your best to survive an unpredictable world, you may feel frustration, pain, worry, or a sense of hopelessness. As a relational therapist, it is my goal for us to have a trusting relationship in which you feel comfortable disclosing these intimate experiences. I utilize a strength-based approach, using what matters to you most as a guide towards making positive changes in your life. In my practice, change usually happens when parts of my clients that have been previously unacknowledged become finally articulated: symptoms lessen, self-relationship strengthens, and repetitive ways of behaving and relating shift. The result is a process that is challenging, yet exciting and transformative.
Each individual is unique as is their process of self-discovery. Depending on your needs, I draw from psychodynamic, emotion-focused, existential, and trauma/attachment-based psychologies. I also utilize cognitive behavioral techniques to help manage acute symptoms. Clients come to see me for a variety of reasons, including chronic and acute trauma and/or stress, grief, anxiety, depression, relationship/familial concerns, major life transitions, or identity related concerns. In addition to individuals, I also work with families and parent-child dyads to help untangle complicated or stressful interpersonal dynamics.
Toby Morris, MS, RD.
I am lucky to have counseled thousands of clients in my 20 years as a dietitian. Over the years my nutrition philosophy has come into sharp focus: I believe that we all have innate wisdom about what our bodies need. My goal as your dietitian is to empower you to listen to and respond to your own inner wisdom about your body and how to nourish it.
Many things, such as stress, trauma, depression, anxiety, medications, medical conditions, and eating disorders can blur feedback from our bodies. As an eating disorder specialist, I help my clients establish healthful eating patterns, unlearn nutrition misinformation, address food fears and anxieties, and eventually eat with more flexibility and pleasure. I recognize the importance of multidisciplinary care for eating disorders and am happy to collaborate with the other members of your support team.
I trained and worked at UCSF Medical Center and have been the lead dietitian at UC Berkeley’s University Health Services for the past ten years. In addition to my work in eating disorders, I have experience with a wide variety of other nutrition-related concerns, including PCOS, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, disease prevention, pregnancy and postpartum, and nutrition for sports and fitness. I love helping clients explore the gut-brain connection and discover how being nourished improves mood, energy, and focus.
With all my clients, I take a weight-neutral, non-diet approach. I welcome clients of all shapes and sizes and treat everyone with the dignity and respect they deserve. I look forward to helping you discover (or rediscover) a positive and peaceful relationship with food.
Nancy Mullin, Psy.D.
Welcome! I am a licensed psychologist with experience providing therapy to individuals, couples, and families in a variety of settings, both in private practice and in community spaces. This has provided me with a foundation that allows me to connect with folks from a wide range of backgrounds—something that I deeply value. My work is guided by a social justice philosophy that includes working from a stance of inclusion and cultural humility as a backdrop to any of the work that I do. I particularly love working with teens, young adults, and families and have been honored to be a part of the healing process for young people, parents, and caregivers throughout my time as a therapist.
I specialize in substance use and relational psychodynamic psychotherapy, drawing from other methods and techniques as needed. In any of the work that I do, I believe that the therapeutic relationship needs to be centered, and that building a sense of trust, connection, respect, and safety often needs to come before any deeper work is possible.
I know that for many the world has been feeling increasingly troubling and at times even painful. I am here to hold space for that—however that may uniquely show up for you—and to work collaboratively with you while utilizing my knowledge and skills to support you finding more ease, a better understanding of yourself and your relationships, and a greater sense of meaning, connectedness, and joy.
Dena McManis, Psy.D.
Hello! I am a Licensed Educational Psychologist, a Credentialed School Psychologist, and a Post-Doctoral level Clinician with over 25 years of experience working in the education and mental health fields. Prior to working in schools, my experience includes behavioral therapy and case management services for children and adolescents in crisis, individual and group therapy and interventions with youth with substance abuse problems, and therapeutic services for adults, adolescents, and families.
I’m excited to be part of a practice in which I can continue conducting assessments and utilize my therapeutic skills. Based on each individual’s unique situation, I employ an eclectic approach to therapy, drawing on different evidence-based orientations, with a focus on cognitive behavioral approaches. I will help you to identify and work towards your goals by collaboratively working with you to help you maneuver relationships in your life and adjust to the changes you may be facing, including addressing any anxiety and/or depressive symptoms. I strive to create a comfortable, non-judgmental, open environment to help foster a positive, trusting relationship with the individuals I work with.
Katy Cook, Ph.D.
Welcome! I am a postdoctoral therapist experienced in working with children, adolescents, and adults from a variety of backgrounds, with diverse interests and values. My passion is to helpmy clients navigate life transitions and challenges in a way that feels meaningful and authentic, in an environment where they feel safe and supported to explore what matters most to them. As your therapist, you can expect me to listen attentively, be curious about your experience, and ask questions that help us work toward your goals in therapy.
Life can be so wonderful and so challenging, with lots of different voices – inside and externally– about who we are meant to be, what our lives should look like, and how we should feel, think, and behave. Therapy is an opportunity to step back and reflect on the challenges we’re facing, build awareness about what we want out of life, and nurture the skills to uncover andunderstand who we are, which might include recognizing patterns, nurturing resiliency, and finding healthy ways of coping with life’s challenges, all in a warm and supportive space.
I specialize in therapy focusing on trauma, grief and loss, anxiety, depression, navigating
difficult family and interpersonal relationships, identity, and life transitions, such as a change to a relationship, leaving home, or starting out in a new position or location. I am especially passionate about working with young adults, executives, expats, and digital nomads. Each client is different, and I draw from a range of evidence-based psychological approaches; depending on your needs, my practice draws on humanist, family systems, existential, narrative, trauma and attachment-based psychology, and psychodynamic psychotherapy.
Renee Swanson, M.A., J.D., A.M.F.T.
Welcome to Center for Modern Therapy! I am an Associate Marriage and Family Therapist experienced in working with a diverse set of clientele and issues including trauma, substance abuse and addiction, depression, anxiety, and interpersonal/relational struggles. Life is not a destination, but a journey comprised of one’s lived experiences. It can be difficult to ask for help when we have been socialized to push through or move beyond strenuous and problematic issues in our lives. As we learn to embrace the ability to ask for help, we have taken an important step in creating space for change.
Currently, I work with individuals and couples as they navigate life transitions, challenges and obstacles, and interpersonal relationships. As a therapist, it is my philosophy that each client, individual or couple, is unique and should have a unique therapeutic experience tailored to meet their specific needs and goals. My role is to collaborate with the client and walk beside them as they determine their next steps in life. I believe each client deserves respect, non-judgmental support, and an empathetic recipient of their life stories. I will offer support and hope as we determine the appropriate and workable course to help you maneuver through difficulties and shifts, create more balance and peace, and discover tools to live life with more joy and deeper connection. I work in an integrative manner, which means I utilize tools from different types of therapy including psychodynamic, cognitive behavioral therapy, narrative therapy, relational, and acceptance and commitment.
I have a passion for psychology, interpersonal relationships, and understanding how people think, feel and behave. Although I took a circuitous route in arriving in this therapeutic setting, along the way I gained valuable and pertinent life experiences to aid me in my current work. Prior to graduating from Pepperdine University with a master’s in clinical psychology, I received my law degree from the University of Arizona, worked as a Certified Nutrition Consultant, and owned a small retail business. I feel honored to be invited into my client’s lives, to share a small part in their journey, and to build a trusting therapeutic relationship. If I can help to bring forth growth, empowerment, and harmony in a client’s life, then I have honored my commitment to this field.
Center for Modern Therapy
1840 San Miguel Drive, Suite 207
Walnut Creek, Ca. 94596
925.587.9544