In the depth of winter, I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer.
Albert Camus
My Approach
We live in such a challenging time.
On the surface, life seems simple. We're asked to look young and healthy, find a partner, buy a house, build a career, have kids and pets. However, what’s going on inside is another story. We are constantly bombarded by demands, new decisions and stressful interactions.
The digital age also brings new challenges. Now, we can present different identities to the world and reinvent ourselves in unimaginable ways. We can have an unlimited number of "friends" who let us know if we're "likable" or not. These followers also remind us that we're not enough, that we could do more, and that our lives should be better lived.
It is very difficult to stay grounded in the midst of all the noise created by so many distractions. It becomes a challenge to listen to our intuition and stay present and connected with ourselves.
More and more, I see my work as a unique, honest and supportive relationship. It isn't really about tools and techniques; it’s about offering a sacred time and place in which clients can finally express the unexpressed and give space to what makes life unique, exciting and meaningful.
By fully accepting and expressing flaws, pasts events and insecurities, a deep shift often happens. Clients are more likely to start enjoying life in different and meaningful ways. Instead of daydreaming about being someone else or having an easier life, my clients begin to move forward, take risks, and develop new, intimate relationships.
For me, the art of living isn't about exhausting ourselves trying to show how we "should be.” Nor is it to feed our insatiable hunger for more. It’s about accepting and validating ourselves, liberating and enjoying who we truly are, and sharing our gifts with those who matter.
Because of my diverse educational and professional background, I am able to tailor psychotherapy to my clients’ specific needs. I have been trained in a number of therapy modalities, including Somatic Psychotherapy, Expressive Arts therapy, Gestalt, EMDR, Psychodynamics, Sandplay, Solution-Focused and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy.
We become free by transforming ourselves from unaware victims of the past into responsible individuals in the present, who are aware of our past and are thus able to live with it.
Alice Miller
Eric’s journey
I’m from Montreal, Quebec.
I've had the benefit of working with all slices of society. I've been a swim instructor helping adults to feel more confident and conquer their fear of water and a camp counselor, helping teenagers express their feelings and challenges. I've also worked as an educator for developmentally-disabled clients in residential treatment.
At the same time, I have a substantial background in the arts. For more than ten years, I worked on stage as a performer as well as backstage as a technician, stage manager and lighting designer. I've worked on festivals, I've been the Marketing Director of several theater production companies, and I toured the country with the Cirque du Soleil for several years before settling in San Francisco.
Academically, I completed a Master's Degree in Counseling Psychotherapy with an emphasis on Somatics from the California Institute of Integral Studies. This allowed me to open my private practice as a psychotherapist.
During my 4-year internship, I enjoyed providing psychotherapy at the Center for Somatic Psychotherapy, a low-fee clinic that specializes in body-oriented, psychodynamic, and developmental approaches.
In the community, I've worked with disfranchised families at The Seneca Center/SF Connections, creating service plans that build upon the strengths and resources unique to each child, family and community. I’ve also worked at San Quentin State Prison, where I provided psychotherapy to inmates.
In addition to being a counselor in private practice, I also supervise MFT associates and trainees and I offer workshops at the California Institute of Integral Studies.
Over time, I’ve successfully helped clients dealing with numerous issues like anxiety, phobias, depression, addictions, compulsive behaviors, relationship issues, codependency, sexuality, gender and/or LGBTQI issues, parenting, adoption, fostering, immigration, creativity, existential/spiritual questions, bereavement, and vocational concerns.
We resist transition not because we can't accept the change, but because we can't accept letting go of that piece of ourselves that we have to give up when and because the situation has changed.
William Bridges
Counseling in French & English