Sophie Calle, Appointment with Sigmund Freud, 1999
We all have friends who know things: a great restaurant, book, art exhibition. They are our go to people when we need to find something: I’m bored with my music, who would you suggest I listen to? I have a free morning in the city, which café, in which neighborhood? I’m going out for a drink on a Thursday night, where do I go?
I’ve come to realize that I’m none of the above, but rather the person people ask for therapist recommendations. It keeps happening, a friend throws out an idea of seeing someone and the question comes up: do I know who might work for them?
I don’t think I’ve seen more than my fair share, though I could fit a serial monogamy therapy-goer profile. I think, or rather I hope, it’s more that I’m open about having been in therapy.
Finding the right therapist is a little like dating, you need to get out there and meet with a few to see who is a good fit. It’s also very much in the framework of blind dating at the moment: the first step is usually a list of names and numbers, a flyer on a notice board, or word of mouth. There are only a handful of yelp reviews and few websites to go on.
Sophie Calle, Appointment with Sigmund Freud, 1999
So if you were in San Francisco, and you were to ask who’d I’d recommend, these would be my suggestions:
Jennifer Wanner: I saw Jennifer last year for a few issues with which I was struggling. She always framed what I said in ways that enabled me to get some clarity on the situation. Compassionate, human, and funny; her humour lightened our sessions and her support gave me the scaffolding to get me through. I would often sit on her step beforehand slightly lost, but I’d bounce home afterwards and write notes on our sessions to which I still refer. The best way to contact her is by phone: 415 567-6338.
Laura Hannibal: After the birth of my son, I went to one of Laura’s Anxiety Workshops. She runs wonderful short courses on coping strategies for anxiety, but she has also been a personal support for my family and I over the years. In addition to the Anxiety Workshops, Laura works with individuals and couples. She specializes in working with parents and helping people with anxiety. Her details are: 415-255-2656 / laurahannibal.mfti@gmail.com.
Jessica Herbold: I first saw Jessica on arriving in San Francisco over five years ago. I had to complete the therapy hours required for a counselling course I’d started in London. I’d gone into the relationship thinking I just had to fulfill a study requirement, but our sessions became more necessary and needed each week that we met. Jessica is a graduate of Stanford and the Wright Institute and I remember being struck by her theoretical approach, which appealed to someone more 'heady', although she also has a background in vipassana/meditation. Her number is: 415 441 6810.