Welcome to My Cyber Psychotherapy Office..........
It has been my professional and personal joy to assist individuals and families to improve their quality of life for over 18 years in the Bay Area. I am a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, but for simplicity my typically self reference is as a psychotherapist.
As I have been clinically trained in a multitude of modalities, my approach tends to be very eclectic. My personal philosophy is to see everyone as individuals who are all unique thus requiring a customized and individual approach. Most people in my practice typically come for an hour once a week, but some elect to be seen twice a week, some prefer extended sessions, others decide to come in every other week, and a few as seldom as once a month. There are also times when emergencies require phone sessions or illness requires a hospital or home visit.As I have not chosen to establish professional contracts with managed care organizations, your personal information remains as private as is possible. My goal has always been to maintain excellent relationships with other health and personal care professionals, so it is no problem for me to coordinate with psychiatrists, physicians, teachers, attorneys, or other mental health professionals that are already in your life. It is always my intention to be a part of your system of care for a healthy and productive life. While many psychotherapists are still somewhat uncomfortable with computer technology, I am very comfortable communicating with people via email when necessary, and phone calls are typically always returned the same day unless I am out of the area. Sessions can be scheduled as early as 8 AM, or as late as 9:00 PM. My hope is that you will find my office to be a casual and comfortable environment.
My professional practice has been built from professional referral and word of mouth. My general assumption when people decide to work with me professionally is that they are seriously committed to creating positive change in their lives or in their families. It will be fairly typical for someone to leave my office with 'homework' of one fashion or another between sessions. While our sessions are typically only for an hour of your week, it is my intention that our time together will serve you throughout your entire week until our paths cross again, and hopefully long after the conclusion of our professional association.
My private practice is the core of my professional life, however it is important to me to contribute to my local community through volunteering and pro bono services. Locally I served a number of years on the United Way Contra Costa County Leadership Board, and I offered 7 years of service on the Board of Directors of New Connections. I was also the pro bono director of Mental Heath Services for a local county agency for a number of years. It was my honor to be chosen as the Founding Chair of the California Disaster Mental Health Coalition. Over the years I have delivered numerous in-services and workshops for PTA groups, local school districts, and various agencies. Many further details about my background and credentials can be found under the 'resume' tab on this web page.
This site has only been designed to offer a small flavor of my professional practice. On the left of this page you will notice tabs for a number of subjects. While they attempt to cover the primary concentrations of my practice, they are only a sampling of my areas of expertise. Please feel free to contact me about any specifics you might require about my practice that extends beyond the information on this web page. It is my personal policy to refer therapy for women who have been recently sexually abused, or for children younger than 8 years old except when it is a family custody related context to other colleagues.
The majority of the photos on this web site have been taken by me on my various travels to the 46 (and continuing to climb) countries I have visited around the world.
Bandaras Bay, MexicoBest regards,
Paul A. Lewis, MFT
925-944-5523
925-944-5523