ELIZABETH EHRENBERG, LCSW
Psychotherapist | Somatic Therapist
Psychotherapist | Somatic Therapist
BACKGROUND, EDUCATION, AND PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
I received my Masters in Clinical Social Work from Smith College School for Social Work. To further my training, I completed an additional year-long clinical fellowship at The University of California San Francisco’s Alliance Health Project where I provided brief dynamic psychotherapy to LGBTQQIA folks and individuals living with HIV. From 2013 to 2015, I served as a staff clinician in the Adult Psychiatry Department at Kaiser Permanente in South San Francisco. In this role, I provided psychosocial assessment and therapy to adults struggling with depression, anxiety, and interpersonal issues. At Kaiser I also served as the Eating Disorder Specialist, providing individual and group therapy to clients struggling with eating disorders and body image issues. I have extensive experience facilitating group therapy, including process groups, support groups, dialectical behavioral therapy groups and binge eating disorder groups. Additionally, I have worked in various community mental health and non-profit settings, providing case management and counseling to racially and socio-economically diverse populations. I completed my Bachelor’s degree at Vassar College where I majored in Political Science and Women’s Studies with a focus on feminist political theory, queer theory, and critical race theory.
I am licensed as a clinical social worker with the California Board of Behavioral Sciences (LCS# 64143).
I am licensed as a clinical social worker with the California Board of Behavioral Sciences (LCS# 64143).
my approachIn my practice, I weave together traditional psychodynamic talk therapy with behavioral and somatic therapies. My training is firmly grounded in psychodynamic psychotherapy, an insight-oriented technique that examines unconscious processes and how difficulties in the present moment may stem from early experiences. I also implement behavioral therapies such as dialectical behavioral therapy and cognitive behavioral therapy. These approaches examine how our thoughts, behaviors and emotions are connected and offer concrete tools for breaking free from stories that may not be serving us and for managing painful emotions.
I couple these therapeutic techniques with somatic therapy, which is based in the understanding that the mind and body are interconnected. Somatic therapy is experiential and involves grounding in the body in the here-and-now. I have been a practitioner of yoga and meditation for over 15 years and completed a yoga teacher training certification at BeYoga (now YogaWorks) in New York City. I have also taught Buddhist insight and compassion meditation. Research has shown that attunement to the body and the present moment can enhance self-awareness, relieve anxiety and depression, decrease compulsive behaviors and addictions and even allow us to process past traumas that reside in the body. As a social worker, I have a deep and abiding commitment to anti-oppression work and social justice movements. I believe that systemic oppression in all forms manifests as trauma on the societal, community and individual levels and I strive to work with individuals to heal from that trauma and live their lives in embodied and empowered ways. |
I recognize that finding the right therapist can be challenging. I offer a free initial 20-minute Zoom consultation in which we can discuss your concerns and see if I might be the right fit for you. Click here to schedule your free initial consultation.