The Relationship is the Patient

Birth-Five Dyadic Therapy

A family with three children navigating the transition of a growing family with support from a Palo Alto dyadic therapist.

You finally have your baby with you, but you realize quickly that as they grow, they do not come with a manual.

Ugh, I don’t want to do this because I know it will lead to a meltdown. Why do I always lose my mind every time my child whines? I am a failure at being a parent.

It can feel difficult to maintain a healthy parent-child bond due to the high demands of Silicon Valley. There is a desire to maintain the high-pressure career, but you also want to enhance your attachment with your baby, which may have been ruptured by birth trauma. You no longer want to feel like parenting is just white-knuckling through the day; it’s a sign that the relationship needs support.

I help you move past false narratives and into a grounded, responsive relationship through somatic regulation and reframing negative intrusive thoughts.

A mother using somatic grounding and co-regulation to soothe a toddler’s big feelings and tantrums.

  • Parenting in the high-pressure and fast-paced environment of the modern world, but especially in Silicon Valley. You wonder if you are doing the right thing, or you may not even know what kind of parenting you should be doing. Whether you are a second-time mom seeking support to manage the shift from one child to two, or you are trying to find your footing after an identity earthquake of new motherhood, we focus on practical strategies for your daily life.

    We look at the "invisible labor" of the home and the emotional toll of constant caregiving, providing you with a roadmap to move from surviving the day to feeling intentional in your role. I provide practical tools for managing behaviors in early childhood that work with your family values and match your child’s personality, so that you have the tools that actually work and not just constantly guessing.

Parents engaging in parallel play and shared routines to foster a secure attachment with their toddler.
Mother promoting early childhood literacy and relational connection through shared reading and dyadic support.

  • When a toddler has a meltdown or a preschooler pushes boundaries, it can feel like a personal rejection or a sign that you are not being a good parent. In this space, we focus on seeing behavior as a child’s language to communicate their needs. We work to understand the "why" behind tantrums and the sensory needs that drive big reactions, much like the deep dives into development found in Infant Insights. By learning to translate these behaviors into unmet needs or developmental milestones, you can respond with curiosity rather than frustration.

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Strengthening the birth-dyadic connection through affectionate touch and secure attachment patterns.

  • In dyadic therapy, the relationship is between the client and not just the parent or the child. It’s about how to promote a healthy and secure connection between you and your child. We focus on the health of the child-parent relationship, creating a secure base where your child feels seen, safe, and soothed.

    If your entry into motherhood was complicated by birth trauma or you are struggling with feeling like you can balance developing healthy attachments with your new baby and your older children as a second-time mom, we work on rupture-repair cycles, healthy and secure attachments, and co-regulation development. It is more than just "being present"; it is about understanding the circles of connection and communication. By prioritizing the relationship itself, you ensure that your home becomes a place of emotional safety and long-term resilience for both of you.

You don’t have to remain stuck in the reactive cycles of power struggles and frustration. You can move toward a sustainable rhythm of boundaries, connection, and genuine ease.

Father nurturing a secure bond with his toddler, focusing on relational health and emotional attunement.

Clinical Strategy Rooted in Relational Connection

My approach is rooted in my IECMHS and PMH-C certifications, but it’s fueled by a belief that you are the expert on your child. I see the relationship between you and your child and help you move beyond survival mode into a parenting experience that feels intentional and connected.

I integrate multiple modalities, such as Somatic Therapy and Attachment Therapy, to support your body’s ability to calm to then calm your child, to maintain a healthy and secure attachment. I also recognize that many mothers come into their role wanting to heal from generational trauma that they do not want to pass to their children. Integrating Psychodynamic therapy allows us to address those concerns and prevent the next generation from carrying the burdens we experienced. Finally, if trauma has impacted the parent-child relationship, I use a specialized modality focused on children 0-5 who have experienced trauma, called Child-Parent Psychotherapy, that protects and strengthens the bond after a traumatic event.