About Annie
My name is Annie Chen. I practice as a licensed marriage and family therapist, facilitating personal growth and healing for individuals and couples. I do this work because I am good at facilitating felt shifts in the way people experience themselves, relationships, and the world. And every day that I work with clients I end the day feeling energized and inspired by the changes they make.
Before you entrust me with your process of growth and change, maybe you'd like to know a little about me?
I graduated from San Francisco State University with a masters degree in Counseling Psychology. I was at the top of my class and awarded for outstanding work at a field placement and outstanding academic achievement. My field work training consisted of working with LBGTQ communities, seniors, people with severe and persistent mental illness, and at-risk youth and their families.
I've spent most of my life in the Bay Area but have also lived in the South, received my high school education on the East Coast, and currently continue my education and teach in the Pacific Northwest. Prior to the work that I do now, I've had many livelihoods. To name a few, I was a rock climbing instructor; spent several years advocating for policy related to civil liberties; led and developed a youth leadership program; served as a fundraising consultant for several large US-based nonprofits; and lived, worked, and taught at the scenic hamlet of Slide Ranch in West Marin.
The diversity of my experiences reflects an early curiosity within me to explore new environments; a desire to understand and support people in a meaningful way; and a commitment to justice, social change, and sustainability.
I believe we are all social and cultural beings impacted not only by personal history, but also by the histories of our ancestors and the world. I keep this view in the background of our work, and when relevant, I introduce the role of these histories to offer greater depth, dimension, and power to our work.
My work is about creating greater fluidity with the circumstances that surround us. What can be meaningful about change? How can we be more inspired by the change that is happening in life? How do we address pain and transform it? How do personal experiences connect with what is happening in the world? These are some of the questions that inspire my work. I have a passion for working with people of all ages and backgrounds to discover their own answers to these questions.
Before you entrust me with your process of growth and change, maybe you'd like to know a little about me?
I graduated from San Francisco State University with a masters degree in Counseling Psychology. I was at the top of my class and awarded for outstanding work at a field placement and outstanding academic achievement. My field work training consisted of working with LBGTQ communities, seniors, people with severe and persistent mental illness, and at-risk youth and their families.
I've spent most of my life in the Bay Area but have also lived in the South, received my high school education on the East Coast, and currently continue my education and teach in the Pacific Northwest. Prior to the work that I do now, I've had many livelihoods. To name a few, I was a rock climbing instructor; spent several years advocating for policy related to civil liberties; led and developed a youth leadership program; served as a fundraising consultant for several large US-based nonprofits; and lived, worked, and taught at the scenic hamlet of Slide Ranch in West Marin.
The diversity of my experiences reflects an early curiosity within me to explore new environments; a desire to understand and support people in a meaningful way; and a commitment to justice, social change, and sustainability.
I believe we are all social and cultural beings impacted not only by personal history, but also by the histories of our ancestors and the world. I keep this view in the background of our work, and when relevant, I introduce the role of these histories to offer greater depth, dimension, and power to our work.
My work is about creating greater fluidity with the circumstances that surround us. What can be meaningful about change? How can we be more inspired by the change that is happening in life? How do we address pain and transform it? How do personal experiences connect with what is happening in the world? These are some of the questions that inspire my work. I have a passion for working with people of all ages and backgrounds to discover their own answers to these questions.
Education and Experience
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Credentials and Associations
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Select List of Advanced Training
- Psychobiological Approach to Couple Therapy Level 2 Training (40 hours)
- Psychobiological Approach to Couple Therapy Level 1 Training (58 hours)
- Developmental Model of Couples Therapy Level 1 Training, Couples Institute (36 hours).
- Theater of the Oppressed and Playback Theater, Berkeley Rep (18 hours).
- Cultivating Inner & Outer Resources in Turbulent Times Seminar (12 hours).
- Process Oriented Dreamwork and Innerwork Seminars, PWI (9 hours).
- Worldwork 2014 – Warsaw, various topics (33 hours).
- Divination by Fire: For Health, Relationships, and Organizations, Arny and Amy Mindell (14 hours).
- Process Oriented Family Therapy, PWI (13 hours).
- Generative Somatics, REACH Ashland Youth Center (10 hours).
- Impact of Family Violence, Seneca Center (15 hours).
- Process Work Winter Intensive, Process Work Institute (150 hours).
- Advanced Sex Educator Training, SFSI (56 hours).
- MHSA Training on Mental Health Practice, MFT Consortium of CA (14 hours).
- Expressive Arts Therapy, Pacific Institute (24 hours).
- CA Domestic Violence Counselor Training (64 hours).
© 2020
Annie Chen, LMFT | (510) 992-3826