Christine Cailler, AMFT
Message from Christine
I am fascinated by each person’s uniqueness and powerful instinct to heal. Whether a client is at their breaking point or simply yearning for a deeper understanding of themselves and their patterns, I offer each client my full attention and attunement. I provide a safe place for clients to process painful experiences and help them understand their relationship patterns or triggers. I help clients who would like to feel more connected to their bodies, build self esteem, and get clear about their personal values. I began my career in a creative field before becoming a therapist. I often draw on my experience as an artist to assist clients with exploring their inner worlds. I give clients permission to put themselves at the center of their own lives, inside an empowering narrative that feels authentic and manageable to them. I’m open to working with clients from any background, but I am especially drawn towards artists seeking support with trauma processing, anyone struggling with perfectionism, adult children of parents with addiction or mental illness, and survivors of domestic/relational abuse.
About Christine's practice
Weekdays 9am - 5pm
Weekdays Before 9am
Weekends 9am - 5pm
Weekdays After 5pm
$$
Sliding scale
Directive
Reflective
Body-based
In-person available: Yes
Virtual available: Yes
Anxiety
Artist-Related Stress
Codependency
Perfectionism
Trauma
Vulnerability
Depression
Beacon
CA
Why state matters
Get to Know Christine
What is the best part of the work for you?
The best part for me is the privilege of having deep, meaningful relationships with my clients. I love the work of untying complicated knots with people and helping them see patterns and make connections. I have always been the kind of person who wants to skip the small talk and get to the big questions. It’s a joy to have the opportunity to do that everyday.
What is unique about the work you do, or how have you found your work to be different than your colleagues'?
I find that my background as an artist, especially my training and experience as an actor, informs my work tremendously. The skills I have gathered over the years to connect with my emotions and my body, and to be present in relationship to others as a performer have benefited me greatly in my own healing work. I often call upon them to help give clients an accessible language with their own bodies and emotions. One of the major lessons I learned in my journey as a performer and a person was how to give myself permission to be a fully expressed, authentic person. Permission is so important for so many of us who are feeling stuck, unseen, and unexpressed as adults.
How do you approach diversity in the room or working with clients who may come from a different background than you?
For me, this is of utmost importance and I am in a constant process of growth in best supporting clients who come from different backgrounds than I do. I am very aware that as a white, cisgendered, heterosexual practitioner, I will often hold more privilege than many of my clients. I also am aware that I am not the ideal therapist for everyone, and in some cases I may have client who would prefer a different therapist but does has struggled to find their ideal match. I have no problem offering referrals if that is the case. I have an ongoing personal anti-racism practice and I do my best to educate myself on as many varied identity based issues as I can so that my clients are spared the emotional labor of explaining things to me that I am capable of learning on my own. I also hold space for the fact that each person is a unique individual with unique experiences, and no single identity is a monolith. I am curious about each of my clients and how they experience their identity and their cultural background. Navigating the journey of witnessing them in their individuality while taking responsibility for my own general education is a road that I walk with each client in a different way.
Have you received any particular training beyond your post-Bachelor's training?
Yes! I have a Master’s in Clinical Psychology from Antioch University, and I currently hold a position as a therapist at a Clear Recovery Center. I work with clients at both the partial hospitalization (PHP) and intensive out patient (IOP) level of care. In this position I have increased my knowledge and skill in working with clients with more severe mental health diagnoses, such as bipolar II, borderline personality disorder, post traumatic stress disorder, and psychotic disorders. I also run several group therapy sessions per week, either for general processing or psycho-education and skills building.