Therapy makes life better. It does so in a number of ways—some concrete and measurable, some a little less tangible and a little more magical. As a therapist, I am an ally and co-conspirator, helping clients cultivate more freedom, aliveness, intimacy, and joy in everyday life.

PSYCHOtherapy

Working with Individuals

These are wild times and psychotherapy can help. Some people come in with a very clear idea of what they need, whether it’s confronting anxiety, finding a better job, or getting more from a stalled relationship. Other clients arrive with a more generalized state of existential discomfort or depression, grappling with questions about why we’re here, where to find meaning in life, a sense of cosmic isolation, or fear of mortality. Either way, we work to understand the internal forces—like family of origin impacts, self-critical or limiting internal voices, or attachment wounding—that might be keeping them stuck. We also look at the external factors that might feel harder to control, but nonetheless have a significant impact on mental health: rising income inequality; the deep-seeded narratives of capitalism, around productivity, say, or perfectionism; systemic oppression in the form of white supremacy and patriarchy; rising authoritarianism, both in the U.S. and globally; and the climate crisis.

We look openly and honestly at where and how a client might build empowerment and agency, to be able to take responsibility for their choices and the full range of emotions, to feel more hope, joy, and delight, and cultivate deeper and more meaningful relationships. We also openly explore the ways that—depending on race, gender, age, sexual orientation, ability, or religion (what the existentialists include in our “context”)—clients might be actively held back or demoralized. Combining the principles of relational Gestalt, existential psychotherapy, attachment theory, climate psychology, and Yogic philosophy, I collaborate with individual clients to get exactly what they need from therapy.

Particular areas of interest, experience, and focus include:

Sessions

Therapy sessions are 50 minutes, generally weekly (double sessions, every-other-week sessions, or other arrangements are available as clinically appropriate). I work both remotely and from my office in Noe Valley, on 24th St. at Castro.

My fee per session is $195. I can accept cash or credit or FSA cards and am happy to provide a super bill for reimbursement from insurance companies.

Climate psychology

The climate crisis is real, imminent, and having a tremendous impact on our sense of safety and wellbeing. I am part of a growing cohort of mental health professionals that are working to mitigate the far-reaching psychological impacts of the crisis, especially when combined with rising authoritarianism and conflict, both in the U.S. and globally.

While this work happens in the therapy room, group work—staying connected to other likeminded people—is also critical to addressing the complex emotions, including isolation, experienced by those directly and indirectly impacted. Any new or upcoming group events will be listed here.

Climate Grief, Anxiety, and Hope Ritual
Saturday, June 7, 2025, 12:30-4:00pm, at the Center SF.

With the accelerated pace of the climate crisis and political and economic turmoil, how do we practice staying present, active, and awake? To help with this practice, Joanna Calabrese and I, licensed psychotherapists, will facilitate the Truth Mandala. This two-hour ritual, created by Buddhist ecologist and activist Joanna Macy, offers us a space for deep feeling, interpersonal connection, and helps us cultivate the will to continue taking action related to ecological collapse and the climate emergency. We are thrilled to offer a respite from the constant and very important “doing,” inviting a space to come into “being” with the grief, full complexity, and emotional charge of this moment. The Center SF offers us a welcoming and supremely comfortable venue for this vital work. Join us! Sign up here.

Emily Fasten, MA, LMFT

With over 15 years of experience as a psychotherapist and group facilitator, I am constantly inspired by what’s possible, both individually and collectively, when we commit to personal growth. I have a masters degree from the California Institute of Integral Studies, worked as a writer and editor in the corporate world, and am certified as a yoga instructor and as a climate-aware therapist. The mental health field is going through a much-needed shift as we confront the individual impacts of collective crises (COVID pandemic, climate disasters, authoritarian political shifts). It is important for me be able to use my education and my privilege to meaningfully contribute to the wellbeing of my clients, helping address the symptoms of distress (depression, anxiety, or dissociation), as well as understand (and sometimes transcend) the underlying causes.

Trained in the lineage of gestalt, I hold values of self-responsibility, authenticity, difference, and freedom in the highest esteem. I’m fiercely protective of our rights and capacities as humans to be honest—in the here and now—about our experience; to be in self-aware intimate relationships with others; and to cultivate a sense of joy, aliveness, and humor in everyday life. This is what I want for my clients, myself, and, really, all people.

GET IN TOUCH

I am currently offering therapy both remotely and in person in Noe Valley. You can email me using this form to set up a free initial consultation. (Please note that, due to the nature of email, I can't guarantee confidentiality. I use email for casual contact about scheduling, referrals, or general inquires, not to address deeper psychological material.)