Desirée Reitknecht

With over 23+ years of experience, my psychotherapy practice uses current evidence-based techniques building from advances in psychology and neuroscience. My practice uses DBT, CBT and Mindfulness practices to improve relationships, manage emotional regulation, and support executive functioning skills. I am most inspired by the research at the intersection of the neuroscience and psychology fields. I am trained to help you make the changes that you want to make and to become the person you long to be.

My therapeutic intention is to provide a safe space where you can enhance interiority, map your internal world and learn how to empathically attune to what your body and mind needs. I can guide you how to make positive shifts and behavioral adjustments that align with your personal goals.

I understand that revisiting vulnerable places may touch on feelings of pain, confusion or even shame. Using body awareness exercises, self-regulation techniques and meta-awareness skills tailored to your specific needs, I can support you in finding effective solutions. You can begin to heal the places inside that are holding you back and reconceptualize old narratives that may be preventing you from achieving your purpose.

Throughout my psychotherapy training in Somatic Psychology at California Institute for Integral Studies, I studied therapeutic approaches that have been proved to help align and create equilibrium within the mind space, develop embodied self-awareness of feelings and emotions and to enliven the spirit.

Finding the right therapist is essential to having a positive outcome. Together, we will define your goals and create a map so that you can succeed in transforming your life and strive to embrace your fullest potential.

Potential Benefits of Therapy

1) Learn how to define, observe and communicate your personal boundaries

2) Increase your ability to manage distressing emotions and sensations using emotion regulation techniques

3) Develop strategies to increase agentic thinking and communicate effectively with others

4) Improve your ability to self-regulate and self-monitor to contribute to an overall sense of balance in your emotional, mental and physical well-being

5) Receive empathic attunement and compassionate presence in a therapeutic setting

6) Enhance lateral thinking abilities and executive functioning skills for creative problem solving and personal development

7) Develop analytic observational skills to evaluate habitual cognitive interpretations and replace them with conscious intentional responses to the vicissitudes of life experience

8) Increase interoceptive attention by practicing sensory awareness and grounding techniques to explore the internal atmosphere of your mind and body

9) Formulate a cohesive self-narrative to make peace with the past and experience the freedom to envision your future