My name is Peter Ajemian and I use the Internal Family Systems of psychotherapy model to help adults and teens do deep personal work. I specialize in;

• Anxiety and depression
• Grief and loss related to significant life events changes and transitions
• Teens and parenting
• Confidence building
• Sex and intimacy with individuals and couples (Somatica method)
• Using plant medicines to accelerate your therapy work, build creativity, help with trauma & addiction.
• Mindfulness skill building through breath work and meditation

I create the space and skills you need to have a healthy conversation with all of your parts. Some people refer to this model as “Parts work.” I approach this work with compassion, curiosity and unconditional respect for your process. I believe in your natural ability to heal and recover from painful experiences, gain more self-worth, enhance your satisfaction with your relationships, and heighten your overall sense of well-being. My work with clients is experiential and focused on the present.  I blend pragmatic, skills- oriented focus with an emphasis on compassion, integrity, and active integration of the body and mind.

I am certified in IFS psychotherapy, under Derek Scott, and with Danielle & Celeste’s Somatica Method. I enjoy working with individuals, couples, groups, and teaching and consulting with large organizations. I have trained in meditation and breath work since the age of 11 years under John Lawrence, and continue my breath work studies with Dan Brule’ today. I have trained mindful movement in various traditional Asian martial arts for over 40 years, and am a certified trainer of different types of traditional Chinese martial arts.

I enjoy being in nature, whether backpacking in the mountains, surfing in the ocean, or paddle boarding in the Bay. I am a lifelong martial artist and teacher, where I “build community, one body at a time,” through healthy rough and tumble play.

My style
My warm-hearted, practical and down-to-earth approach includes somatic therapies, mindfulness and IFS interventions to improve coping skills, and recognize self-defeating patterns of thinking and behavior.

About Internal Family Systems Family Therapy
IFS is one of the fastest growing approaches to psychotherapy. It has developed over the past twenty years into a way of understanding and treating human problems that is empowering, effective, and non-pathologizing.

IFS involves helping people heal by listening inside themselves in a new way to different “parts” — feelings or thoughts – and, in the process, unburdening themselves of extreme beliefs, emotions, sensations, and urges that constrain their lives. As they unburden, people have more access to Self, our most precious human resource, and are better able to lead their lives from that centered, confident, compassionate place.

Sessions
I offer 50 – 90 minute sessions both in online video and in-person, throughout the San Francisco Bay Area.