When do you feel most like yourself? When was the last time that you deeply felt like yourself? When was the last time you felt like you belonged?

Psychotherapy is the process by which we come into a sense of belonging. Belonging: the felt sense that who I am is fundamentally worthy and acceptable as I am. While we can work towards self-acceptance alone-and it can be incredibly beneficial to do so-we are in essence, relational beings. The act of exploring oneself with the support of a skilled therapist can accelerate this process immensely. As such, together with my clients, we co-create an experience of belonging: to self, to others, and to the unknown. I work relationally and collaboratively to develop a safe container for you to feel accepted, to explore yourself, and to grow.

I center my practice around authentic relational attunement. I do this through applications of gestalt, IFS, and attachment-based theories and practices. With a passion for social justice and awareness, I actively work to cultivate cultural humility and work within a culturally-informed lens. My clinical work has historically been with diverse populations of adolescents and families living with Severe Mental Illness in the Bay Area. I work with individuals, families, and couples with clients on a broad spectrum of age ranges, gender, sexual, and ethnic identities. This experience fueled my passion for working with diverse populations and has cemented my core belief in the massive potential for growth and change (within the therapeutic container and beyond!).

Of particular note for my clinical development, I was raised at the Human Potential Center: Esalen Institute. This upbringing inspired deep curiosity into the human experience and informs my work to this day. Early in my life there, I stepped into a leadership role and have had the honor of co-leading workshops and facilitating groups at Esalen Institute for 18 years. I also spent several years living there as an adult: deeply immersing myself in the study of Gestalt, somatics, and mindfulness, and learning from the top teachers in their respective fields. I integrate these teachings into my clinical work: cultivating a holistic, well-practiced, and richly informed approach to therapy. Additionally, prior to becoming a therapist, I worked in a variety of settings supporting hundreds of people’s mental health, wellness, and growth. I have over a decade of experience working at the university, non-profit, and corporate levels offering counseling, facilitation, and teaching.

If any of these words resonate with you or spark a note of curiosity, I welcome you to reach out to me at kai@tatradelarosa.com – I am happy to schedule a free consultation to give you a chance to see if we might be a genuine fit.

Finally, I will leave you with these passages that have been helpful reminders in my life.

“Enough. These few words are enough.

If not these words, this breath.

If not this breath, this sitting here.”

-David Whyte from Where Many Rivers Meet

“You are not a troubled guest on this earth,

you are not an accident amidst other accidents

you were invited from another and greater night

than the one from which you have just emerged.”

-David Whyte From the House of Belonging