Description
We will meet for 8 weeks, online, for 2 hours each session. This will be a small group setting in order to facilitate a sense of safety and connection, and space for individual exploration. Each session involves a mixture of taught content, group discussion, and experiential practices like mindfulness, imagery, compassionate letter writing, and dialogue with your “critical self.” Between sessions, you practice what you learned, guided by audio files and written material.
Registration is open now. Please contact me for scheduling and other information. I look forward to connecting with you.
Here is some feedback from previous course participants:
“Highly recommend for anyone struggling to understand their inner thoughts/feelings or would like help changing the way you view yourself and your place in the world.”
“I am now meditating and journaling on a regular basis each week, something I had struggled to do in the past. This feels like a critical breakthrough when it comes to healing many of my own traumas and current concerns, as well as assisting my whole family and my students in navigating the conflicts and stressors in their lives.”
“With this foundation, I was able to become more cognizant of the way I was reacting in the moment, and how I could engage my compassionate other and compassionate self to reduce anxiety and emotional upheaval.”
“Dr. Kari creates such a safe and welcoming atmosphere for the class, which is very helpful when you're discussing your thoughts/emotions in a public setting.”
“While it will take practice to truly prevent and reduce negative self-talk and the physiological responses that accompany it, I can bring this awareness to my everyday activities. I recently used this strategy to reduce the post-anxiety and spiraling after a difficult day, and to establish a profound calm prior to a presentation that allowed me to be more productive, confident, and aware of time management. I was not only more successful during the presentation, but I was more productive prior to the event and was able to complete other work rather than panicking beforehand. As someone prone to anxiety and therefore crippling procrastination and perfectionism, this is an incredibly helpful tool."
Group Therapist
Dr. Kari is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist based in Belmont, CA. Many of her clients are going through major life changes, including relationship difficulties or transitions and career stress or burnout. She also specializes in supporting clients who are building a new family, whether deciding about next steps, going through infertility treatment or reproductive loss, or adjusting to the challenges of parenting. While many may have a diagnosis of depression or an anxiety disorder, regardless of issue or diagnosis, Dr. Kari's primary goal is to help her clients navigate their challenges by offering a compassionate space for them to talk about their feelings without judgment, and to learn the skills they need to cope with life’s many ups and downs.
Dr. Kari's primary approach is Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT), a bio-psycho-social approach based in evolutionary and psychological science, aimed at decreasing suffering through cultivating compassion for oneself and for others. She also has an extensive background in other evidence-based therapies such as Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), and Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT). These therapies teach people skills to change or tolerate thoughts and behaviors that interfere with achieving their goals, and to better manage emotions that may feel overwhelming, confusing, or frustrating.
Dr. Kari earned her Doctorate of Psychology from the PGSP-Stanford Psy.D. Consortium, along with a BA from UCLA and an MSc from the London School of Economics. She has over 15 years of experience working with clients of all types throughout the Bay Area, and is now available in-person sessions at her Belmont office or by telehealth.
