MEET OUR PRACTITIONERS
Patt Denning, PhD
She/Her
California Licensed Psychologist #10443
I have been a therapist for over 45 years and am one of the primary developers of Harm Reduction Therapy. I have expertise in psychopharmacology and dual disorders as well as working with people with personality disorders and medical conditions. I also provide short term consultations for friends and family members who want guidance to relate to a loved one who is misusing alcohol or other drugs. I am not taking new patients for ongoing treatment, only for short term consultations. I provide trainings in many areas to both clinicians and non clinical staff in treatment, housing, and other social services programs.
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Individual and Family Consultations
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Professional Clinical Consultation and Training
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Public Speaking
Cynthia Hoffman, LMFT
She/Her
California Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist #40736
Owner at You Rule Therapy/ Sex Drugs and Therapy
I have been practicing and providing training in Harm Reduction Therapy (HRT) for over 21 years in both agency and private practice settings. I work from Psychodynamic and Relational perspectives and I incorporate mindfulness, DBT and CBT interventions in my work.
I specialize in:
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Harm Reduction Group Therapy for People that use substances
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Sex Therapy
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Sex/Drug linked Behavior
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HRT for individuals and couples
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Provider Consultation and Training
Dee-Dee Stout, MA
She/Her
Consultant, Counselor, Coach, Trainer. In private practice for individuals and other family members since 1988; HRT since 2000. Greater Bay Area educator & National trainer/consultant since 1989. Currently Adjunct Faculty, Holy Names University (Oakland). Expert in HRP/Harm Reduction Recovery (HRRTM), Motivational Interviewing (Member of MINT), & Trauma-Informed Care with more than 1000 hours of added training in various subjects including Brainspotting, Energy Tapping, Nutrition & Exercise, iRest, CRAFT, Feedback/Outcome Informed Practice, Relapse Prevention, and much more (many evidence-based). Author & writer. Former problematic drug user/person with lived experience with mental health, addictions, & 12-Step.
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Addiction/Behavior Change
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Health Coaching
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Brainspotting
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Invitation to Change Interventions (based on CRAFT & CMC’s work)
Randy Daron, PhD
He/Him
California Licensed Psychologist #23305
Dr. Daron is a licensed clinical psychologist and maintains a private practice in Mill Valley where he sees adults, teens, couples and families. He has a wide range of experience working with diverse clientele with multiple diagnosis and a broad range of challenges in psychiatric inpatient and outpatient clinics, employee assistance programs, and emergency psychiatric clinics. For individuals seeking help to address substance use, his practice is client focused, non-judgmental, non-coercive, understands substance misuse as a as a complex biopsychosocial phenomenon, and is guided by principles of Harm-Reduction. For some client’s particular concerns, his approach is enhanced by his several years’ experience working at the University of California, San Francisco where he held a variety of leadership roles.
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Psychotherapy
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Consultation
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Training/Workshops
Email: drdaron@gmail.com
Phone: (415) 935-4407
Darcy Dittrich, LMFT
She/her
California Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist #142609
I have experience offering Harm Reduction Therapy in community mental health and private practice settings, and feel passionately that emphasizing curiosity, mindfulness, and relational healing often leads to greater success than utilizing shame-based approaches. My clients are welcome to set their own goals; ranging from abstinence to moderation to maintenance. We'll explore both the benefits and costs of using substances, and identify practices that reduce overall harm. For those in relationship with people who use substances, we'll identify how to maintain connection, offer helpful support and practice their own self-care (often drawing from Community Reinforcement and Family Training aka CRAFT model).
My style has been described as warm, intuitive and accepting. I pursue antiracism, feminism, Harm Reduction, Health at Every Size (HAES), LGBTQIA2+ allyship and disability justice. I encourage discussion of intersectional identity. I'm trauma-informed and work to bring collaboration, sensitivity and transparency to our sessions. My background in tech, corporate and creative endeavours allows me to bring a unique perspective into the ways that work affects our lives.
I work with:
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Adults
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Couples
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Teens
Email: darcy@darcydittrich.com
Website: www.darcydittrich.com
Perri Franskoviak, PhD.
She/Her
California Licensed Psychologist #20925
Although the majority of my career has been spent working in community-based settings, at present my primary focus is seeing individuals and couples in my private practice. Trained in harm reduction psychotherapy, Sensorimotor Psychotherapy and Systems-Centered Training, my practice focuses on working with individuals and couples who are experiencing difficulty
managing their relationship to drugs and alcohol as well as the co-occurring development of depression, anxiety and lack of meaning in one’s life that often accompanies such contexts. I am particularly interested in helping those with a history of overwhelming life experiences find greater balance and joy in their lives. More recently I have completed two years of study and training in Emotion Focused Therapy so I can provide greater support to the couples I see. I also provide clinical supervision and training at Alchemy Community Therapy Center in Oakland.
Randy Daron, PhD
Karla Amanda Brown
She Series
California Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist 103907 (also licensed in NV, FL, AZ, UT)
All services are via telehealth
Karla is a Silicon Valley located psychotherapist. She is the Founder & CEO of Soul Centric Counseling Center as well as Soul Centric Collective, an organization dedicated to promoting group psychotherapy.
As a clinician, Karla works with people to find steadiness in their lives after early childhood trauma, toxic relationships, problematic substance use and harmful or unfavorable behaviors. She does her best to meet clients where they are, in order to turn intensity down a few percentage points at a time. She finds that working slowly, yields working smoothly, and that tends to create sustainable living and an increased quality of life.
Karla is also passionate about leading adult relational growth groups and working with couples or family members who find it difficult to connect due to interpersonal and ideological differences, as well as marginalization and social location complexities.
She embodies an understanding of treatment options within and beyond the field of counseling. She believes it is best to make use of both head and heart while supporting clients with learning to live this way as well. Karla serves on the boards of the Northern California Group Psychotherapy Society (NCGPS), the Council for the Advancement of Self Leadership in Indigenous Communities, and the AEDP & Racialized Trauma Vision Collective.
Email: Wellness@SoulCentricCounseling.com
Website: SoulCentricCounseling.com
Jeremy Prillwitz
He/Him
Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselor #LCi12210518
Licensed Advanced Alcohol and Drug Counselor (LAADC)
I have worked as a harm reduction-based counselor for the past ten years, helping people make changes in their substance use.
Harm Reduction Psychotherapy is the holistic treatment philosophy I have embraced throughout my career, mentored by Dee-Dee Stout.
My eclectic approach incorporates ancient Buddhist teachings, Motivational Interviewing, Attachment Theory and a wide range of psychoanalytic theory and technique.
If you are working with me, you are the expert on your life, and we are partners in finding what works best for you.
I was born and raised in Northern California, now based in Sacramento after working as a harm reduction-based substance use counselor for ten years at The Stonewall Project in San Francisco.
I practice meditation, and consider spirituality and compassionate action to be the heart of my existence.
Email: jpharmreduction@gmail.com
Website: jpharmreduction.com
Veronica Peregrino Foster, MA, LMFT
(she, her, ella)
California Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist #80917
Veronica is a Marriage and Family Therapist with over 15 years of clinical experience providing individual, family, couples and group therapy. All services are via telehealth.
Throughout her career, Veronica has provided treatment and counseling to adolescents, young adults, adults and their families –specializing in dual-diagnosis for the treatment of trauma, substance mis-use, self-harming behaviors, depression, anxiety and attachment wounds. Veronica leans on the theories and practices of Harm Reduction Psychology, Nutritional Psychology, Neurospychotherapy and a blend of Buddhist philosophy and Cognitive Therapy (Mindfulness Based -CBT, Mindfulness-Based Relapse Prevention) all conceptualized through the framework of Decolonizing Trauma Work, Multicultural Theory and Bowen Family Systems Theory.
Her practice philosophy focuses on assisting every client find balance, peace, and happiness as it is defined by you. When we live in balance, we are better equipped to handle the storms of life, which can include relationship issues, being stuck in the past, worrying about the future, or struggling with traumatic life experiences. I begin by working with the client to establish an honest and open relationship characterized by mutual trust and support. I believe in an integrative approach, which cultivates mindfulness, emotional resilience, and courage.
A lifestyle of nutritional health, movement, time spent in nature, and mindfulness-based practices has shaped me personally and professionally. These practices of mind, body, and spirit serve me daily, consistently guiding me back to the essence of who I am. As your partner and guide, I will help introduce you to practices that may serve you in a similar way.
Email: veronicafostermft@gmail.com
Website: https://theseawithin.me/
Melissa Eaton, LCSW, LISW-S
She/Her
California Licensed Clinical Social Worker #29275 (also licensed in Ohio)
EMDR Trained Therapist
Ketamine Assisted Therapy
Melissa has been providing harm reduction therapy to individuals and groups since 2014. She is passionate about working with people dealing with trauma symptoms, depression, anxiety, grief and especially those who use any substance(s). She believes that everyone has the inner strength and resilience to overcome obstacles and create positive change in their lives. She is also trained in EMDR and Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy. Melissa works with adults and only offers virtual therapy at this time.
● Psychotherapy
● Clinical Supervision
More information on Psychology Today
Email: melissaeatontherapy@gmail.com
Phone: 440-701-6184
Kristin Dempsey, EdD, LMFT, LPCC
She/Her
California Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist #33809
California Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor #1446
What I most enjoy in my work is helping people become unstuck and focus on moving toward change and growth that is meaningful for them. I listen carefully for important themes while helping individuals identify and strengthen their values and take identifiable steps toward what will be their best life.
I have over 30 years of clinical experience, and I am trained in Motivational Interviewing, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, Radically Open Dialectical Behavior Therapy (Level 2), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR); how I use any one or more of these skills depends on the unique goals or desires of the individual in the room. I pivot from deep listening and presence to offering skills and practice based on what is needed at the time. As a result, my work is evidence-based and culturally informed, while also being flexible and collaborative. My personal goal at the end of each session is that the person I am working with leaves with something they can practice, experiment with, or reflect upon as they move toward understanding themselves and their needs.
I specialize in treating substance use disorders as well as process issues, such as problematic spending, pornography use, internet/gaming, among others. I have a sub-specialty of working with people with co-occurring mental health challenges and substance use disorders. I counsel adults, adolescents, older adults, transitional age youth (16-26), and children, ages 7 to 12.
I have offices in Burlingame, San Francisco, and I see individuals and families via telehealth.
Website: www.kristindempseycounseling.com
Books for clinicians and clients
Email: kristin@kristindempseycounseling.com
Phone: 650-219-7779
Kate Roberts, PhD, MDiv, LCSW
She/They
California Licensed Clinical Social Worker #126708
North Carolina Licensed Clinical Social Worker #C012325
In private practice, I provide therapy for adult individuals navigating their relationship with substances and family members/loved ones seeking support in their own journey with their loved one's substance use and recovery. Licensed in California and North Carolina, I provide telehealth services statewide, with limited in-person availability in Berkeley, CA.
I hold expertise in harm reduction psychotherapy, trauma-informed care, and family systems approaches. Background in community-based practice, social work education, and national policy consultation. I hold almost a decade of experience working in community mental health and private practice settings. I am comfortable with people who hold spiritual or religious practices, as well as those who have experienced religious trauma.
My PhD research focused on care ethics, harm reduction, and how social determinants of health shape substance use among women and mothers. I also provide education and training at the intersection of substance use treatment and policy.
Specialties / Areas of Focus:
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Psychotherapy
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Provider Consultation and Training
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Extensive training in ACT and DBT therapy
Website: www.katerobertslcsw.com
Email: katerobertslcsw@gmail.com
Madeleine Zimmerman, LCSW
She/Her
California Licensed Clinical Social Worker #115843
Colorado Licensed Clinical Social Worker #09931764
Wisconsin Licensed Clinical Social Worker #12411-123
Hey y'all, I'm Madeleine (or Maddie) Zimmerman, MSW, LCSW, CAIMHP, CCTP-I, C-DBT (she, her) and owner of Kinship Care & Therapy. My practice is rooted in harm reduction and trauma-informed care, supporting clients navigating alcohol/substance use, anxiety, trauma, relationship challenges and LGBTQIA+ affirming care. I
I have been utilizing a harm reduction approach in my social work ventures for more than10 years.
I offer virtual therapy across CA and am open to exploring moderation, abstinence, or finding balance in life.
Website: www.kinshipcareandtherapy.com
Joanna Illing, MA, AMFT, APCC
She/They
California Registered Associate Marriage and Family Therapist #151191
California Registered Associate Professional Clinical Counselor #19754
Joanna received her MA in Counseling Psychology from The Wright Institute. Before becoming a therapist, she worked as a software engineer and consultant, which deeply informs her understanding of burnout, perfectionism, and chronic stress. She aims to create a grounded, supportive space where clients can turn down the noise of daily life and begin to hear themselves again.
Joanna practices through an intersectional, systemic, and trauma-informed lens. She is attentive to the ways that identity, privilege, and marginalization can influence our relationships and the ways we move through the world. Her mission is to cultivate a warm, collaborative environment where vulnerability is welcome without judgment.
Joanna’s lived experience with neurodivergence drives her commitment to offering therapy that is attuned to the needs of folks who think, feel, or process the world differently. She works from a strengths-based, curiosity-driven stance to help clients build lives that fit them, not the other way around.
Joanna’s practice is also influenced by her work within LGBTQIA2S+ communities. She welcomes queer and trans clients with a liberatory, identity-affirming approach that honors the complexities of gender and sexuality. She works with relational structures of all kinds, including polyamorous, open, and consensually non-monogamous partnerships.
Joanna sees clients both virtually and in person, and she is currently accepting referrals for individuals (adults and teens aged 13+) and couples or groups of partners.
Outside of therapy, Joanna enjoys spending time in nature, watercoloring, practicing Spanish, watching reality TV, and admiring dogs.
More information on Psychology Today
Email: joanna@youruletherapy.com
