Dr Gretchen Kishbaugh

Licensed Psychologist

“I offer careful listening and collaborative engagement in the service of working toward your goals.”

About Me

I believe therapy thrives when we work together. My approach centres on careful listening, creating a space where you feel truly heard. We'll collaboratively engage with your concerns, exploring what matters most to you. This partnership helps us understand your unique experiences and identify practical steps forward. This approach suits those ready to actively shape their journey and work towards clear objectives.

Approach

That partnership shows up in sessions as a steady, attuned presence that helps you notice patterns and try small experiments tailored to your life. In my office in Petaluma I combine focused play, dream exploration and gentle inquiry so children, parents and adults can explore feelings, behaviour and meaning at a comfortable pace. Between meetings I often suggest simple practices or reflections to test what shifts. People who want practical insight and collaborative momentum usually find this approach helpful.

Contact Gretchen

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Basic Information

Petaluma, United States

In-person

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Services

Services Offered:

Child / Adolescent Therapy
Therapy for children and teenagers using age-appropriate methods, such as play, art, or adapted talk therapy, to address emotional and behavioural difficulties.
Learn more about Child / Adolescent Therapy
Dream Analysis
A technique that explores the themes, symbols, and emotions in dreams to uncover unconscious thoughts and unresolved feelings.
Learn more about Dream Analysis
Relationship Counseling
Counselling for couples or partners focused on improving communication, rebuilding trust, and strengthening emotional connection.
Mindfulness
The practice of paying deliberate attention to the present moment without judgement, used to reduce stress and increase awareness of automatic reactions.
Learn more about Mindfulness
Play Therapy
A therapy for children that uses play as a natural form of communication, allowing them to express feelings and process difficult experiences.
Learn more about Play Therapy
Family Therapy
A form of therapy that works with family members together to improve communication, resolve conflict, and strengthen relationships within the family system.
Learn more about Family Therapy
Individual Therapy
One-on-one therapy sessions between a client and a therapist, focused on that person's specific concerns and goals.
Learn more about Individual Therapy
Psychodynamic Therapy
A therapy that explores how past experiences and unconscious patterns shape current feelings, relationships, and behaviour.
Learn more about Psychodynamic Therapy
Stress Management
Techniques and strategies for managing the body and mind's response to excessive demands, including relaxation, cognitive restructuring, and lifestyle changes.
Learn more about Stress Management
Skills Training
Structured programmes that teach practical coping and life skills, such as emotional regulation, interpersonal effectiveness, and distress tolerance.
Learn more about Skills Training

Works With:

All ages

Area of Expertise

Scope of Practice:

Behaviour or Conduct Issues
Persistent patterns of defiant, aggressive, or rule-breaking behaviour in children or adolescents that significantly disrupt home, school, or social life.
Child Psych & Diagnostic Assessment
Formal assessment of a child's psychological, cognitive, or emotional functioning to identify conditions and guide appropriate support.
Personal Development
The ongoing process of self-awareness, self-improvement, and reaching one's potential, pursued not because something is wrong but to live more fully.
Dream Work
The exploration of dream content (themes, symbols, and emotions) to gain insight into unconscious feelings, conflicts, and desires.
Learn more about Dream Work
Family Issues
Difficulties within the family system, including conflict, communication breakdown, blended family tensions, or intergenerational patterns, that affect individual and collective well-being.
PTSD
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, a condition that develops after a traumatic event, causing flashbacks, nightmares, hypervigilance, and emotional numbness.
Learn more about PTSD
Relationship Issues
Difficulties in romantic relationships, including communication problems, trust breakdowns, conflict patterns, or uncertainty about the relationship's future.
Learn more about Relationship Issues
Parenting Support
Guidance for the psychological challenges of raising children, including discipline, communication, co-parenting, and managing the emotional demands of parenthood.
Stress / Burnout
The body and mind's response to prolonged or excessive demands. When sustained, it can lead to emotional exhaustion, detachment, and reduced functioning (burnout).
Learn more about Stress / Burnout