Meet Our Clinicians
Bonnie Bonner, LMHC
My therapy style is warm, collaborative, and insight-oriented. I strive to create a space where clients feel comfortable being fully themselves while also feeling gently challenged to explore patterns that may no longer be serving them. I balance curiosity and compassion with practical guidance, helping clients gain a deeper understanding of themselves while building tools to navigate life's challenges with greater confidence and clarity. My work is informed primarily by Acceptance and Commitment Theory (ACT), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) and Solution-Focused approaches. I help clients explore how past experiences and learned patterns influence their current thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. At the same time, I incorporate practical strategies that support meaningful change in daily life.
Clients can expect a supportive and engaging space where we explore current challenges. Sessions often involve discussing recent experiences, identifying recurring patterns, processing emotions, and developing new ways of responding to stressors. Depending on a client's needs, we may focus on gaining insight, building coping skills, strengthening relationships, or working toward specific goals. I aim to help clients leave sessions feeling both understood and empowered.
Whether someone is adjusting to changing family dynamics, caring for both children and aging parents, questioning long-held roles and identities, or feeling overwhelmed by stress and expectations, I enjoy helping them gain perspective and reconnect with their values. I am continually inspired by people's capacity for growth and resilience. What is especially meaningful to me is helping clients understand themselves while also developing practical ways to create change in the present. I strive to bring both deep exploration with actionable support, helping clients make sense of their experiences and feel more capable of navigating life's complexities.
Curiosity, compassion, authenticity and unconditional positive regard are values that guide my work. I believe growth begins with understanding rather than self-criticism, and I encourage clients to approach themselves with the same kindness they often offer others. Outside of therapy, I enjoy spending time with family and my puppies, being outdoors, thrifting, reading every book genre, exercising (especially yoga and weight lifting), all music, and learning new things.
You don't need to be in crisis or have all the answers (or questions!) to benefit from therapy. Many people come to therapy because they feel stuck, overwhelmed, disconnected, or simply ready to better understand themselves. Reaching out can feel vulnerable, but you don't have to navigate life's challenges alone. My goal is to provide a supportive, nonjudgmental space where we can work together toward the changes that matter most to you.
Common issues I work with include:
anxiety
depression
addiction issues
parenting challenges
life transitions
the unique questions that often arise during midlife…
"The goal isn't perfection...it's living with greater understanding, connection, and intention."
Natalia Cepeda, LMHC, MA, MS, MBSR Certified Teacher
My style is collaborative, and insight-oriented, with a holistic lens that considers the whole person—mind, body, relationships, and lived experience. I strive to create a space where you feel genuinely seen and understood, and safe enough to explore your inner world with curiosity and without judgment.
I specialize in mindfulness-based approaches and have many years of experience leading Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) groups, including groups for chronic pain and chronic migraine. My work also integrates elements of IFS, CBT and Socratic Inquiry, psychodynamic and humanistic approaches, neuroplasticity, and somatic work.
I believe that many of the ways we think, feel, and respond are shaped by past experiences and patterns that can operate outside our awareness. Therapy can help us recognize these patterns, understand how the past may be influencing the present, and begin practicing new ways of relating to ourselves and our lives. Insight is important, but so is practice: change often develops as we learn to respond differently rather than automatically repeating what is familiar.
I especially enjoy supporting people navigating chronic pain or illness, anxiety, relationship challenges, stress and burnout, grief and loss, trauma, life transitions, and women’s issues.
You don’t need to have everything figured out before starting therapy. We can begin with where you are, at a pace that feels right for you, and work toward greater awareness, resilience, and connection with yourself.
Areas of focus:
Chronic pain and illness
Anxiety, Depression, OCD
Relationship challenges
Stress and burnout
Grief and loss
Trauma
Life transitions
Women’s issues
"Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom." - Victor E. Frankl
Doreen Drujan, Master’s Level Therapist
At the heart of my counseling philosophy is the belief that healing begins within the safety of a genuine and compassionate relationship. I strive to create a therapeutic space grounded in trust, authenticity, and unconditional positive regard—one where you can show up fully as yourself without judgment. My role is to meet you exactly where you are—emotionally, cognitively, and culturally—and to walk alongside you as you navigate life’s complexities and rediscover your inner strength.
My approach is rooted in the belief that each person is the expert on their own life. Together, we’ll explore what feels most relevant to your healing, honoring both your vulnerabilities and your resilience. Drawing from a humanistic and existential framework, I integrate evidence-based techniques from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), and mindfulness-based practices. This flexible approach allows us to tailor therapy to your unique needs—whether that means challenging unhelpful patterns, learning new coping strategies, or deepening your connection to yourself and others. My intention is always to foster self-awareness, compassion, and growth at a pace that feels right for you.
Cultural humility and respect for individuality are at the center of my work. I am committed to understanding and honoring the diverse backgrounds, identities, and values of my clients. By cultivating openness and curiosity, I aim to co-create a therapeutic space that reflects your worldview and supports your healing journey.
Therapy is not about fixing what is broken—it’s about understanding, integrating, and nurturing what is already within you. Whether you are seeking relief from emotional pain, greater clarity, or simply a place to feel seen and heard, I am here to accompany you in that process. Together, we can work toward healing, resilience, and a more grounded sense of self.
Common issues I work with include:
depression
anxiety
impacts of childhood trauma/complex post-traumatic stress (cPTSD)
major life transitions
those seeking deeper self-understanding
Doreen receives supervision from Erin Vahratian, LMHC
Danielle Van Alst, LMHC
My style is warm, collaborative, and insight‑oriented, with a holistic lens that honors the whole person mind, body, and lived experience. I strive to create a space where clients feel gently supported while also invited into deeper self‑understanding and meaningful growth.The heart of my work is connection. It matters deeply to me that clients feel seen, heard, and genuinely understood. I want therapy to feel like a place where people can exhale, where they feel safe enough to share openly and explore their inner world without judgment.
I take an eclectic approach, drawing from a variety of modalities to meet each client’s unique needs. I’m especially drawn to psychodynamic work, IFS, humanistic approaches, CBT, attachment‑based frameworks, and somatic modalities. I integrate these flexibly so therapy can feel both personalized and deeply supportive. Sessions with me tend to feel grounded, warm, and collaborative. I bring a holistic perspective, so we might explore thoughts, emotions, bodily experiences, and the larger context of your life. You can expect a space where curiosity is welcomed, insights emerge naturally, and we move at a pace that feels right for you.
I’m drawn to this work because I believe deeply in the healing power of being truly understood. It’s a privilege to walk alongside people as they make sense of their experiences, reconnect with themselves, and discover new possibilities for their lives. Holding space for someone’s growth feels meaningful and profoundly human. I most enjoy working with adults and elders, supporting individuals and couples across different seasons of life.
My approach is rooted in the belief that healing happens through both insight and connection. I blend depth‑oriented exploration with practical tools, always honoring the wisdom clients already carry within them. What feels most meaningful to me is helping people reconnect with their inner clarity, resilience, and sense of wholeness. Curiosity, compassion, mindfulness, and groundedness guide the way I show up in the therapy room. I approach each client with openness and respect, trusting that their story deserves to unfold at its own pace.
You don’t have to have everything figured out before starting therapy. You’re welcome exactly as you are. My role is to walk with you, not ahead of you, and to create a space where you can explore, heal, and grow with support that feels steady and genuine.
Common issues I work with include:
life transitions
women’s issues
anxiety
stress/burnout
relationship challenges
grief and loss
chronic pain and illness
body image concerns
eating disorders
“Healing begins the moment we choose to listen to ourselves with compassion.”
Sara Brown, Master’s Level Therapist
My style is warm, collaborative, and insight-oriented, with a balance of curiosity and practical skill-building. I strive to create a space where clients feel understood and accepted, while also working together toward meaningful and lasting change. My style is compassionate and relational, but I also appreciate structure and evidence-based tools when they are helpful. I believe healing happens within safe, genuine relationships. Trust, honesty, and collaboration are especially important to me. I want clients to feel respected, never judged, and empowered to bring all parts of themselves into the space.
My training is rooted in DBT, ACT, and Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), all of which I loosely incorporate into a client-centered approach with each unique individual I work with. I value understanding both the deeper patterns that shape our lives, and the practical skills that help us navigate everyday challenges. I tailor treatment to each client’s needs rather than relying on a one-size-fits-all approach.Clients can expect a warm, thoughtful, and collaborative atmosphere. Some sessions may focus on processing emotions and exploring patterns, while others may involve learning coping skills, setting goals, or practicing new ways of responding to difficult situations. I strive to balance insight with action so that therapy feels both meaningful and useful.
I am passionate about helping people build self-trust, develop self-compassion, and create lives that feel more aligned with their values. I enjoy working with adults of all backgrounds, particularly with individuals who may struggle with anxiety, people-pleasing, or feeling disconnected from themselves and others.I believe everyone deserves compassion and that healing is possible, even when life has been difficult. Sometimes it takes having another set of eyes on you and your situation to bring light to the healing energy we all possess within ourselves. I am honored to be part of and share that journey with my clients.
Curiosity, compassion, authenticity, humility, and balance are all values that guide my work. I also value self-compassion, connection, and helping clients move away from all-or-nothing thinking toward greater flexibility and self-understanding. You do not have to have everything figured out before starting therapy. You don’t need the “right” words or a perfect explanation for what you’re experiencing. My hope is to provide a space where you can show up as you are, feel understood, and work together toward the changes that matter most to you.
Common issues I work with include:
anxiety
perfectionism
self-criticism
life transitions
relationship difficulties
the effects of childhood experiences and trauma.
“I did then what I knew how to do. Now that I know better, I do better.” - Maya Angelou
Sara receives supervision from Erin Vahratian, LMHC
Nicole Ma, Master’s Level Therapist
I believe that therapy should be a space where you feel genuinely heard, understood and accepted without judgment. Reaching out for support can feel vulnerable, and my goal is to create a warm, compassionate environment where you can safely explore your thoughts, emotions and experiences at your own pace.
My approach is collaborative, person-centered and tailored to your unique needs. I draw from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Attachment-Based Therapy, Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) and mindfulness-informed approaches to help clients gain insight into their experiences, develop practical tools for managing challenges and build more fulfilling relationships.
I enjoy working with young adults and adults navigating anxiety, stress, self-esteem concerns, relationship challenges, identity exploration and major life transitions. I am particularly passionate about supporting individuals from diverse backgrounds, including Asian Americans, immigrants and those navigating cultural identity and family expectations.
My training in clinical mental health counseling and couple and family systems has deepened my understanding of how relationships, family experiences and cultural backgrounds shape our emotional well-being and sense of self. I strive to understand each client's unique story, values and experiences and I welcome clients from diverse cultural backgrounds. Services are available in English, Cantonese and Mandarin.
You don't need to have everything figured out before starting therapy. Whether you're facing a specific challenge or simply looking for a space to better understand yourself, I would be happy to support you on your journey toward healing and growth.
Common issues I work with include:
anxiety
stress
self-esteem
relationship challenges
issues of cultural identity and immigration
life transitions
"Healing begins when we feel safe enough to be seen, understood and accepted as we are."
Nicole receives supervision from Erin Vahratian, LMHC
Bianca Staudt, LICSW
You’re eager to come home to yourself and grow roots there—no matter what life throws your way. Life can be both messy and beautiful, and in the midst of it all, we can lose touch with the inner wisdom that helps us move through changing seasons. We may feel far from ourselves, longing for confidence, peace, or contentment. This is your invitation to return to yourself—to rediscover the joy, creativity, and inner guidance that may have felt out of reach. Together, we’ll create a space that feels alive, compassionate, and safe for your whole self to unfold.
My style is collaborative, relational, and insight-oriented. When structure is useful (such as for OCD treatment), I aim to lean into that with warmth, curiosity, and playfulness at the forefront. I believe healing can include laughter, play, and moments of wonder alongside deep, authentic emotional work. As you strengthen self-compassion and your capacity for joy you can begin to experience greater ease in your relationships and a more vibrant connection with life itself. I’m most interested in what's true and feels right for you in the moment; my hope is that you can rest into the space we are creating together, instead of feeling pressure to be some idealized version of yourself.
I am overall an integrative therapist, rooted in attachement-based and relational approaches. I utilize expressive arts therapy, mindfulness, and somatic awareness to help you reconnect with your body’s wisdom and your innate spark. From there, based on your goals & interest, I may also work with psychoanalysis, symbols/imagery, systemic/feminist/ecological frameworks, self-compassion cultivation, and Internal Family Systems. I utilize imagery re-scripting for trauma and I also have specialized training in I-CBT for OCD, and may integrate ERP as useful. I also have the option for adjunctive in person sandplay intensives.
In a typical session I ask questions and stay curious about what's happening in the mind, body, and emotions, and their origins. I find this has to feel truly witnessed as a first step. We then might shift into embodying or processing this experience through one of the above modalities. There are stages of this - first, getting to know each other and the present moment experience, as we begin connecting to & amplifying relationship and trust with your own inner wisdom. From there, we can process experiences with greater support & compassion. Through movement, art, reflection, and presence, we’ll explore what it means to trust yourself again—to feel more grounded, open, and authentically you.
I work with people who want to feel more rooted and confident in themselves—whether you're discovering who you are in new ways or moving through an important life change. I enjoy working with women & nonbinary folks, creatives, folks who identify as highly sensitive people, folks who identify as "perfectionists" or "people pleasers" and want to find and develop their own sense of self, caregivers, and people who like to think outside of the box. Many of the folks I support are navigating transitions like entering young adulthood/quarter-life, shifting in midlife, or facing the complexities of major illness, grief, and end-of-life caregiving. I also walk with people exploring post-traumatic growth, reconnecting with creativity, or seeking a whole-person approach to wellbeing. Often, I simply meet people in that tender place of feeling tired and ready for something new.
Common issues I work with include:
anxiety
emerging adulthood & life transitions
self-esteem
burnout
caregiving
grief
trauma
life-threatening illness/cancer recovery
spirituality/meaning making
ocd
"the stars began to burn through the sheets of clouds and there was a new voice which you slowly
recognized as your own." - Mary Oliver
Erin Vahratian, LMHC, Practice Owner & Clinical Supervisor
You can find more information about me here. I am passionate about providing accessible, compassionate care and I believe we all have an innate capacity to heal.
Contact Sacred Space Psychotherapy
Reach out to our small group practice that is grounded in a holistic approach, honoring the connection between mind, body, and spirit. We believe in creating a sacred space-a safe haven-for you to explore your experiences, reconnect with your inner wisdom and move towards greater wholeness.