All associates have completed their graduate programs and hold master’s degrees. Our associates are carefully selected based on their experience and skills. They all work under the supervision of Nes Pinar, consulting about their clients weekly to provide excellent care.
Seeing an associate can be very beneficial because:
Their education is based on the most current research in the field.
They receive support and supervision every week (1-3 hours per week) while collecting the 3,000 hours required by the licensing board before they can take their licensing exams.
They can offer a sliding scale as needed, providing the most affordable yet high-quality therapy.
Current Associate Team
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Deb Shell, AMFT, is an Associate Marriage and Family Therapist and holds a Master’s Degree in Counseling Psychology from The Wright Institute.
She is committed to supporting her clients to help them find calm in the chaos and light in the darkness. Deb believes that if we change the conversation from problems to solutions and weaknesses to strengths, we can reach our potential and change our narrative to something we never imagined possible. Deb offers a safe space free from judgment and considers race, values, culture, religion, gender, and all intersectionalities of a client’s identity/lived experience when identifying how to support them.
Having worked as a counselor in a school setting, Deb can support parents in advocating for their child and navigating the system to support getting their child the most appropriate accommodations. Deb works with individuals, couples, and families of all ages and stages of life.
In addition, she supports parents/caregivers and children struggling with: Neurodiversity, Tic Disorders, Sensory Overload, Anxiety/Fears, Depression, Giftedness, Social Skills, Big Emotions, Challenging Behaviors, Power Dynamic Struggles, Resistance, Gender/Identity, Transitioning, Families/Divorce, Making Sense of Loss, Marriage conflict.
Deb is also the founder of TechNKids, an organization with a mission to educate both parents and kids on the impact technology has on our youth’s mental health as well as inform parents of safeguards that allow them to embrace technology while also protecting their children’s mental health.
Deb is a mom to three kids who keep her busy in her spare time. When she does have a moment to herself, she can be found playing piano or guitar and singing. She also loves all things studio arts including drawing, painting and sculpting. Hiking the trails of the Bay Area is where she finds her inner peace.
Deb is available in-person in Lafayette as well as online.
Please visit www.debshell.com for more information about Deb.
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Tim O'Keefe trained in Integral Counseling Psychology at the California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS) and orients around a Gestalt approach to growth and healing that invites the fullness of the present moment. His approach can be playful and his demeanor warm and accepting, leaning into experimentation with awareness and exploration of all of our inner parts. He takes a deep interest in supporting connection with our true selves and in living from a place of goodness and connection with our shared experience of existence and consciousness.
With all of his clients, Tim focuses on co-creating a relationship where expression and exploration are key to inviting all of ourselves, the light and the dark, to be seen and accepted without judgment. He has extensive training and experience with integration practices and working with non-ordinary states of consciousness and welcomes in the numinous, the spiritual, and the transpersonal in the exploration of our emergent expression of the collective consciousness through creativity, reflection, and mindful curiosity.
When he's not working with clients, Tim loves spending time raising his kids and chickens, singing and playing music, creating large-scale art and immersive experiences, and playing in the ocean.
Tim is available for in-person sessions in Lafayette and Rockridge as well as online.
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AdrianGebhartTherapy@gmail.com
Sometimes life presents us with seemingly insurmountable challenges. But everyone deserves to find joy and love within themselves, to know that they are not alone even when things appear to be at their lowest. To that end, it is Adrian’s aim to offer her clients a safe space to explore all parts of themselves, and to feel acknowledged and valued in that process.
Adrian’s approach is deeply personalized and adaptable drawing from a range of modalities including drama therapy, expressive arts, mindfulness, and talk therapy. Whether you’re seeking to explore your inner world through creative expression or prefer a more traditional conversational approach, she tailors her methods to what resonates most with you.
Adrian is passionate about offering care from an intersectional lens to a variety of populations. She provides queer and gender-affirming care, and she is dedicated to supporting neurodivergent clients as well as individuals from diverse cultural and racial backgrounds. Adrian strongly believes in embracing and honoring all aspects of your identity with gentle curiosity and respect.
Adrian holds a Master’s in Psychology with a concentration in Drama Therapy from the California Institute of Integral Studies. Her background as a theater teaching artist has influenced her journey, guiding her to integrate theater and expressive arts into her therapeutic practice. This unique blend of experience allows her to offer a rich, multifaceted approach to therapy.
Adrian is here to support you in discovering and nurturing your authentic self though whatever way feels best for you.
Clinical areas of interest:
Queer and trans affirming care
Polyamory
Neurodiversity primarily experienced with autism and ADHD/ADD)
Identity exploration
2SLGBTQIA+/Kink friendly/Sex positivity
Depression
Anxiety
Attachment, trauma, and stress-related issues
Spirituality
Low self-esteem and confidence
Suicidal ideation/self-harm
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In the past decade, Marisa has worked as a teacher, wellness practitioner, artist, expressive movement facilitator, and now a therapist. She brings her experience in these varied fields into the therapy room. Marisa holds a master’s degree in Marriage and Family Therapy from The Wright Institute of Berkeley. Marisa has spent the past two years strengthening children and families who have been affected by complex trauma.
Everybody has a story, moments of darkness and light, pain and joy, that they carry with them wherever they go. A therapist is someone who has the honor of holding these stories along with their clients so their load may become a little lighter. Marisa invests warmth, curiosity, humor and non-judgmental support into learning her clients’ stories, drawing connections, and helping to put all the pieces into place. Marisa utilizes strength-based humanistic approaches that can empower clients in authoring their own narrative. Marisa enjoys working with CBT and mindfulness-based interventions for tangible practices clients can incorporate into their lives as well as narrative therapy, art therapy, and other interventions that can support clients’ self-expression and overall well-being.
Marisa specializes in personality disorders, disordered eating, sexual trauma, childhood trauma, relationship issues, couples counseling, anxiety, life transitions, and depression.
Marisa works under the supervision of Nes Pinar, LMFT, and is available for in-person or telehealth sessions in Lafayette.