Jan Bowman, PhD

510.594.9569

EMDR

Consultation

Areas of Specialty

I have a general practice. This means that I can be of help with most problems for which people seek psychotherapy. If you do not see your problem described below, please call me to see if I can be of help or if I can provide you with an appropriate referral. Some of the areas in which I have extensive experience are:

* Depression

* Anxiety

* Trauma and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

* Communication problems in all kinds of relationships (work, friendships, romantic relationships, parenting)

* Self-esteem, excessive self-criticism

* Creativity

* Transitions (e.g., divorce, mid-life, career change) issues

* Repetitive, self-defeating behaviors

* Parenting

* Blended families (individuals who are biological or stepparents adjusting to life in a blended family)

* Procrastination

* Work and family life balance

19 Glen Eden Ave.

Oakland, CA 94611

126 Church Street

San Francisco, CA 94114

License #PSY12631

About My Practice

Problem-solving or depth psychotherapy

Therapy may focus on immediate issues that can benefit from a practical, problem-solving perspective. Or therapy may be more depth-oriented, focusing on patterns that underlie long-standing problems. Often, a mixture of the two approaches will lead to the most enduring changes.

Duration of therapy

It is impossible to predict with certainty what goals can be achieved in a given amount of time. In this way, therapy is far more art than science. Some clients have done a satisfying piece of work in little time (say, six months or less), while others are facing longstanding, complex difficulties that require deeper work. Occasionally, clients can make big changes quickly, even with complex, enduring difficulties, given the right combination of readiness, goodness-of-fit between therapist/therapeutic approach and client. In general, the more a problem is rooted in a current situation, rather than a repetitive, enduring issue, the more amenable it may be to brief psychotherapy.

My Therapeutic Orientation

There is much overlap among theories and sometimes they simply use different language to describe the same aspects of mental life. Accelerated Experiential Dynamic Psychotherapy (AEDP) is a major influence on my work because it explicitly aims to synthesize various approaches. This makes it a sort of "meta-theory" and practice. AEDP integrates findings from neuroscience (brain imaging techniques have led to major advances in this area), attachment theory (which studies the origin and maintenance of healthy human connections), emotion theory (which studies the purpose and optimal functioning of emotions), psychodynamic psychotherapy (the study of the unconscious, of conflicting impulses, and the impact of the past upon the present), and somatic psychotherapy (the body and mind relationship, how attending to bodily experiences can be used to facilitate deeper change). I am interested in each of these disciplines individually and find that the way AEDP integrates and builds upon these approaches is particularly effective.

Another approach I use frequently is Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR). EMDR originated as a treatment for trauma. It is now often used to ameliorate a variety of problems. In my experience, EMDR can accelerate and deepen the change process. Although some clinicians offer EMDR as an adjunctive therapy (that is, as a procedure offered for a limited number of sessions when clients are referred by their primary therapist), I believe it is usually most effective within the context of an established therapeutic relationship. Please click on this link if you would like more information about EMDR: www.emdr.com/briefdes.htm.

In addition to the major modalities described above, I am influenced by Internal Family Systems and ego states theory and modern psychoanalytic psychotherapy, especially the relational school. I have some training in cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT); although I occasionally incorporate CBT practices and homework, CBT is not my main therapeutic approach.

Background and Experience

I have been providing psychotherapy to adult individuals since 1985, including ten years at Kaiser Permanente Department of Psychiatry in Oakland, where I gained experience with brief psychotherapy. I also provide supervision and training to interns through clinics in Oakland and San Francisco. I earned my Ph.D. at the California School of Professional Psychology (now Alliant University).