Cynthia Engel is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker specializing in the treatment of adults and children with trauma, depression, anxiety and low confidence.
Her clinical approach is influenced by ego state and attachment theory, and advances in neurobiology. It is based on the assumption that early life experiences and relationships can significantly affect how we think about ourselves and our world. It can also affect how we handle life's challenges, manage our emotions, make decisions, create an identity, accept imperfections and personal responsibility, and experience our relationships.
Please explore this web site to learn more about her services. Feel free to make contact by phone (707) 528-2117, or via e-mail to ce_cynthia-engel.com, if you have any questions, or to schedule an appointment.
Adult Therapy
I believe that we are born with an innate desire to live authentic and meaningful lives, but we can get stuck in patterns of behavior and thinking that disconnect us from ourselves and others and from our life goals.
Depending on your treatment needs, I employ different methods, and offer practical and effective approaches for resolving simple to complex problems.
I have specialized training in The Developmental Needs Meeting Strategy (DNMS), an ego state therapy approach for treating adults with unresolved childhood attachment wounds. This includes adults who experienced childhood trauma, neglect, enmeshment, or inadequate parenting. It is based on what is known about how a child's brain develops within a secure attachment relationship. It applies specific and gentle protocols for treating adults with problems that are linked to, or exacerbated by unmet developmental needs.
More information about DNMS is available at the DNMS Institutes website www.dnmsinstitute.com.
Psychotherapy for Children and Adolescents
Has your child experienced a difficult life event, such as divorce, abuse, trauma; major illness in the family; or a recent loss such as the death of a significant person or a parent leaving on military deployment?
Has your child experienced an increase in physical complaints such as headaches, stomachaches, or general malaise, despite a normal physical exam?
Is your child becoming absorbed in computer/video games?
Does your child feel pressure to overachieve?
Children sometimes need help to express and cope with difficult emotions, life stresses, and significant life events. Psychotherapy can help children develop understanding of the underlying issues or needs that create problematic beliefs, emotions and behaviors, and move them toward solutions. It can also teach them stress management, coping strategies and communication skills.
I work collaboratively with parents to support their understanding of their child's needs, and to foster a close and meaningful connection. Depending on a child's particular challenges, I may recommend psychological testing, individual therapy, sessions with parents and children together, or parents-only sessions. I also provide consultation with school personnel and health care professionals to help support the child's healthy development.
Group Therapy for Children
Group therapy can offer many advantages to children, including opportunities to address shared issues or concerns, solve problems and learn skills in an atmosphere of peer support and camaraderie. It can be a supplement to individual therapy or be of value in its own right. For children experiencing the impact of trauma, group therapy can be a powerful method of treatment and an essential component of their recovery.
I currently co-facilitate ongoing time-limited groups for children who have been victims of sexual abuse. Please contact me if you are interested in finding out more about this group.
Professional Experience
I have been licensed by the State of California since 1986 and have been in private practice for fifteen years. My license in clinical social work qualifies me to provide counseling and psychotherapy to children, adults and families. I earned a Masters Degree in Clinical Social Work from the University of Washington in 1983 after receiving a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of California at Berkeley.
For seven years, I served as Program Director at CARE Childrens Counseling Center in Santa Rosa, providing psychotherapy, consultation and oversight of both the Crisis Project and the Child Abuse Treatment Project funded by the Governors Office of Criminal Justice Programs Division. I have also worked at two other community-based social service agencies and was one of the founders of a child sexual abuse treatment program in Oakland, California. I have worked with veterans and their families at the American Lake Veterans Administration Medical Center in the rehabilitation medicine unit, acute inpatient psychiatric unit, the geriatric day center program, and the domestic violence program. I completed a clinical internship at a domestic violence shelter in Seattle.
I was trained in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), Levels I and II in 1999. EMDR is an 8-Phase protocol designed to resolve trauma memories. Although it was designed for resolving single-incident, adult-onset traumas, protocols have been adapted for children. In 2001, I was trained in The Developmental Needs Meeting Strategy (DNMS), and have facilitated at DNMS trainings of therapists around the country. I have been a member of the National Association of Social Workers since 1983.
Patient Forms:
Client Intake for Adolescents and Children (click on icon).
Client intake for Adults (click on icon).
For appointments call
707-528 2117
