TIMEA TENKEI LMFT, BCBA
Meet Timea Tenkei LMFT, BCBA
I am a licensed Marriage & Family Therapist (LMFT) working for the past 19 years in the mental health field in California and in Europe. I was born and raised in Europe and completed my undergraduate degree in New York and my graduate degrees in California.
My goal as a therapist is to help individuals and families uncover and utilize their personal strengths to overcome their challenges and to meet their therapeutic goals.
I assist my clients by helping them to develop new skills with a down to earth, friendly and proactive approach. Using client-centered techniques, I provide a safe space for clients to feel heard, understood and respected. I incorporate Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), Solution Focused & Mindfulness therapies to assist clients in learning how to identify and manage unhelpful thoughts & feelings, practice appropriate social skills, establish and maintain healthy boundaries and teach healthy coping strategies and effective communication skills.
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I support children, teens, and adults who are struggling with life challenges, attachment issues, trauma, domestic violence, issues around sexuality, eating disorders, self-image, self-esteem, immigration issues, gender identity, school difficulties, parenting challenges and women's issues.
Early on in my career, I directed my focus working with children and adults living with various forms of disabilities and learnt to support them through the every day challenges they experience systemically. In order to to provide the highest level of care, I completed my masters training in Applied Behavioral Analysis and became a Board Certified Behavior Analyst.
I believe that working collaboratively with individuals with disabilities takes a special level of attention and care. I combine my education and experience with understanding and compassion, which creates an ideal environment for my clients.They have taught me that transparency and honesty are key to be effective as a clinician.
In my work, the therapeutic relationship is essential for establishing and reaching goals, and therefore building this will be the focus of the initial sessions. As my client progresses, I place great emphasis on collaboration and by utilizing a strength based approach.
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Why Marriage and Family Therapy?
The various ways family therapy can support you
Children
As a child becomes comfortable in therapy, they learn to be more mindful of their emotions and learn self-awareness, discover healthy coping strategies and develop confidence as they overcome their struggles. My specialty areas are:
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ADHD
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Autism
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Learning disability
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Physical disability
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Down syndrome
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Developmental disability
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Anxiety or Depression
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Behavioral issues
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Divorce or separation adjustment
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Grief and loss of a loved one or pet
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Separation anxiety
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School issues and poor academic performance
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Video game and screen addiction
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Trauma (surviving abuse, sexual assault, neglect, etc.)
Couples Therapy
Couples therapy isn’t easy and requires exposing difficult feelings. I work hard to create an atmosphere of safety and security because these are the key ingredients for couples need to see themselves through a rough patch. The work focuses on developing a manual for how each partner operates as they gain greater flexibility in the ups and downs of money, kids and sex.
Individual Therapy
Lets think of these individual sessions as a therapeutic journey where one becomes more self-aware and pursues self-growth during a collaborative process. We can be faced with various barriers that affect emotional and mental health well being. Therapy is a resourceful way of confronting these. Barriers can be depression, anxiety, relationship problems (with peers or with family), stress, career motivations, issues around disability or issues with sexuality.
Family Therapy
Yes, it is therapy for the whole or some of its parts. Initially parents prefer having their child in the session alone, but the goal is to get all family members present. The goals of these sessions is to help family members help each other. This type of therapeutic space is created for any one in a close relationship to express or to explore, to listen or to speak, to understand and appreciate the others safely and respectfully. The idea is to learn about the needs of the others, find dormant strengths within and find ways to live together more harmoniously.
Schools
I offer consulting services for educators working with students with mental health issues and disability, providing support for managing these issues in the school setting.
D&D Therapy
I am now offering Dungeons & Dragons based social skills and mental health therapy groups in Santa Rosa and other cities in the north and east bays of San Francisco.
D&D is a roleplaying game that creates a special space for clients to engage in group therapy as a powerful avatar of themselves, which can act like a super powered conduit for therapeutic growth. These groups provide clients with a sense of autonomy which they utilize in developing important self regulation and executive function skills. This therapeutic milieu is particularly supportive for Autistic, ADHD and otherwise Neurodivergent individuals as well as for people who are affected by electronics addiction. It is appropriate for people ages 8 and up.
Education
Brandman University, Los Angeles
2018-2019 Masters certificate in Applied Behavioral Analysis
California School of Professional Psychology, Alliant International University, San Diego
2003-2005 Master of Arts in Marriage and Family Therapy
City University of New York / Hunter College, New York City
1998-2002 Bachelor of Arts in Psychology
Services
Click on the service tabs for more information
Contact Information
Contact Info
Phone
Address
415-260-9350
850 3rd Street, Santa Rosa, CA, 95404