TIFFANY COTTER, ANXIETY & TRAUMA THERAPIST

In Berkeley & online throughout California

Turn toward a larger life filled with confidence, joy, & peace!

Your anxious voice stops you from doing what you’d like to do in life. Your internal critical voice can be painfully harsh. You continue to put other people first with no energy for yourself. You want help to make changes in life but you have some concerns. 

You’re in the right place.

My name is Tiffany, and I am not your typical talk therapist.

Are you worried that …

Therapy can feel stressful or stuffy.

I'm down to earth, use humor, and have been known to swear in session with my clients. Clients most often share that they feel seen in sessions – and that they feel way more relaxed than they anticipated during therapy. They also are surprised about how often we laugh, even when doing a lot of hard work  -- sometimes we even laugh about the hard work!

There are too many choices.

You've thought about counseling in the past, but were overwhelmed with trying to choose a person, an approach, whether to try telehealth or find someone close to your office. There are so many choices – you were simply overwhelmed by the process. You wondered whether it even might help.

You’ve tried a lot already and you’re tired.

You’ve tried everything else researching coping skills, using meditation apps, and talking to your friends. You’re often too exhausted to read or even listen to a helpful book, and the books you have read haven’t really helped. And whenever you talk to someone you know about what’s happening for you, you become increasingly worried about being a burden to those closest to you.

You’ve done therapy before, and it didn’t help.

Have you tried therapy, but didn't feel different or notice any progress. Or maybe counseling was uncomfortable and you feel it went too deep, too fast?. Or maybe you felt stuck.

Healing might not be bubble baths and yoga, but healing also doesn’t have to feel like hiking up a hill in 110 degree heat or getting stuck in quicksand.

Hi, I’m Tiffany

 I help professional women, queer folx and transfolx who are struggling with anxiety, confidence, or trauma to halt their loud internal critical voices, find their power, and make important decisions about their future.

Compassionate. Collaborative. Interactive.

This is Not Talk Therapy

The approaches I offer are not talk therapy. You don’t have to understand the details now, but you may rest assured that we will collaborate to determine which approach works for you. We come together, try various exercises, experiments, or explorations, have an animated dialogue, and determine which path feels right for you during each session.

Therapy with me might look like delving into relevant information from the past but it also might be creating goals for the future or making sure you’re feeling connected with other humans. And pets! 

Why Clients Trust Me

I’ve struggled with feeling anxious my whole life … accelerated heart rate, feeling distracted, difficulty quieting those inner voices, especially my inner critic! I’ve passionately embraced extensive training in the coping tools and approaches I’ll share with you because they personally helped me. These strategies go beyond mindfulness, meditation apps, and talk therapy.

I can help you:

 
  • The result of using what I’ve learned has resulted in my inner critic significantly softening to become more of a very relaxed coach with a lot of Zen. I want to help you soften your inner critic too! Women and transfolx often have the loudest critical voice inside. Let’s quiet that voice.

  • In my work, I have learned how to breathe. Have you ever had someone say to you, “Just Breathe!” Then you try breathing, but it makes you more anxious or simply doesn’t help. Breathing isn’t as straightforward as we’re led to believe! My clients have learned the specific rhythm and style that works best for them, and each one of my clients approaches breathing differently! There are other coping strategies and exercises I can share with you. Let’s create a toolbox specific to your needs.

  • My personal therapy journey has helped me to learn about my own trauma history. As EMDR Therapy and IFS Therapy helped in my own healing, I trained in EMDR , and IFS. I also am trained in Flash and CBT. I particularly enjoy working with individuals who are open to approaches that aren’t traditional “talk therapy.”

  • I am an integrated, trauma-informed therapist. I offer a comprehensive and integrated approach drawing from EMDR, Internal Family Systems, Attachment Theory, Neurobiology, Structural Dissociation, Sensorimotor, and Somatic Experiencing. If you don’t know what all those approaches are, no worries. I will explain them as we move along, or as your interest rises. Sometimes I use short videos and animations as tools toward understanding how a technique or strategy might be helpful for you.

  • Remember, I will guide you through therapy, collaborating with you the entire way to determine what feels right for you at that time. I am passionate about providing therapy that moves fast enough without moving too fast.

Therapy with me isn’t:

Awkward

Long, uncomfortable silences

Boring and dry

Directive

All talk


Therapy with me is:

Comfortable and cozy

Engaging and interactive

Playful, humorous, and staying curious/maintaining curiosity

Collaborative - let’s discover what works best for you

Discussion, exercises and strategies, using our mutual curiosity

Exercises, experiments, and explorations


My core values

We’re not cookie cutter people. We’re humans with all our facets and differences. Therapy should be a place where someone gets you, sees you for all you are and all you want to be, and is geared toward your distinctiveness.  This includes adapting therapy to move at the best pace for you and offer it compassionately.

Not too fast.

Clients trust me to guide them through therapy at the right pace for them. I help my clients move forward, but without moving so fast that therapy feels unsafe, such that you feel overwhelmed or even traumatized. I want to make sure we don’t begin talking about things during a session and then leave you feeling emotionally vulnerable at session end. Instead, I want you to have a sense of peace or resolution at the end of each therapy hour.

Not too slow.

On the flip side, therapy shouldn’t go so slowly that there isn’t any progress. We will collaborate to set goals that are achievable and meaningful to you, but help you move forward so that there’s significant and consistent change at a pace that’s good for you.

Tender Loving Care

Providing considerate and compassionate care. Always.

Specialized Training

  • EMDR Training

  • IFS and Trauma Training and Consultation with Colleen West

  • Flash

  • CBT Essentials

  • At the Crossroads of Trauma Therapy

  • Mastering Trauma-Informed Therapy

  • Ego-State Interventions EMDR

  • IFS Circle

  • IFS Training and Consultation with Dr. Bart Rubin

  • Flash, Advanced

  • IFS for EMDR

  • Trauma-Informed Master Class

  • Trauma-informed Master Class: Special Treatment Challenges

  • IFS Training and Consultation with Larry Brown, LMFT

  • EMDR But Now What

Professional Associations

CAMFT - California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists

East Bay Chapter of the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists

EMDRIA.org - EMDR International Association

IFS-Informed Trauma Therapists, established in 2018 by Colleen West

Credentials & Education

Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (#93496)

Master of Arts, Counseling Psychology, The Wright Instistute

specializing in:

IFS

Turn toward confidence, peace, & joy.