Simone Writer, AMFT

“We are born in relationship, we are wounded in relationship, and we can be healed in relationship” – Harville Hendrix

So many of us keep spinning our wheels, fighting with our partners, feeling frustrated or unheard, exhausted and lonely, lost and hopeless. The dominant cultural norms around gender roles, love, and relationships set us up for all this confusion, hopelessness, and heartache. Our very culture and institutions have normalized disconnection and inauthenticity. We live in a crisis of disconnection not only from each other but also from ourselves. Our hearts are hardened or broken, and we feel trapped in a mixed cloud of cynicism and hope.

I was caught on that battlefield for a long time. As I’ve liberated myself from that pattern, I became passionate about helping others free themselves from painful emotional, behavioral, and relationship patterns and create loving and intimate connections with themselves and others. I believe that humans are inherently responsive and relational beings, wired for connection, and healthy relationships can expand our healing process and spiritual growth. Practicing with a willing partner is a big part of the journey back to our true selves, to that open heart that can love and let love in.

I’m committed to supporting you on the journey to build a more meaningful and fulfilling relationship with yourself and your loved one.

I’m a WOC born and raised in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. I’m familiar with the difficulties of acculturation and systemic oppression. I moved to CA in 2004, and after a few years in SoCal, I moved to San Francisco, which I have called home for the last 15 years. Aside from being a psychotherapist, I’m also a leadership development and executive coach and have worked with a wide variety of people from different backgrounds for the last 16 years.

I offer a non-pathologizing, culturally-sensitive, trauma-informed, and collaborative perspective to support my clients in transforming their relationships into ones based on compassion, authenticity, collaboration, and closeness.

I have a passion for working with you on the following:

• Working through intimacy and communication challenges.
• Codependency and boundaries.
• Bringing more meaning, intimacy, and playfulness to your relationship.
• Working through reactivity and deadlocks toward more presence and mindfulness.

Training & Education:

I am an Associate Marriage and Family Therapist. I hold a BA in Economics from UFRJ (Federal University of Rio de Janeiro), a master’s degree in Counseling Psychology, and a master’s degree in Women, Gender, Spirituality, and Social Justice from the California Institute of Integral Studies, where I also serve as an adjunct. I’ve been a leadership development and executive coach since 2006 and received my Integral Coach™ certification from New Ventures West in 2009.

In my free time:

I can be found hyper-focused reading, urban hiking, savoring my partner’s yummy cooking, laughing with my friends, or practicing yoga.