Meet Our Therapists

Areas of Expertise: Couples & Relationships • ADHD • Overcoming Shame

I am Kat Valentine (she/they) and I am an Associate Marriage and Family Therapist working under the supervision of Pam Shaffer LMFT #91321. I am a LGBTQIA+, kink, and non-monogamy-affirmative therapist, who provides online therapy for adults, romantic partners, and chosen family.  I specialize in empowering people to work through shame, anxiety, depression, ADHD, coming out, and relational issues. I take a humanist, collaborative, attachment-focused approach in my therapeutic work and believe it’s often useful to examine the stories we tell about ourselves and our relationships in order to weave new narratives that better serve us. Currently, I am working towards becoming a certified Emotionally Focused Therapist (EFT) and have completed my EFT Core Skills Training. 

AMFT #131427

Areas of Expertise: Chronic Illness & Chronic Pain • Grief & Loss • Life Transitions

I am Allyson Byers (she/her) and I am an Associate Marriage and Family Therapist under the supervision of Pam Shaffer LMFT #91321 and I provide online therapy to both individuals and couples in California. My specialties include grief and loss, chronic illness and chronic pain, trauma, and depression and I am sex-positive, polyamory, ENM, LGBTQIA+, and kink-affirming. I love working with clients who are experiencing a non-death loss, which includes things like the ending of a relationship (platonic or romantic), a new health diagnosis, infertility, or a job loss.

As someone who is queer and lives with chronic illnesses, I draw from both my professional and lived experiences in my therapeutic work. As your therapist, I will be there to guide and empower you to live a life worth living. My approach includes a blend of internal family systems, acceptance and commitment therapy, and attachment-based theory and I work from a trauma-informed lens, which means I am sensitive to the impact of trauma on yourself and the world around you and seek to understand what has happened to you, not what is wrong with you. I believe the key to a successful therapeutic experience lies within the relationship between you, the client, and me, the therapist. You are the expert in your life and it is my role to follow your lead in our work together.

AMFT #135025

Areas of Expertise: Sex & Intimacy • Chronic Pain & Illness • Life Transitions • Anxiety

I am Savannah Fine (she/her) and I am a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist LMFT #139871. I am polyam, ENM, kink and LGBTQ+ affirming and I work with individuals and couples who are looking to form a deeper understanding of themselves, their relationships, and their communities. My specialities include: sex & sexuality, intimacy, relationships, chronic pain & chronic illness, anxiety, and life transitions

My approach to therapy is rooted in curiosity and non-judgment, incorporating embodiment, mindfulness, humor, and collaboration. I understand that healing and growth looks different for each individual and hope to provide the support necessary for your mind, body, and soul. I strive to provide a safe, comfortable, and productive environment for my clients so that we may explore the past, present, and future together.

LMFT #139871

Areas of Expertise: Queer Identity • Trauma • Life Transitions

I am Rachelle Ramos (they/them) and I am an Associate Marriage and Family Therapist under the supervision of Pam Shaffer (LMFT #91321). I come from a Pilipino immigrant background and am first generation born in New York. I have a Masters of Science degree in Counseling Marriage and Family Therapy from San Diego State University. I belong to the LGBTQIA+ community as a queer genderqueer they/them femme individual. I am an active advocate for those who belong to sex and gender marginalized communities in my social justice work outside of therapy.

I am passionate about therapy because sometimes it feels like change is impossible and I want to support people to make the changes they want in their lives to live closer to the ways that they prefer.

AMFT #121666

Areas of Expertise: Kink • Chronic Pain • Neurodivergence

I am Michal Rogers (she/her) and I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker LCSW #117596. I work with individuals and couples. I have experience working with chronic pain patients, the LGBTQIA+ community, ADHD and ASD.

My approach is strengths-based, client-centered, and evidence-based. That means I help co-create personalized solutions for you based on the science of mental health. Therapy is a process. I believe there is no one size fits all solution. As a result, I approach each situation with curiosity and openness. I became a therapist because I am passionate about supporting others through their individual journeys in a kink, poly, & LGBTQIA+ affirmative way. My goal with clients is to provide a space to be unapologetically yourself and gain personal mastery.

LCSW #117596

Areas of Expertise: Intimacy & Relationship Issues • ADHD • Religious Abuse • Psychedelic Integration

I am Rae Gross (she/they) and I am an Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. I provide individuals, couples, and groups with a safe and compassionate container where they can explore their unspoken hopes and deepest fears. I help people make the unconscious, conscious, so their stories and patterns no longer run them. I work with clients facing depression, anxiety, grief, cancer and chronic illness, managing symptoms of ADHD, relational and intimacy issues, religious abuse, and family of origin trauma.

I am a sex-positive therapist, supportive of all lifestyle and relationship paths inclusive of monogamy, ethical non-monogamy (ENM), kink, and LGBTQ+.

I also offer psychedelic integration. If you’ve decided to start using plant medicine, or have already begun down that path, I have the experience and skills to help you get the most out of your journeys with both pre-ceremony preparation and post-ceremony integration.

My approach includes a blend of depth psychology, internal family systems theory, existentialism, dream interpretation, and emotionally focused therapy.

LMFT #146447

Areas of Expertise: ADHD • Couples & Relationships • Burnout

I am Krista Frank (she/her) and I am an Associate Clinical Social Worker under the supervision of Pam Shaffer LMFT #91321. I provide online therapy to individuals, couples, and other dyadic formations in a non-judgmental environment. I am CNM/ENM/Poly, LGBTQIA+, kink, and sex work affirming as well as MAP aware, sex-positive and I work with an intersectional lens. My specialties include working with neurodiverse clients, particularly those in the ADHD community. My experience working with familial crisis intervention, domestic violence, and the juvenile justice system has given me a trauma-informed therapeutic style that I bring into our work together.

As a therapist, I believe that you, the client, are the best narrator of your own story. My goal is to collaborate with you when life is feeling overwhelming, when your anxiety, depression, or past traumas are impacting your current life, when you’re feeling burn-out, when you’re going through a significant life transition, or when you want to make a big change. Together we can troubleshoot relationship challenges and create a personalized relationship structure whether it is monogamous, non-monogamous, or anything in-between. I love working with clients to find their voice and tell their story in their own words while providing a space for them to address the issues that matter most to them.

ACSW #94322

Areas of Expertise: Depression • Anxiety • C-PTSD • ADHD

I am Pam Shaffer (she/her) and I am a licensed marriage and family psychotherapist. As the founder of Best Self Psych, I provide supervision and guidance to our staff of therapists. As a therapist, I offer individual and couples sessions online for California residents using a secure video platform as well as coaching sessions to individuals around the world. 

You may also call me a compassionate guide that helps you through the ups and downs of life with pragmatism and a bit of magic. I am poly/ENM, kink, and LGBTQIA+ affirmative and I love to help people who are experiencing difficulty in their relationships or feel stuck in their professional and creative lives. My specialties include helping people who are struggling with the effects of depression, anxiety, C-PTSD, and ADHD. 

As quoted in Slate, Inside Hook, Oprah Magazine, Forbes, BBC, Men’s Health Magazine, Women’s Health, Mind Body Green, and Dame.

LMFT #91321