Meet Reina Peterson, AMFT

My name is Reina (she/her), and I’m a female Associate Marriage and Family Therapist at Golden Gate Counseling Services. I received my BA across the bay at UC Berkeley (go Bears!), and completed my Masters’ degree in Counseling Psychology at Cal Poly Humboldt. My clients and colleagues find me to be warm, encouraging and gentle, and I practice a client-centered eclectic mix of nondirective spaciousness and targeted clinical intervention as indicated by your specific needs. With me, goals are client-centered and treatment is collaborative; along with depth, you’ll find humor, curiosity and playfulness used frequently in session for its benefits on our ability to grow. I believe (and am thrilled that research appears to support) that we often do our best work while we are at play. 

I now live in San Francisco with my partner and our dog, a rescue golden retriever named Auburn who is always happy to be invited to join sessions.  In addition to my passion for therapy and supporting my clients, I am an avid reader, cook, hiker and fiction author, and I enjoy playing video games and Dungeons & Dragons with my friends.

Affinity Groups

Queer Folks: As a member and ally of the LGBTQIA+ community, I am committed to providing robust gender affirming care. 

Neurodiverse Persons: My own experiences with neurodivergence also inform my ND-affirming approach. As your therapist, I will work beside you to support your goals and self-discovery without judgment or attempts to change the fundamentals that make you, you! 

Veterans: As the partner of a veteran, I have familiarity with branches of military service and welcome servicemembers, veterans and their families into my care. Service transitions and the complicated challenges faced by individuals, couples and families involved in the military and other types of government service can be unique and isolating; I’ve been there too, and you’ll find understanding here.

I am a pre-licensed therapist, and am supervised by a licensed member of GGCS staff. I am proud to serve on the board of the San Francisco chapter of the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists.

Trainings

• ADHD Clinical Services Provider (ADHD-CCSP) Certification Course: Strength-based Interventions to Thrive with ADHD from Childhood to Adulthood

• Neurodiversity-Affirmative Therapy by Katy Higgins Lee, MA, LMFT

• Let's Play Minecraft! Neurodiversity and Child-Centered Play Therapy with Laura Morlok, LCPC, LPC, RPT-S

• Certified Clinical Trauma Professional (CCTP) Training with Janina Fisher, PhD

• Understanding Gender Affirming Care: Across the Spectrum and Beyond by Gretchen Cooper, MA, LMFT

• Training Internship (One Year Program) at San Francisco Marriage and Couples Center

• EFT Couples Therapy Level 2 with Jila Behnad, LMFT

• EFT Couples Therapy Level  1 with Barbara Gabriel, LMFT

• Sex and Intimacy in Couples Relationships with David Khalili, LMFT

• Introduction to CBT-I for Insomnia with Abby Neuberg, LMFT

• Mindful Facilitation: Cross Cultural Facilitation Training with Lee Mun Wah

• California Crisis Counselor Certification at Verity Sonoma County Rape Crisis, Trauma and Healing Center

• Awakening Resilience: Mindfulness and Self-Compassion Course with Sarah Carr, LMFT