Testimonials

• "I decided to see Zoe during a stressful time in my life when my career was especially demanding and I felt stuck in my relationship. Working with Zoe helped me to experience a huge shift. I have been able to let go of old ways of thinking, which had been keeping me back from creating the life I wanted. Today, I can say that I have switched to a better job, married the love of my life, and soon will be welcoming a new baby!

  Zoe is warm, smart and engaging. She helps you gain clarity about your life path. Her office is very comfortable, like being at your good friend's apartment. If you are feeling stuck and looking to move towards a lighter, more satisfying future, I highly recommend making an appointment with Zoe.

  Let's face it. Looking for a counselor can be a daunting task and often you have to meet some duds and kiss a few frogs in the process. It's possible to have a bad experience in therapy which causes you to give up on pursuing finding the right counselor for you. It's a big investment of time, money, and opening yourself up to someone...so it's easy to feel burned by certain counselors after you clock in some hours with them, hoping it will work out, but it doesn't.

  In the case of Zoe, on the other hand, she is on the other end of the scale, arguably in the top 10% of therapists in the area. She stands out for her intelligence, depth of empathy and wisdom beyond her years. It's extremely helpful to work with someone like her who is so perceptive and hard to out-smart. It's also wonderful to experience her patiently holding space for you to explore uncomfortable feelings and to take your time to come to realizations on your own.

  I admire the way Zoe combines several different approaches to therapy into her own unique methodology that she seems to be developing and honing. I feel like I am rubbing elbows with a person who is on her way to being a leader and trend-setter in terms of offering new discoveries of successful, integrated therapies. I feel lucky to have found her early enough in her career when she is not famous yet and still has openings in her schedule!

  Ingrid S.

• Simply stated, Zoe is magic. Personally, Zoe is an extremely talented therapist... insightful, intuitive, thoughtful, and caring. While I could go on all day, about my thoughts about her personally, my opinion reflects the results she affected in my life and relationship with my wife. Both of us being strong personalities, some days the house would seem like a battle field, not a home. In exasperation, we began to be treated by Zoe, knowing that one way or another something had to change. Zoe was able to affect that change and soo much more...

  Zoe is able to give you a road map to salvation. Prospective clients should be warned that her therapy will actually work. That if a prospective couple will commit to her treatment for approximately a year, give or take, Zoe will help you achieve a level of happiness that you can't imagine. While my wife and I began with the goal of being able to exist together without killing each other on a daily basis, we found the ability to truly enjoy and revel in each other's company on a daily basis.
  Multiple reasons exist to become a client of Zoe. For the pragmatists, her theory is multiples cheaper than the alternative, divorce. For the romantic, she'll be able to strip your relationship down to the core at a level where your truest love resides. Regardless of your reasons, I assure you that you will come out the other end of the rabbit hole a better person, with better relationships across all aspects of your life.

  Zac H.

• Very insightful and pragmatic. Zoe uses her knowledge and training to crystalize the issues and provide understanding of human behavior. She seems like a really positive person who wants to help her clients, and she succeeds.

  She doesn't take the approach where the therapist listens while the patient does most of the talking and tries to muddle through and figure things out for themselves. A style which I don't find helpful. She brings clarity.

  Tessa W.

• Last year, 3 of the most stellar couples that I know got divorced. Maybe it was a tough year, but my husband and I were about to be Number 4.

  My husband and I have been together for 10 years, friends for years before that, and have always loved each other dearly. That doesn't mean that it was always healthy or deeply satisfying. In that time, we've gone through a lot of transitions in life, grown as people, and changed. It's not always easy to stay together through it all. We had major deal-breakers that we could no longer live with, ignore, enable. Some days we were like two boxers in the center of the ring going round-for-round, other days we'd reside in our own separate corners. The relationship had broken down.

  It's humbling to admit I needed counseling because I consider myself a strong, independent individual. However, I also feel a deep obligation to direct others to Zoe to get the help they need. She guided us in removing unhealthy thoughts, unproductive habits, our lack in communication skills, and projections that we had towards each other. We brought unresolved issues into the relationship that we didn't even know were affecting us today. Learning methods (actual exercises) to resolve and release the issues helped improve our relationship. I now better understand and accept myself & my husband for who we fundamentally are. (She also provided individual life coaching and career counseling as it's all intertwined in creating true contentment!)

  Zoe is an amazing couple's counselor that I credit with helping my husband and I save our marriage. I'm in a very satisfying relationship that is stronger and happier than it's been in a long time. Heck, I'M happier than I've been in a long time! :) With gratitude, I often think, "Thank you...thank you for directing us to the right person when we needed her most!!!" If only all couples (or individuals) in crisis were as lucky to find such an enlightened individual to help them thru it all.

  Working with Zoe can change your life. BUT...BUT, only if you go in with an open-mind, you are dedicated, and you are PRESENT. She gives guidance. YOU still gotta do the work.

  Cynthia T.

• Zoe is the absolute best therapist I have ever worked with. She gave me the tools to get through some of the most significant changes and challenges in my life -- a divorce, a move across the country, a career change and more. She was always super engaged and our sessions were interactive. She didn't just sit there and nod her head while I did all of the talking. She suggested very relevant articles and books supplemental to our sessions. We got to the root of my struggles pretty quickly and worked from the ground up. I would not be in the great place that I am today had I not found Zoe. She was also very accommodating to my schedule and would work me in if I needed a last minute appointment. There truly is not a better therapist out there. I know that anyone who sees her will be as happy with their results as I am with mine. I cannot recommend her enough!

  Andrew M.

• I few months ago I was looking for a counselor in Santa Cruz, and stumbled across Zoe's website. After calling and chatting with her, she seemed to understand exactly what I was going through and I made an appointment. I went about 6 times, and can't even express how much she helped me. I was struggling with a few things in life about finding exactly what I wanted and what was important (regarding what made me happy in a relationship). I was not convinced that I would ever be content with one person, and could not figure out why I was having hesitations regarding commitment, and why I felt so selfish in my relationships. Zoe made me realize so many things, that I cannot begin to put them into writing. I am now finally 100% happy and confident with my situation in life, and feel so lucky to have come across Zoe.

  Bri A.

• If you are looking for a counselor - even if you just think it might be helpful, just go to Zoe! She is a very talented counselor/therapist who delivers some startling insights and much-needed clarity based on skillful observation and conversation.

  My husband and I felt that our communication wasn't all that it could be and after seeing Zoe both together and individually for a short time, we feel that our last year was our best year yet!

  We both learned some incredibly helpful things about ourselves and how we interact and have some very, very practical things we can do that have made our marriage much stronger.

  Some people feel there is a stigma as a couple to say that you need someone's help... but the reality is that it is the single best investment you can make. Highly highly recommended!!

  Michaela Z.

• Smart, savvy, attractive and accomplished... still, I was the woman who had spent years chasing one jack-ass after the next. As life would have it, I came to Zoe shortly after ending a budding relationship with a man who appeared to possess every quality I had ever dreamed of. Unknowingly however, my subconscious "putz" meter was on high and though I could grasp, on an intellectual level, the gift of this person in my life, I had become more comfortable with not getting the love I deserved, that I was actually unable to receive his.

  After several weeks of returning to "business as usual", I slowly began to realize the problem had more to do with me, than my original assessment and I was determined to understand and resolve any subconscious patterns that were preventing me from realizing my heart's deepest desire.

  Working with Zoe has been amazing. She's helped me come to understand the deceptive way fear can veil itself, sometimes surprisingly as indifference, apathy or numbness. Her vast knowledge and her work with the Enneagram have provided incredible insight and enlightenment into the subtle dynamics and patterns that can limit one's ability to open up and develop true intimacy. Drawing from many modalities, Zoe uses a multi-faceted approach, which gives her tremendous range and perspective. Her style is relaxed, compassionate and non-judgmental, creating the perfect atmosphere for growth... provided you are willing to do the work! ;-)

  Happy to say, it's been nearly 7 months since "The One I Almost Lost" and I have reconnected, and through my work with Zoe, I have been able to recognize the many times my "old friend" fear has attempted to sabotage my heart's best intentions. Through this awareness and growth however, I am now enjoying the most genuine, passionate and supportive relationship of my life. Not only have I finally chosen someone who has the capacity to love me deeply, I am finally willing to make myself truly vulnerable in the process.

  Having realized such a dramatic shift in my romantic landscape, I look forward to working with Zoe as I take the next giant leap forward... by cultivating that career I've always hoped for. I couldn't think of anyone better to do it with!

  Shannon S.

• I procrastinated for a couple months before I finally made the decision to start therapy, because it can be intimidating to sit across from a stranger and bare your soul! Immediately from my initial phone conversation and first session with Zoe, she helped relax my concerns about the therapy process by providing a welcoming, safe, and supportive environment.

  Zoe has a true gift, and I cannot recommend her highly enough! She has incredible insight coupled with a clear and effective way of communicating that made it easy for me to get clarity and a healthier perspective on things. Zoe was an invaluable resource in helping to jump start my growth and transformation, and the progress I made working with Zoe would not have been possible on my own or without a therapy resource. A friend once told me that saying, "No," to therapy is like saying, "No," to Christmas, and after working with Zoe I wholeheartedly agree with that sentiment as well.

  It is clear that Zoe is well-versed and knowledgeable on all areas of the "human condition," and some of my specific recommendation areas include:

  * Childhood trauma
  * PTSD
  * Addiction in the family
  * Marriage and relationships
  * Communication skills
  * Spiritual growth
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  P.T.

• I went to see Zoe last summer when I had sunk into a weird place in my life; I had quit my job, rarely left my apartment, and could barely summon the energy to do anything but lie on the couch and watch t.v. I was back in that familiar, deadening holding pattern I'd suffered before; knowing something was missing but no clue what to do. In previous blue periods like this, I'd make some crazy, rash decisions - move hours away, dump my lover, gain 20 pounds, get ill-advised tattoos (that last one definitely not recommended) - and riding out the fallout was enough to distract me until things got better...or at least, different. This last time, something in me had had enough of feeling like this; I found Zoe and forced myself to email her.

  From the first phone call, Zoe's calm and compassionate personality shone through; I hung up the phone and felt a tiny bit of hope that things would get better. Seeing her in person confirmed that feeling and began a process of healing and growth like I'd never thought possible. With her guidance I learned to connect with the emotions in my core and untangle knot after knot. Through her eyes, I could see my old patterns and ingrained negative self-talk that I never consciously noticed, but lived out everyday. Each week she built on the previous session and gave me new tools to internalize. Her practical approach made it easy to incorporate these ideas into my life and almost immediately I saw changes in my reactions to everyone, from strangers to family and, most of all, myself. I would leave each session red-faced but bright-eyed, walking taller, feeling more in control than I could remember in weeks.

  Now, just over a year later, I barely recognize the person who first called Zoe. I'm the fittest and happiest I've ever been, engaged to the love of my life, and slowly but surely taking steps to pursue a fulfilling career. If you're feeling weepy, lost or just not quite right in this life of yours, I can't recommend Zoe and her compassionate insight highly enough!

  Jackie M.

• I have been in and out of therapy for ten years. I always found that it relieved a lot of stress in my life but didn't lead to much change in my behavior or the way that I thought, which I knew were the crux of the problem. I've had many good counselors, but Zoe not only helped me identify the roots of whatever was causing problems, she also showed me tangible skills to cope and work through them in the real world outside of her office. Zoe has a unique approach to therapy which helps her relate to the spectrum of different personality types. She tailored my therapy to what I needed as an individual. I would highly recommend Zoe to anyone considering therapy, young, old, married or single. She is kind, professional, and always has her patients' best interests in mind.

  Colleen P.