Renee Stanley, LMFT

I received my Bachelor’s in psychology from California State University, Long Beach and my Master’s in Mental Health Counseling and Behavioral Medicine from Boston University School of Medicine. I entered the field to learn more about human behaviors and having been impacted by mental illness and substance abuse in my family. I love helping guide my clients towards becoming their best selves they wish to be and enjoy the process of working through challenges and honing in on resiliency I believe we all possess. The therapist-client relationship can provide so many learning opportunities for both parties and is a beautiful dance.

I have worked in a variety of treatment settings, including state inpatient hospitalization, residential treatment, partial hospitalization, and intensive outpatient treatment. In graduate school, I focused my internship around individuals with eating disorders and since moving back to my native California, I have branched out to working with co-occurring disorders. Prior to joining Los Gatos Therapy Center, I spent 4 years working at a residential treatment center for men and women with co-occurring disorders, where I facilitated group, family and individual therapy. I have worked with substance abuse, serious mental illness, traumatic brain injuries, and trauma-informed care. I have familiarity with CBT, DBT, mindfulness, client-centered, Gestalt, and family systems therapy and love to try new approaches.

I love to bring creativity and energy into my groups and sessions, whether it be a transitional CBT group or an art therapy. Having grown up in horse country, I hope one day to become certified in equine facilitated psychotherapy and incorporate this truly healing experience into my practice.