Larry O'Connor

I am a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in San Francisco (Bernal Heights) and in Menlo Park. My style is not the blank faced, neutral Psychotherapist, but a warm, active, and engaged person. I am flexible and draw from several theories, depending on the individual’s needs, circumstances, and who they are. The individuals and couples I work with often say that they feel comfortable with me exploring personal and difficult issues. I think it’s essential to express humor and, above all, to remain a real and genuine person.
I have experience helping individuals with a variety of issues.

I believe therapy should provide individuals with help, clear suggestions and useful feedback, not bog them down with jargon or abstract concepts. I believe that people seek psychotherapy because they are choosing to actively address their concerns with an experienced professional they trust. I try to provide a creative, friendly atmosphere where the individuals I work with and I are on equal footing, and there for the same purpose, the help that individual feel better about themselves, their relationships, and their lives.

I believe that one of the foundations of psychotherapy is to assist individuals in better understanding and making sense of their life and circumstances, and to grow from this experience. Increased self-awareness makes for a more conscious and beneficial life.

While I do not spend a lot of time on one’s past, I do believe, past relationships create the templates for current relationships, and can be useful to explore simply for this reason. For the most part I stay focused on what is going on for the individual in the present. I try to reveal what I am thinking or considering about the individuals’ situation or circumstances. Every course of therapy is unique, and this is based on the synergy of patient, therapist, and the dynamics and scope of the relationship they co-create.