About me
My experience of change and loss.
I grew up in the former East Germany and experienced the fall of the Berlin Wall at a young age. It was a major change in the world I knew. As a young adult, I left Germany for the United States, another major transition. This time, it meant leaving family, relationships, and a familiar way of life, and finding my way in another country.
What it means to leave
When I think about leaving home, I think about the people and the life I left behind. So much of belonging lives in ordinary things: being part of one another’s days, sharing a history, being known without having to explain yourself. Beginning again elsewhere meant living with the absence of those things, even as a new life was taking shape.
There were losses in that move that I could not fully understand at the time. Distance changed relationships, and life at home continued without me being there in the same way. I had left a place, but I had also left a way of being with people, and a life that had been familiar to me.
Some of the changes in my life also meant letting go of relationships and a future I had imagined. This involved more than missing another person. It also meant reconsidering how I understood myself and what I expected my life to be. Beginning again brought uncertainty, including questions about belonging that were not only connected to living in another country.
Making a life elsewhere
Starting over brought its own difficulties. Alongside the practical demands of a new life, there was the less visible work of finding where I belonged. Building relationships takes on a different meaning when the people who know your history are far away. There can be loneliness in having to explain parts of yourself that once needed no explanation.
I came to understand that becoming attached to a new life does not mean you stop missing the old one. A decision can feel right and still involve grief. There can be affection for the place you now live and longing for the people and life you left behind, without either feeling cancelling out the other.
What I bring to our work
These experiences are part of what I bring to being a psychotherapist. They have made me attentive to losses that may be difficult to name, and to the difference between appearing to have settled into a life and feeling that you belong in it. They do not tell me what your experience has been. I want to hear what leaving, staying, or beginning again has meant for you.
If something in this story feels familiar, there may be parts of your own experience that have had little room to be spoken about. You do not have to make them into a clear story before bringing them to therapy. We can begin with what you miss, what feels difficult, or what you have not yet found words for.
Words from colleagues
“Beatrice is a brilliant, talented clinician. Her integrated mind + body training yields a warm, empathetic, and deeply informed approach that is highly effective for all sorts of issues, especially trauma and anxiety. Highly Recommended.”
Adam Boardman, MA, LMFT
“Beatrice’s skills in therapy are obvious, but what makes her truly special is her ability to connect with her patients and make them feel heard and understood. She has a unique gift for creating a safe and supportive environment.”
Laurie Albright, MA, LMFT
“Beatrice is a trusted colleague and a very empathetic therapist. I will continue to refer her clients!”
Erin Bishop, JD, MFT
Education and training
Academic education
Master of Arts in Clinical Psychology, Antioch University Los Angeles. Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology and Geography/Environmental Studies, University of California, Los Angeles, including the UCLA Anthropology Honors Program.
Specialized training
Completed the Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy Program at the Los Angeles Institute and Society for Psychoanalytic Studies (LAISPS).
Community Resilience Model. Trauma Resiliency Model, Levels 1 and 2. Certified in Attachment-Focused EMDR. NeuroAffective Touch.
Professional membership
California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists.
Personal interests
I have a particular interest in supporting people who are grieving the loss of a pet. Outside of work, I enjoy time with my family and dogs, nature, cooking, travel, and social justice.