“It is never too late to create positive change in a child’s life.”
—Daniel J. Siegel
As a Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist specializing in trauma, adoption, and non-traditional families, my approach is relational and integrative. Research shows that the single strongest predictor of outcome in therapy—stronger than the method used or the years of experience of the clinician—is the quality of the relationship that develops between the therapist and client. Growth and change take place within that safe and nonjudgmental therapeutic relationship marked by acceptance of the whole person, reflective curiosity, and empathic support.
Because many of the children I work with have had difficult life experiences that make them wary of trusting anyone, including their parents, building a connection is often a slow and challenging process. I support parents as well as children and often work with parents and child together when early life experiences have led to insecure or disorganized attachment between child and parents.
Rather than applying a one-size-fits-all approach based on a single method of therapy, I integrate various approaches to meet the needs and challenges of a specific child, teen, adult, and family. Because every person and every family is unique, I work collaboratively with clients—and, if appropriate, with schools and professionals in other fields—to provide a comprehensive, individualized treatment plan. Depending on individual needs, my work integrates a number of theories:
- attachment
- psychodynamic
- child, adolescent & adult development
- family systems
- trauma
- cognitive behavioral
- narrative
- somatic
- mindfulness
- interpersonal neurobiology
I have been working as a counselor and psychotherapist since 2006. Before opening my private practice, I counseled adolescents at an inner-city middle school, co-facilitated groups of internationally adopted girls at the Family Attachment & Adoption Center of the East Bay, and provided therapy to parents and children at UCSF Child Trauma Research Program.
For details about my license, education, training, professional affiliations, and publications, please scroll down this page. I am happy to supply a formal CV on request.
What Is a Marriage & Family Therapist?
A Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist (MFT or LMFT) requires a master’s or doctoral degree from an accredited university in a therapy-related field. Upon completion of the degree program, therapists in California must gain a minimum of 3,000 hours of experience under the supervision of a licensed clinician and must pass two state Board of Behavioral Sciences licensing exams to attain an MFT license. The process usually takes five to eight years.
Education
- M.A. in Counseling Psychology, Marriage & Family Therapy, University of San Francisco
- M.A. & B.A with honors, Stanford University; Phi Beta Kappa
Specialized Training & Certificates
- Internal Family Systems (IFS) weeklong workshop, Cape Cod Institute, Dick Schwartz
- IFS-Informed EMDR, Bruce Hersey
- Flash Technique (basic and advanced training), Philip Manfield
- Playful EMDR Therapy with Children, Anne Beckley-Forest
- Exploring & Processing Trauma Memories with Children, Ana Gomez
- Intensive Training in Filial Therapy (parent-child relational therapy), Karen Pernet, LCSW, RPT-S
- To Have and to Hold: Understanding Children’s Ability to Maintain Attachment, Holly Van Gulden
- Understanding and Treating Complex Trauma in Children and Adolescents: The Attachment, Self-Regulation and Competency (ARC) Framework, Kristine Kinniburgh, LICSW
- Rethinking Trauma, Stephen Porges, Bessel van der Kolk, Pat Ogden, Dan Siegel, Laurel Parnel et al., NICABM
- Interpersonal Neurobiology: Clinical Assessment, Mindsight Institute
- Working with Kids and Teens, Psychotherapy Networker
- Making Sense of Aggression & Defiance in Children, Gordon Neufeld, Ph.D., Neufeld Institute
- EMDRIA-Approved Basic EMDR Training (levels 1 & 2), Andrew M. Leeds, Ph.D., Sonoma Psychotherapy Institute
- Attachment-Focused Treatment for Children, Parents, and Families, Dan Hughes, Ph.D.
- Child-Parent Psychotherapy, UCSF Child Trauma Research Program
- Working with LGBTQ Couples and Families, Goodtherapy.org
- Stress Management Techniques, Zur Institute
- Counseling the Difficult Adolescent, California Association of Marriage & Family Therapists
- The Mindful Brain and the Cultivation of Emotional and Social Intelligence, Daniel J. Siegel, M.D.
- Building Adoption Competency for Mental Health Workers, North American Council on Adoptable Children
- True Colors 1 & 2: Transracial Adoption, Pact, An Adoption Alliance
- Relational Therapy in Women’s Groups, Northern California Group Psychotherapy Society
- Play Therapy and Beyond, Cross Country Education
Professional Affiliations
Clinical Member, California Association of Marriage & Family Therapists (CAMFT)
Clinical Member, San Francisco Chapter of CAMFT
EMDR Certified Therapist,
EMDR International Association
.
Member, Pact, An Adoption Alliance
Member, International Society for the Study of
Trauma and Dissociation
Publications
Klatzkin, A., Lieberman, A.F., & Van Horn, P. (2017). “Repairing an immigrant Chinese family’s ‘Box of Terrible Things.'” In J. Salberg & S. Grand (Eds.), Wounds of history: Repair and resilience in the trans-generational transmission of trauma. Relational perspectives book series, vol. 82. New York: Routledge.
Klatzkin, A., Lieberman, A. F., & Van Horn, P. (2013). Child-Parent Psychotherapy and historical trauma. In J. D. Ford & C. A. Courtois (Eds.), Treating complex traumatic stress disorders in children and adolescents: Scientific foundations and therapeutic models. New York: Guilford Press.
“Treating Young Children for Trauma and Loss.” Pact’s Point of View, Spring 2013.
Klatzkin, A. (2010). Introduction to D. Jacobs, I. Chin Ponte & L. K. Wang (Eds.), From home to homeland: What adoptive families need to know before making a return trip to China. St. Paul: Yeong & Yeong Book Co.
Klatzkin, A. (2004). Introduction to K. Johnson, Wanting a daughter, needing a son: Abandonment, adoption, and orphanage care in China. St. Paul: Yeong & Yeong Book Co.
Fry, Y. Y.,with Klatzkin, A. (2001). Kids like me in China. St. Paul: Yeong & Yeong.
Klatzkin, A. (Ed.). (1999). A passage to the heart: Writings from Families with Children from China. St. Paul: Yeong & Yeong Book Co.
Amy Klatzkin, MFT 