Patrick Murphy

My Background
Hello and welcome! I have been helping people heal and live more fulfilling lives for over 20 years. I am just as passionate today as I was when I first began.

My formal training began while studying psychology at UC Berkeley where I became interested in learning about the mind, human behavior and emotions, personality and developmental psychology. For several years after undergrad, I helped people with developmental disabilities by providing them with vocational, recreational and social opportunities so they can live their best lives. I later received my Masters in Clinical Social Work from Boston College where I dove deep into understanding human behavior in the context of environment. My post-masters work involved coaching parents on helping their children with autism and behavioral issues express their needs in safe and effective ways; managing a substance use helpline and providing crisis intervention and family therapy for people who were hospitalized due to severe and acute mental health issues. For three years, I provided group, family and individual therapies to clients at an Intensive Out Patient program in a bay-area hospital, teaching mindfulness, emotion regulation, distress tolerance and interpersonal effectiveness skills.
My Journey
Growing up I was never taught how to appropriately identify and express my feelings or process pain. This caused me to direct any pain I experienced either inward towards myself or outward towards others. This resulted in hurtful and angry outbursts towards those I love or turning inward and experiencing numbness, anxiety, depression and shame. In my own therapy, I came to discover the power of changing the relationship I had with my emotions. I explored past wounds and destructive patterns and as a result, have experienced deep healing and changes that have significantly improved the quality of my life and have allowed me to experience more intimacy, happiness, deeper fulfillment and peace in all areas of my life. The work I have done in therapy has also had a powerful impact on my ability to serve my clients.

My Approach
I am compassionate, caring, and non judgmental. My clients have told me they appreciate my authenticity, kindness and creativity. I create a safe environment allowing people to feel comfortable discussing even the most sensitive issues. Clients also feel comfortable sharing their thoughts and feelings on my approach to their therapy. This has lead to an open dialogue encouraging meaningful conversations, improving both the therapeutic relationship and outcomes for my clients.
About Me
A California native, I love spending time in nature, hiking, singing and recording songs, playing guitar, yoga, meditation, reading, traveling and spending time with friends and family. I also enjoy writing and reading about spirituality, psychology and personal development. I currently live in the San Francisco Bay Area.