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Client Testimonials

 

I've been blessed to witness much transformation and growth over the years.  This is a sampling of testimonials from experiences of individual counseling and coaching, NLP and EFT sessions, couples counseling, creativity workshops, communication coaching for organizations, and business mentoring for healers.

You can find more on Yelp.

 

I started my practice in 2008 as a therapist, so some testimonials refer to that.  I was never a traditional therapist.  My healing work continues in the same holistic tradition I embraced from the start, now under the name of transformational coaching.

Ania is a one-of-a-kind healer. She has many practical tools of the trade and lots of training to help you out of a rough patch, but she also has an intuitive gift and knows how to get to the heart of the matter in a direct, but gentle way. She will meet you where you are, and gently guide you forward into a non-judgmental, self-loving, forgiving and authentic relationship with yourself and others.

I highly recommend her for anything you want to address. Starting a business? Changing careers? Trouble with your love life? Grief or depression? Doesn't matter the issue, as she brings a creative approach, a sense of wonder and curiosity and a deep love and open-heartedness to every situation. She helps you tap into your deep self-knowledge and wisdom and gain the confidence that you know what is right for you and have the ability to do it.

Ania is simply an inspiring healer and teacher who clearly loves what she does. I would recommend her to anyone."

 

- relationship coaching client

"I worked with Anna recently for an EFT (tapping) session. Her extensive training in therapy and relationships as well as her experience in shamanic journeying added a depth to the EFT that I have not experienced elsewhere. She had the patience and insight to get to the core issues with ease and gentleness. Her goal is to completely clear out blocks, not just do a light sweep. She is able to provide a degree of loving Presence that opens space for whatever is in the moment while simultaneously discerning how to guide. I could feel very old parts of myself, stuff from childhood, being brought to the surface and reworked in a completely new way, so that I can integrate and love ALL of myself. I look forward to continuing work with her and moving beyond my past into the me who I know I can be. My very best Self, with more creativity and love than I ever thought possible."
-EFT client, therapist

In March of 2012 we found ourselves with our relationship in jeopardy of ending forever.  We knew there was a lot of love present but we were having a difficult time communicating and being able to understand each other.   Knowing we were not willing to give up on our love for one another, is when we sought out help and found Ania.  When we first found Ania, we immediately knew her style of practice and conscious loving techniques were something different and powerful. We immediately connected with Ania and adopted her practices of self-reflection and internal exploration in order to get to the depths of our issues.  This style has allowed each of us to support each other with love and compassion and deal with problems that arise in everyday life.   The skills we have learned throughout our time with Ania are skills that we will last our lifetime. Now engaged, we highly recommend Ania to any couple that is committed to changing the way they communicate and love each other consciously. We have been going to Ania for over a year now and will continue to utilize her wonderful skills to enhance our relationship. She has truly changed our life and relationship forever!  

THANK YOU ANIA!

I came to Ania in need of some deep restructuring, both in the way I move through (and get stuck in) life, and in my approach to money and my business. I did a group with Ania around building a healing practice, and I very much recommend her group work, as well as her one-on-one sessions. Both the group and my individual session with Ania exceeded my expectations. My doubts had me thinking that I shouldn't need to get support from others, that I already knew what I needed to do and should be able to do it all myself, and that it would be weird to explore a spiritual perspective in my business model with a bunch of other people. Honestly, I was afraid it would all be too woo-woo. However, while Ania holds the spiritual piece strongly in her work, she is anything but woo-woo. She cuts to the chase and is extremely grounded and solid. My session with Ania rocked my expectations, and her love, strength, skill, intuition, and intelligence are all so palpable. I'm amazed at how gracefully Ania is able to convey all of this in her direct, yet understated manner. I'm actually thinking I'd like another session with her, because she's helping me to fundamentally change the way I see my life, radically expand what I thought was possible, and heal old things I didn't think could ever be healed. I can't recommend Ania highly enough.

-Molly Howard, MFT

I saw Ania for the first time just over a week ago. I've been having some issues regarding expression of emotions that were clearly tied in with some childhood issues. I've done a lot of inner work over the past few years, and so I had already done a fair amount of work on this issue, especially in terms of understanding where it might be coming from. Right from the start, Ania was fantastic at listening with presence to my explanation of what was going on and what I've done so far. I was particularly impressed by how she was able to meet me exactly where I had become stuck in working on my own, taking the session forward from there. She mostly worked with NLP (per my request), and led me through a variety of visualizations that took me back to some of my earliest memories, and then worked on rewriting a story that I've been holding onto my whole life. It was fascinating. The best part was at the end of the session when I felt a huge sense of lightening and a wave of joy that surged up from within me, providing some much-needed healing to some very old wounds. Since then, I've been using this meditation/visualization almost daily to continue the work and have seen some excellent results. Thank you, Ania!
Ania has that great combination of being both extremely skilled at what she does AND very passionate about it, and she creates an environment that made me completely comfortable dropping my guard and letting her into my world to work her magic. I highly recommend her to anybody who is ready to make some well-needed improvements to their life through transformational healing work.

“I **highly** recommend Ania to any adult on a personal or spiritual growth path or to couples looking for some support to rebuild (or build) communication, connection, and meaning in their relationship. She is a highly skilled and artful clinician who is able to meet clients where they are at and guide them towards self-actualization. I'm happy to talk with anyone in more detail regarding my inspiring colleague.”
-Karen Wolfe MFT, play therapist and social coach

It is hard to put into words how much Ania has helped me. I first started working with her in May 2013, when I was feeling very low after having gone off anti-depressant medication. As someone who'd been in traditional therapy since I was in my teens (I'm in my mid-30s now) due to a family history of depression and family trauma, I was told early on that the only way to feel less depressed was to be on meds. I believed this for a very long time and shuffled through a variety of medications over the years. 

In early 2013, though, something shifted. I was tired of feeling foggy all the time and wanted to see if it was possible to be happy without being on anti-depressants. This was a huge shift in my thinking. Before that, I was the biggest medication promoter. If friends were having trouble, I would tell them to try pills. I'd say things like, "Medication saved my life" on constant repeat. 

I went off meds by myself in February 2013 and was shocked at the results. The withdrawls were very difficult for me and I felt like I was feeling feelings for the very first time, from the high highs to the low lows. I thought I could handle the transition on my own, but a few months later I knew I needed help. I found Ania online and scheduled an appointment. 

Within minutes of entering her office, I knew I'd come to the right place. She was so kind and welcoming and non-judgemental. I scheduled weekly sessions and started working through things far beyond my withdrawls from medication. I was going deeper in my search for happiness than I ever had before and it was because of her. For months, I would cry through every session. The transition was very difficult, but Ania gently led me through it day by day. 

Then one day I woke up and realized that I hadn't felt depressed in weeks. I was feeling happier and making decisions in my life--large and small--that were better for me. I was more healthy mentally and physically than I'd ever been before. 

I now realize that it has been a good three months since my last depressive episode. I credit this to the work I've done with Ania. Working with her has truly changed my life. Armed with the wisdom she has imparted on me, I am confident that I will never have to go back on meds again.

After years of unfulfilling job-hopping and approaching burn out once again in a tech startup job, I sought out the help of Ania with the hopes she could help me explore what meaningful, soul-fulfilling work would look like for me.

Ania immediately helped me with getting out of my "mind only" space, and helped me align with my heart. I was blown away by the many therapeutic and coaching tools she brought to the table - including EFT, NLP, and more. Our sessions ended up healing past traumas, but more importantly her ability to meet me where I was at, and keep the focus on positive forward momentum, speaks to her talent as a coach as well.

Ania's approach is gentle yet direct, intuitive, patient, and holistic. I'm impressed with how dedicated she is to ongoing education, always learning new techniques and incorporating them into her practice.

I wholeheartedly recommend Ania! I've evolved faster thanks to working with her, and have much more clarity with my life's work. I've come so far over the last 1.5 years and am now laying the foundation for starting my own business!

 

- multi-potentialite creative pioneer

“I've always considered myself a highly creative person, but I also suffer from some pretty severe, long-term "blocks." Though I'd never done anything quite like this workshop,  I figured it couldn't hurt to give it a try.
I couldn't have been more right. In those few hours, I tapped into a deep, creative place in myself I hadn't touched in years. It was such a personal -- yet shared -- experience, which left me humming with energy for weeks afterwards. 
Not only that, but it was great fun while I was there, "playing" with paint, collage, and writing. Anna is a great guide for this creative journey, fun and knowledgeable, and utterly open and approachable. She builds a safe space for you to explore your inner creative spirit and let it out to play.”
-filmmaker, creativity workshop participant

I began working with Ania one year ago, during a time when my family and I were experiencing much suffering and resurfacing of old trauma. The suffering and profound sadness caused by alcoholism, physical abuse, and neglect often becomes perpetuated through generations, and my family had been experiencing this for years... Conscious awareness and deep loving work are needed to heal these wounds... And working with Ania has confirmed my belief that it is possible to heal...
When I reached out to Ania, I had reached a breaking point, as my past and the history of my family was causing me much inner turmoil... I had felt emotionally unstable, insecure, depressed, and reactionary for many years... and I was finally ready for help. 
In the past I had seen a few counselors and psychiatrists but had not had positive experiences with the western style approach to psychotherapy. These past experiences had left me feeling worse than before, with the emphasis on psychoanalysis, diagnosis, labeling. Also, traditional talk therapy had always felt to me as if it lacked the energy of change and transformation. After a few negative experiences, I shied away from therapists for many years.
However, last year at the moment when I was most in need, with the little strength I had left, I tried my best to *trust* that I would find the right person to work with... After a little research, I stumbled across Ania's website. She was different... Her story and description of her approach actually reminded me of myself.... Her message was clearly about the self-love and empowerment...and I could sense a deep spirituality about her and a connection to Source that I believe to be vital to healing and living a life of Peace & Joy. During our first phone conversation I felt that she understood me... And after our first session I knew she was the right person for me to work with :)
During the last year, Ania has helped create a safe space for me to heal childhood trauma, and thus, to heal the relationships within my family. Shortly after I began to work with Ania, my parents began to work with Ania's mentor, Stuart Sovatsky, and my brother began to work with a holistic therapist in New York. Thus, we have all been able to heal together. 
Healing the trauma of our family's past was a stepping stone for me to begin healing other aspects of my life.... Last year, Ania also worked with me on letting go of a past relationship with an old boyfriend that was no longer serving its purpose in my life, a relationship that I was holding on to because of fear of the unknown, fear of my own potential and capacity for love. She has helped me to find the courage to open my heart to a deeper love of self and to connect to the essence of Love and Peace. 
A few years ago, I had found solace in the teachings of Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh. Shortly after starting to work with Ania, I began to reconnect to Thich Nhat Hanh's teachings, and felt inspired to create a unique daily meditation practice, which includes affirmations and mantras that I write for myself. As I write and rewrite these meditations, I bring them to my sessions. My sessions with Ania are a combination of talking and expressing my feelings, and guided meditation. Sometimes she guides me through a meditation while reading through the affirmations I have written, and sometimes she guides me with her own words and imagery. There is an intuitive flow to our sessions...as I am trying to be in touch with what I need in that moment, she is guiding me through the process. Ania invokes a powerful, loving, peaceful, and healing energy through her words, but moreover, through her gentle presence...  Some days I simply need to talk, other days I need to cry! She listens with deep compassion and I always feel safe telling her anything, even things that make me uncomfortable, ashamed, embarrassed, or afraid. She never makes me feel judged, and offers gentle encouragement in a positive direction when I feel lost. 
Through my work with Ania and through my own intensive work with myself, I have also reconnected to my inner artist and musical self... At a young age I studied music at a conservatory and spent my early twenties as a young professional musician. I burned out from that life and returned to school to become a nurse... but now I am finding myself circling back to my old life as I am beginning anew as a musician and teacher :)  Working with Ania has helped me to reconnect with what I most love, and thus to my deepest self. 
While working with her I have also begun to tap into other creativity... I have processed difficult emotions, creative blocks and past trauma through painting... I have also written much poetry that has been born out of my spiritual journey & my deepening connection to my higher self. We are all, at our essence, a spirit of Love and Compassion, Peace & Joy... And I want to always be striving toward embodying the true essence of who we are and where we come from... Love & Light.

 

-Sujatha Vasudevan, musician

 

"I came to Ania when she was with the Golden Gate Integral Counseling Center.  At the time I was going through a lot of stress revolving around school and I needed help sorting through my options.  Ania is extremely calm and was able to listen to all of my issues thoroughly.  She never made a personal judgment about my thoughts or offered a "right" answer to a question, but helped me discover what my path should be and how to be assertive enough to make what I wanted to happen in my life happen.  During a particularly helpful session, I had distilled my options down to two and was trying to figure out which way to move.  We did a great exercise where I pretended to act out my life from each position in hopes of finding out which one would be the most organic and fruitful, and from there was confident in making choices for myself, even if it meant a difficult one.  Besides her calm demeanor, I was always comforted by the fact that she truly listened to everything I had to say.  I had a limited amount of sessions with Ania because I ended up moving from San Francisco to LA a month after we first meet, but in that short amount time she helped bring a clarity to my life that I was missing for a long time.  Once I left the city, she was also very helpful in referring me to a psychologist in the LA area.  I highly recommend her for anyone looking for her services in the Bay Area."

 

"I hired Anna to come in and help rejuvenate my web project which had begun to stagnate due to communication issues, which is usually at the root of most inter-personal conflict (I now know).  She rekindled our project's original energy and got us working together smoothly again.  Her key strength was noticing what each individual person's needs and wants were, and then coaching everyone on how to take care of not only their own satisfaction but enable other people's as well.  She is wonderful at diffusing tough situations and helping people work together!   The project became a joy again.  I highly recommend her!"

"Meeting with Ania is truly a gift. In her work Ania acts as a guide. She guides me back home to my truest self. Without processing or overtalking the issue at hand, Ania is able to bring me to a place where I can sit with and hold all the parts of myself. She takes the time to acknowledge the parts of me that feel hurt or wounded, while empowering me to step into the parts of myself that are wise and powerful.

Thank you Ania for your work."

-transformational healing client, yoga teacher and doula

"Ania brings an absolutely delightful sense of wonder and imagination to her sessions which takes on a childlike quality that is so fitting to her message of Love - coming from love, loving yourself and trusting where you are headed. She has an intuitive gift for shaping her sessions to ensure you'll get the most out of each one. In a session I can go deep into sadness while talking through memories and current questions, then she'll invite me into a beautiful exchange when she speaks softly through her EFT tapping approach with great focus and clarity that brings about a lightness even laughter. Ania exudes confidence and imparts fresh wisdom. 


I have also had the privilege of attending one of Ania's Creativity Workshops. The journey she took us on included a sharing of our aspirations, a conference table -sized group artwork then a guided drumming meditation. I had visions and could relate to the symbolism. I continued to enjoy a meditative state as I leafed through magazines and cut out images to express my visions in a collage. There was such release and learning and understanding of myself inspired by the process; I framed my collage and hung it in my entry hall as a daily reminder of where I've been, who I am and where I'm headed.  Ania embraces life and shares through her practice her love and optimism. She is a natural for this heart-based and creative process and has a passion to grow with it.


As an interior designer I also enjoy her office and feel so welcomed by her warm color choices and 
comfortable surroundings : )"

"My (now) husband and I went in for premarital counseling during a rocky period. I went in thinking I was being misunderstood and under-appreciated, but her fair, unbiased mediating gave me the perspective I was missing. She brought out my husband (who is usually quiet and reticent when it comes to his own needs) and validated us both while giving us tools to better communicate with each other.
Anna is insightful, a great listener, and a kind person. I highly recommend her as a therapist, whether it be for couples counseling or one-on-one."

I started seeing Ania earlier this year when I was going a personal rough patch - nothing was specifically wrong, but I was in a bit of a funk and having a difficult time both determining the source of my dull feelings and coming up with a way of resolving them. What was so remarkable about Ania is that she could read me right away and helped me examine my feelings through a self-loving and forgiving lens; in the process, I not only was able to uncover some things about myself I'd never seen before, but started seeing and believing in my true potential as a human being. In that regard, she has given me the ability to process feelings in a healthier way, be true to myself, and live my life with a feeling of confidence I've never known before.

I've already recommended Ania to another friend, and would urge anyone who's searching for how to be truly happy with yourself to visit her as well!

“The word "creativity" is often associated with painting, music, and other artsy activities, so I went into Ania's workshop thinking that the purpose was for my latent artistic talents to be awakened and stimulated.  And indeed, painting, music, writing, and collage were all utilized and practiced in the workshop. But I realized later that these activities were used more as tools to awaken different parts of our mind that we don't normally give credit to in learning creative ways of how to live life with the fullest meaning and potential.    I left the workshop with a deep renewed sense of purpose and a "creative spirit guide" (that I discovered in a deep guided meditation during the workshop)  that has continued to guide my behavior toward achieving my life dreams.  Thanks Ania!”

-social entrepreneur, creativity workshop participant

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