Every part of you is welcome here.
Who I Am
I am an Associate Marriage and Family Therapist earning hours towards Licensure. I work in Private Practice under the Supervision of Joe Latuga and Beth Greivel.
I am a Queer and Non-Binary therapist. I am originally from the East coast, and I have a background in English and Creative Writing. My love for the therapeutic power of artistic expression is in part what led me to become a therapist.
I earned my Master’s degree in Counseling Psychology from The Wright Institute, which is a program specifically oriented in social justice and cultural humility. I continue to stay current on research and evidence based practices in order to best serve my clients.
What Brought Me Here
I have always been driven by empathy, vulnerability, and emotional intimacy. I find meaning in cultivating relationships with people. Through both personal and second-hand experience, I’ve witnessed the pain, confusion, shame, or tension that so many of us carry within, and that has an impact on our daily lives, our relationships, and our ideas of self. I consider it a great privilege to do this work – to share your unique feelings and experiences, and to support you in cultivating a life and sense of self that brings you meaning, empowerment, and joy.
How I Work
I believe the relationship we build as client and therapist is an important avenue for self-exploration and growth, and can aid us in exploring your relationships outside of therapy. I believe you are the expert on your own life; I am here to listen to you and work collaboratively to empower your inherent strength and resilience. I use warmth, compassion, and humor to cultivate an affirming, non-judgemental, and trusting connection with my clients. In our work together, we also examine conversations around culture, identity, power, privilege, and oppression.
About Me
I am a Member of:
California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists (CAMFT)
Gaylesta
The Psychotherapy Institute (TPI)
The Association of Family Therapists of Northern California (AFTNC)
Bay Area Open Minds (BAOM)
Lizzie Pfeiffer
Pronouns: They/Them
Research & Teaching Experience:
Guest Lecturer, The Wright Institute, 2024
“Queering Dyads: Asexuality & Implications for Dyadic Therapy”
What I Offer
I provide individual therapy for adults and adolescents.
I also offer therapy for partners, couples, spouses, and families.
I specialize in working with Queer, Trans, and LGBTQ+ folks.
No matter who you are, I do my best to attend to your individual needs and provide you with the best support I can in your pursuit of therapy.
** On a case-by-case basis, I will write letters in support of my clients receiving Gender-Affirming Care. In accordance with WPATH’s Standards of Care, I can write a letter after approximately 4-6 months of working together and building our therapeutic relationship.**
I currently practice in-person in Oakland and in San Francisco.
I see clients virtually through a HIPAA-compliant, confidential telehealth platform.
I can work via telehealth with anyone residing in California.
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I support clients coping with a diverse range of presenting concerns, including stress, anxiety, depression, relationship difficulties, trauma, and/or substance use. Your lived experience is uniquely yours. I am here to listen, and to support you through your hard moments, as well as your good ones. This list is not exhaustive, so please reach out - it’s a privilege to hold with you whatever you are carrying.
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Teens so often are facing a time of immense pressure, expectation, stress, transition, and identity development. Through my experience as a school counselor, I grew a deep passion for sharing space with and supporting adolescents and emerging adults. I work with teens struggling with anxiety, perfectionism, depression, family and peer conflict, academic stress, substance use, identity, social media and bullying, and more.
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Friendships, partnerships and families, while often being a place of love, support, and connection, can also so often bring tension, conflict, or misunderstanding. Sharing yourself and your lived experience with others can be a daunting task.
One of my specialty areas is supporting friends and Queer Platonic Partners in therapy. This often looks like navigating conflict, expectations, roles, and boundaries. My goal is to create a safe space for you to explore, celebrate, and strengthen your relationship!
I support couples, partners, spouses, polycules, and diverse intimate/romantic relationships. Some of the areas we can work on together include attachment, trauma, communication and conflict, sex, intimacy, and kink.
I also support whole family units. Through life transitions, grief and loss, parenting, substance use, trauma, and more - I am here to listen and help family members turn toward each other, and communicate and connect more smoothly.
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I have a particular passion for, as well as experience with, working with Queer and Trans adults and youth. Through a gender transition, coming out, or finding love and chosen family, we all have diverse experiences that often hold hardship alongside joy and empowerment. I am here to hold all the pieces of you, support you in being your most authentic self, and help you in your journey of finding meaning and joy.
Group Therapy!
What is group therapy and is it right for me?
Group Therapy is a small group of people coming together to intentionally focus on a shared topic or experience. Group therapy can either be used in addition to your individual therapy sessions or as a standalone service. All groups are held virtually.
Introducing: Queer and/or Trans Teen Therapy Group
I am excited to announce my new therapy group, for adolescents ages 14+ who identify as Queer, Trans, Non-binary, Gender Non-Conforming, or any and all of the above! This will be a virtual, weekly support group to build community, deepen relationships to ourselves and to others, strengthen our means of coping, and explore our identities.
Please fill out this interest form to get started and to learn more!
joelatuga.com/groups
Fees & Next Steps
I look forward to meeting you!
Our first step in working together is to set up a 20-minute free consultation, so that we can get to know each other better and collaboratively decide if we’re a good fit.
To schedule a consultation, please schedule or email me below, or leave me a voicemail with your name and phone number (contact info below).
***Please note that I can not guarantee full confidentiality if you contact me by email or text. Keep that in mind as you reach out; we can discuss your needs in more detail over the phone, in person, or via telehealth.
Individual Sessions: $160
Partners/Family/Couples Sessions: $210
I am considered an out-of-network provider, so I do not accept insurance. I can provide you with a Superbill to submit to your insurance for potential reimbursement, but I cannot advocate on your behalf with your insurance as unlicensed clinician.
I offer a limited number of sliding scale options for clients requiring a lower fee. We can discuss further details during our consultation.
Contact Me
“You do not have to be good.
You do not have to walk on your knees
for a hundred miles through the desert repenting.
You only have to let the soft animal of your body love what it loves.”
— Mary Oliver, Wild Geese
Want to hear more from me?
Kealy Spring, LMFT, Therapeutically Aligned Interview Series:
“In this episode, I speak with Lizzie Pfeiffer, an Associate Marriage and Family Therapist, about their journey to licensure so far. Lizzie explains what the path requires of individuals looking to start a career as a clinician, and the hoops they have gone through to get to this point in their career. They speak to why they chose to become a therapist, the deep relational work they practice, and some of that truly important information when getting to know someone - like what their favorite app is!”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=34vVZ5iaHNA (video length: 45 min.)
