| ......A native of Brooklyn, New York she was trained in New York City as a Social Worker, Case Manager, Therapist for children, adults, groups and families. She holds her Bachelor’s Degree in Human Development from New York State University’s Empire State College and Masters in Social Work Degree from Yeshiva University’s Wurzweiler School of Social Work. In 1982 Shoshanna moved to San Francisco where she lived and worked for various notable mental health agencies as a therapist and care manager. In 1987 she relocated to the East Bay where she remains today in private practice and has worked at United Behavioral Health and USCF as care coordinator for the Depression in Primary Care Program. She has helped many people of all ages and diverse cultures around the Bay Area achieve their goals and obtain happiness.
......On a more personal note, Shoshanna is the mother of three talented adult daughters and has three bright and beautiful grandchildren. Her hobbies include gardening, needlework and art. She loves movies, music and laughter.
......Shoshanna’s legal name is Michele, but she prefers to be called Shoshanna. At her baby naming she was given the Hebrew name Shoshanna, but never was called by that name throughout her life. It was only after undergoing her own personal transformation in 1998 that she knew a new sound was needed. Shoshanna mirrored the truth that she felt she had become. The poet, David Whyte, refers to this stepping into our power as “The soul declaring itself.” This is how this name change felt to her.
PHILOSOPHY
“You can’t solve a problem with the same mind that created it”
Albert Einstein
......My philosophy is to listen, to encourage, to reframe, to brainstorm, and to educate you on what ever you want support
with. Together we will understand how you are loving yourself or not.The initial loss of not loving oneself is the greatest pain one can experience.It is the loss of the joy of being openly and whole heartedly present in the world. In one way or another, all pain in relationships can be traced to the loss of love for oneself.When you are not in loving alignment with yourself it is as though there is always a war going on between you and the world,one which can never quite be healed. Or you may sense an emptiness, that you can never seem to fill.However, when you learn how to love yourself the power of that love radiates out from your being and transforms the quality of your life.
......I believe as a healer and spiritual explorer that when you search deep within your heart you will feel the love and compassion that always resides there, and when you allow that love and compassion to bathe and surround the hurt, anger and pain it will be healed.
Love and life are one and the same. No wonder it is so frightening to be out of touch with love- that means you are out of touch with life and being who you truly are. You may fear criticism because you fear not loving yourself.You may fear your anger because you fear not being able to love others. When love is fragile fear arises in many forms. But when you increase your ability to experience the love that is at your core you will find less fear in your life.
If you continue to do what you’ve always done, you are going to get what you always got.
“It is part of the cure to wish to be cured.” Seneca
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