Stacy Lane Stoddard

Marriage and Family Therapist Intern under the supervision of Marsha Hiller

'Tis visible silence, still as the hour-glass, Deep in the sun-searched growths the dragon-fly Hangs like a blue thread loosened from the sky:-- So this winged hour is dropped to us from above.

Marriage and Family Therapist Intern

Who is Stacy?

I am a registered Marriage and Family Therapist Intern #50607 under the supervision of Marsha Hiller, MFC# 30216. I graduated from John F. Kennedy University with a Masters in Counseling Psychology, and I also hold a Masters degree from Yale University.

I work in a private practice internship in Berkeley, and am passionate about my work with individuals and couples. I am especially interested in working with dreams, and I am currently pursuing my Certificate in Dream Studies from John F. Kennedy University.

I use a variety of modalities to help my clients gain a deeper understanding of themselves. I work primarily from a relational model, though I also incorporate a body-centered and experiential style. I also work with my clients on past issues; by connecting one's past to one's present, insights can be gained and wounds can be healed. I believe that my clients hold the keys to their own healing and understanding, and I work to be a guide and mirror as my clients embark on their journeys of healing and growth.

What is therapy?

Therapy, like life, is a journey. Life is full of many feelings -- fear, hope, joy, sadness, love, rage -- many of which happen simultaneously and many of which can be confusing or scary. I work with people to broaden their awareness of themselves and their feelings, both conscious and unconscious.

I advocate for a lifestyle of awareness, of simply noticing what your emotions and thoughts are in any given moment. I also provide a model for ways that clients can be less judgmental with themselves, learning to love and accept who they are.

Therapy is a place where, hopefully, a client can bring all of his or her experiences, from the most painful to the most joyous. Therapy can be a place to work on relationships, personal growth, goals and dreams, anxiety and depression, rage, grief, and even joy. Therapy is also a place to work on issues relating to sexuality, food, addictions, and spirituality.

How do I contact Stacy?

My office is located at 2025 Lincoln Street in Berkeley. I can be reached at 510.496.2733.

Because I work from a relational model, I believe deeply in the importance of the match between the client and therapist. I encourage anyone who is considering therapy to schedule an appointment to see if I may be the right fit for you.

My fee is $80 per session. I also see clients on a sliding scale, so please contact me for further fee information. Some insurance plans will reimburse for my services; I would be happy to talk to you further if this is a concern for you.

Dragonfly

The Dragonfly

Once, in a little pond, in the muddy water under the lily pads, there lived a little water beetle in a community of water beetles. They lived a simple and comfortable life in the pond with few disturbances and interruptions.

Once in a while, sadness would come to the community when one of their fellow beetles would climb the stem of a lily pad and would never be seen again. They knew when this happened; their friend was dead, gone forever.

Then, one day, one little water beetle felt an irresistible urge to climb up that stem. However, he was determined that he would not leave forever. He would come back and tell his friends what he had found at the top.

When he reached the top and climbed out of the water onto the surface of the lily pad, he was so tired, and the sun felt so warm, that he decided he must take a nap. As he slept, his body changed and when he woke up, he had turned into a beautiful blue-tailed dragonfly with broad wings and a slender body designed for flying.

So, fly he did! And, as he soared he saw the beauty of a whole new world and a far superior way of life to what he had never known existed.

Then he remembered his beetle friends and how they were thinking by now he was dead. He wanted to go back to tell them, and explain to them that he was now more alive than he had ever been before. His life had been fulfilled rather than ended.

But, his new body would not go down into the water. He could not get back to tell his friends the good news. Then he understood that their time would come, when they, too, would know what he now knew. So, he raised his wings and flew off into his joyous new life!

~Author Unknown~

Dragonflies begin their lives in water, and then move to the air as they grow. They break through the iridescent glow of the water's edge, and they are changed forever. The dragonfly, therefore, symbolizes going past self-created illusions that limit one's growing and changing.

Therapy can be helpful as one begins to grow and change. At the beginning, sometimes people can only see a glow of hope, and sometimes they're so deep in the depths of the water that they cannot even see the water's edge. My belief is that therapy can be a place where a person can move toward the water's edge, and then break through into a new life that is full of light and life.