Dr Shanti

Email Dr Shanti

415-801-0477

Dedicated to Promoting Your Health, Happiness and Performance

Hello and Welcome!

My name is SD Shanti. I am a Psychological Associate based in San Francisco and serve people across California via tele-therapy. I offer care that is based on research and sensitive to people’s experiences of traumas. 


I am experienced in and passionate about helping people in the following areas:





​​​​What You Can Expect in Therapy with Me

I offer clients research-based psychological tools and techniques to help them cope with life’s challenges and be resilient in the face of adversity.

My aim is to empower clients through evidence-based methods and trauma informed methods. Additionally, my work is informed by compassion, empathy and cultural sensitivity – which are among my core values in my work. 

Inspired by my background in preventive dentistry, I offer the following structure to serve psychology clients in a way that integrates immediate treatment with long-term mental health promotion:

Phase I – Relief from emotional pain and getting out of distress.

Phase II – Enable optimal functioning so you can flourish and connect with joy, meaning and purpose.

Phase III – Work with you to develop a customized mental hygiene program which includes periodic checkups to maintain your gains, prevent relapse, and early detection of threats to your emotional wellbeing so you can respond in a timely manner to reduce severity of distress.

Format

Individuals:  I offer customized therapy sessions tailored to your specific concerns, combined with proactive strategies to "brush your mind" daily.  Our first goal is to alleviate your emotional pain and discomfort, and the second goal is to promote your optimal functioning.

As in a dental practice, along with daily mental hygiene, I recommend that clients adopt a preventive maintenance program, with periodic check-ups to maintain gains made in therapy and for early detection of recurring issues or new concerns. 


Couples:  Long term research shows that stress corrodes the couple bond and contributes to gradually drifting apart and divorce. This is like how acid corrodes teeth over time and leads to dental cavities.

I provide couples with tools and techniques which function like “fluoride for your marriage.” I work with couples to strengthen and stress-proof their marriage and rekindle the spark and deepen their love.

In keeping with a preventive and health promotion framework, I offer “marriage checkups,” that are similar to dental checkups. The goal is to maintain healthy habits and catch any issues early, before they become bigger problems.

Workshops:  I offer workshops in various settings like businesses, universities and schools, and non-profit organizations. My workshops are tailored to your needs and focus on stress management and health promotion. They aim to boost your resilience, motivation, teamwork, and productivity.

My Approach

My work with clients is informed by the following: 

·      Identify strengths and promote resilience;

·      Non-judgmental, empathic and compassionate;

·      Sensitive to people’s histories of traumas and tailor my work accordingly;

·      Evidence-based methods that are tailored to fit each person’s unique circumstances; this includes drawing from the wealth of research in the following areas: cognitive behavior therapy (CBT), mindfulness, dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) and attachment theory, which is the psychology of human connection, bonding, and love;

·      Incorporate positive psychology to address meaning, purpose, personal growth and related themes;

·      As an ordained interfaith minister, I respect my clients' spiritual beliefs and can integrate them into therapy if desired;

·      In addition to science, my work is infused with soul – that part of life which is beautiful, transcendent and joyful; I am all about stopping to smell the roses, taking the scenic route and noticing the joy and beauty that exists in life – right there alongside the challenges;

·      Alongside traditional talk therapy, I incorporate research-informed mind-body techniques such as meditation, yoga, and tai chi;

·      I also draw from the work of neuroscientist Stephen Porges and encourage people to explore chanting or singing as an adjunct for coping with difficult circumstances. Chanting is an age-old practice backed up by modern neuroscience;

·      My prior work as a pediatric dentist keeps me grounded, down to earth, and approachable;

·      My international background –  both in my professional and personal life – enables me to work with and support people from various countries, cultures and socio-economic backgrounds. 


About 


I work under the supervision of Dr. Josie Valderrama (CA # PSY27913) and am accruing hours toward my psychology license in California. I am currently licensed to practice dentistry in Arizona and Vermont and am board certified in public health by the National Board of Public Health Examiners in the US.

I have a PhD in clinical psychology from the University of Vermont, a doctor of dental surgery (DDS)  from Northwestern University and a master’s degree in public health (MPH) from Harvard University. I trained at the Dental Fears Clinic at the University of Washington Dental School in Seattle, WA, and did my psychology internship at Montreal General Hospital in Canada. 

My prior experience in psychology includes having been licensed in the cantons of Basel-City and Geneva, Switzerland.  I worked in private practice serving physicians and other health care professionals, professors, and classical musicians, as well as executives from major companies including Roche, Novartis, PWC, UBS and Credit Suisse. I have taught prevention, health promotion and health psychology at the graduate level in the US and Switzerland. 

~

Along with numerous peer-reviewed presentations at conferences internationally, I have also published in peer reviewed journals and books on various aspects of psychology including couples’ psychology, women and depression, mindfulness, and health behavior. I authored: The Time Starved Woman’s Guide to Emotional Health: Tools and strategies for wellbeing. Earlier in my career, I was Editor for Emotional Health for the Novartis Foundation for Gerontology, where I was responsible for translating science-based information into usable forms that everyday people around the world could understand and use. 

My innovations in mental health were incubated at Stanford University: I was a Reuters Digital Vision Fellow in technology for humanitarian applications; I was also a Visiting Scholar in the Department of Psychology at Stanford, with Philip Zimbardo and Albert Bandura, two renowned psychologists who were my sponsors. My approach to innovation in mental health is also influenced by organizational psychologist Robert Sutton at the Stanford Graduate School of Business, from where I received a certificate in non-profit management.

My cross-cultural experiences include having lived in four countries: United States, (Quebec) Canada, India and Switzerland. I have worked with people from over 50 countries and have provided therapy to people from at least 25 different nationalities. I come from an inter-cultural family, with relatives from all major religions, and even have some relatives who are agonistic and atheist. 

In collaboration with Advanced Continuing Education Systems (ACES) in San Diego, CA and Concord Seminars in New Hampshire, I offer accredited continuing education courses for dental professionals on helping patients with dental fear and anxiety, trauma informed dental care, job stress, and prevention of, and recovery from burnout.

For more details, here is my Linkedin profile.

Fees and Insurance

$200 per hour for individuals
$300 per 90-minute session for couples

Sliding scale is available for those experiencing financial challenges. Please ask me about this if you are experiencing hardship.

Payment can be made by credit card, debit card or bank transfer.

You will receive a super bill from Valderrama Psychological PC that you can submit to your insurance company.

Health insurance in California does not automatically cover services provided by pre-licensed psychological associates. It depends on the specifics of your insurance company.

Please note: Some people elect not to use their health insurance for psychotherapy for reasons of privacy, especially in an era of extensively linked health records. 

SD Shanti, Ph.D. Registered Psychological Associate 94028109. Supervised by Josie Valderrama, Psy.D. Licensed Psychologist PSY27913.