I believe the most important work we can do is learn how to truly show up — for the people we love, and for ourselves.

 

I’m Arabella Hester, a therapist based in San Francisco.

I work with individuals and couples who are navigating the particular kind of exhaustion that comes with high-achieving lives — the burnout that success doesn’t fix, the distance that creeps into relationships when life gets too full, the quiet feeling that something important is being lost.

 

I understand this world because I live in it too.

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I immigrated from Eastern Europe in my early 20s to attend UC Berkeley, where I graduated with honors.

After years of growing personally and professionally, I returned to earn my M.A. in Counseling Psychology from The Wright Institute. I trained at the Marina Counseling Center in San Francisco, where I developed as a Psychodynamic Relational Psychotherapist. I am also an advanced level Emotionally Focused Couples Therapist (EFCT).

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My style is warm, direct, and collaborative. I draw on psychodynamic therapy, CBT, DBT, and EFT — whatever actually works for you. I work with people navigating trauma, depression, anxiety, relationship challenges, life transitions, immigration, and questions of identity and intimacy.

I welcome clients of all genders, sexualities, and cultural backgrounds, including the LGBTQ+ and non-monogamous and polyamorous communities. I offer in-person sessions in San Francisco and online therapy across California.

 

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Let’s see if we’re a good fit.

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