Courtney Balonek, AMFT views therapy as a space for curiosity and exploration, where clients can show up exactly as they are feeling in the moment. Whether someone is navigating a specific challenge or isn’t quite sure where to begin, her goal is to support clients in exploring their internal experience, working on unhelpful patterns, and living a meaningful life.

Courtney believes that our past experiences, relationships, and cultural context all shape how we move through the world and relate to others. She helps clients explore these influences with compassion in order to develop a better relationship with themselves and others.

Courtney works alongside clients to shape each session around what feels most important, making room for both challenges as well as a sense of playfulness. Some sessions may focus on processing difficult emotions while others may center on practical problem-solving or exploring new perspectives.

Having experienced the value of therapy herself, Courtney appreciates the vulnerability it takes to ask for support. Her hope is that clients leave therapy with a greater sense of internal safety as well as a stronger connection to their relationships and larger
communities.

Courtney’s approach is integrative, drawing from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) as well as psychodynamic theory, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), and motivational interviewing. She values a feedback-informed, collaborative approach and regularly checks in with clients to ensure therapy feels helpful and aligned with their goals

She enjoys working with people from all walks of life, including adults, couples, families, children, and teens. Her clinical interests include:

● Anxiety
● Grief
● Trauma
● Neurodivergence
● Identity exploration, including queerness and cultural heritage
● Couples/families navigating relationship issues and life transitions
● Developing a compassionate relationship with one’s body
● People who experience intrusive thoughts, discomfort with uncertainty, and
compulsive patterns

Outside of the therapy room, Courtney enjoys gardening (especially herbs, tomatoes, and spicy peppers), weight lifting, making pottery, reading thrillers and queer rom-coms, playing cozy video games, and spending time with her dog, cat, and loved ones.

Courtney earned her M.A. in Counseling Psychology from the University of San Francisco and received her undergraduate education at Willamette University and Pacific Union College. She completed her clinical traineeship at Kaiser in the adult outpatient department. Before becoming a therapist, Courtney spent several years as a nonprofit fundraiser advocating for marginalized communities.

English

SUPERVISED BY: DR. KATIE POLSKY, LICENSED CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGIST #PSY23342

Registered Associate Marriage and Family Therapist #164397, California