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Synde Acks, Psy D

Licensed  Psychologist
#27309

Hello! Just a wee bit about me. I received my Psy. D from Meridian University, Petaluma, California. Before obtaining my doctoral degree, I worked for TLC Child and Family services doing a variety of jobs including being a school counselor for a NPS school, a therapist, and a counselor in a residential treatment facility. My undergraduate degree was from California State University, Long Beach with majors in both Psychology and Sociology.

My tenure as a mental health provider began with 17 years working with teens and families. Now, I’m in private practice where I’ve been since 2015. Trauma is my jam, baby, though I treat these things too: Trauma, Chronic Pain, Anxiety, Post-traumatic Stress Disorder, Bipolar/Mood Disorders, ADHD, transitioning transgender youth, children of divorcing couples, adopted youth, individuals recovering from residential treatment, survivors of suicide, victims of bullying, personality disorders, people who have been in relationship with individuals with personality disorders, and developmental transition challenges. Additionally, I have facilitated groups since January, 2000 specializing in topics including Substance Abuse Treatment, Assertiveness Training, Personal Power, Codependency/Echoism, Identity Exploration, Adventure Therapy, Women & Men Groups, Vocational Exploration, Appropriate Risk Taking, and Mental Illness and Symptom Management. Additionally, I wrote the series Primal Ecstasy, Treating codependency with Echo, Narcissus, and BDSM Romance Fiction.

My primary theoretical orientation is Imaginal Psychology, which includes an Archetypal and Alchemical Psychology. As part of the imaginal process, I make use of techniques from EMDR, Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy modalities, Short-Term Solution Focused Behavioral Therapy, Motivational Interviewing, and Mindfulness Strategies. Treatment is targeted at empowering my clients to help themselves. We work to manage emotional suffering, identify and accomplish treatment goals, and work efficiently to get goals accomplished in a timely way.

CEU Trainings under my belt:

  • Basic Training in EMDR Therapy, Sonoma Psychotherapy Training Institute EMDRIA approved, Andrew Leeds

  • Gaslighting: Help Clients Escape and Rebuild from a Narcissist’s Emotional Abuse, Stephanie Sarkis

  • EMDR Therapy and the Treatment of Substance and Behavioral Disorders and Behavioral Addiction & Understanding and Addressing Multiple Roots of Addiction, Hope Payson, LCSW

  • Eating Disorders, Barbara Murphy, Psy.D.

  • Distracted and Disorganized Kids in the Digital Generation: Techniquyes to Influence Neuroplasticity, Manage Screen Time & Implement Sensory Smart Movement, Aubrey Schmalle, ORT/L, SIPT

  • Basic Neurofeedback Training, Sadar Psychological’s BCIA Neurofeedback Certification Course

  • Trauma Conference: Body Keeps Score: Healing Trauma, Bessel A. van der Kolk, M.D.

  • EMDR treating Chronic Pain by Mark Grant

  • EMDR and Insomnia by Esly Carvalho, Ph.D 2/17/2022

  • Sexual Desire Discrepancy in Couples with Lisa Elieson

  • Introduction to Psychedelic-Assisted Psychotherapy, Redwood Psychology Association: Genesee Herzberg, Julie Megler, Veronika Gold, and Erik Sienknecht

  • Innovative Approaches to Complex PTSD and Dissociative Disorders in EMDR Therapy: Treating Dissociative Disorders with EMDR, the Progressive Approach, EMDR Therapy for Suicidal clients and Self-Harming Behaviors; Working with hostile voices and parts of the personality in complex trauma and dissociative Disorders: Dolores Mosquera

  • Using Dialectics Across Therapeutic Modalities, Nikki Rubin

  • “Pure O” OCD Subtypes: How to Identify and Treat Them, Nikki Rubin, Psy.D.

  • Sex Talk: Clinician Edition, Donna Oriowo

  • Helping Others Help Children: Clinical Supervision of Child Psychotherapy, William Cook

  • Get Over Yourself: Arrogance and Elitism in Psychotherapy, Angela Caldwell

  • ODD, ASD, ADHD, & Mood Disorders, Over 50 Proven Techniques for Children and Adolescents, Jennifer Wilke-Deaton

  • Introduction to Flash Techniques- Philip Manfield

  • Addiction, Timmens Cermak, 3/13/10

  • Therapeutic Ethics in the Movies- Ofer Zur

  • DBT Skills Training, Christine Kvidera , Based on Marsha Linehan’s work, 7/12/10

  • Managing Voices, Robin Buccheri, DNSc, RN, NP, MHNP, FAAN & Louise N. Trygstad, DNSc, MSN, BSN

  • The New Marijuana and Psychotherapy, Richard Von Feldt, Psy.D.

  • Essentials of Crisis Counseling

  • Pantheon of Paradoxes, Archetypal Imagery in the Ancient Egyptian Pantheon, C.G. Jung Institute

  • Sexual Archetypes, Oona Mourier

  • Somatic EMDR, Craig Penner

  • Counseling Addiction, SRJC

  • Reducing Power Struggles, Will Lyon

  • Psychology of Shame, Meridian University

  • Spousal or Partner Abuse

  • Toxic Anger- W. Doyle Gentry, PhD

  • Forensic Psychology- Jay Carter

  • Understanding & Treating Chronic Suicidal Ideation: Stacey Freedenthal

  • Treatment of Sex/Porn Addiction and Chem/Sex with EMDR: Michael Hase

  • Sound Healing with Eileen McKusick

  • How to Support Someone Who’s Attempted Suicide, Jessica Wolf Ortiz/Lu Ripley

  • Neuroscience of Resilience: Trauma doesn’t have to be a life Sentence, Relationship Foundation

  • Demystifying Personality Disorders: Greg Lester and Alan Godwin

  • Emotional Abusive Behaviors and A Closer Look at Gaslighting: Clinical Tools To Break the Cycle of Manipulation and Regain Personal Power by Amy Marlow-MaCoy

  • Narcissistic and Psychopathic Abuse: The Clinicians’ Guide to the New Field of Traumatic Pathological Love Relationshps by Sandra L. Brown, Claudia Paradise, and William Brennan

  • Treating Adult Clients of Emotionally Immature Parents: How Your Clients Can Reclaim Their Lives from the Toxic Legacy of Controlling, Rejecting or Self-Involved Parents by Lindsay Gibson

  • Flash Training with Philip Manfield

  • Culturally Responsive Clinical Supervision: Ethical and Trauma Informed Multicultural Supervision Strategies with Sonja Suthlerland

  • Ongoing Trainings on the topic of Ethics: Teletherapy, Ethics in Neurofeedback, Most Common Ethics Violations, and so forth…

  • Socratic Dialogue with Stephanie Sacks

  • Protecting Our License with Ofer Zur

  • Ongoing HIPAA Compliance with Benjamin Caldwell

  • Bipolar Disorder and Substance Use Disorder E233, William A. Cook, Ph.D.

Contact me »

My Office —
435 Petaluma Ave. Suite 136
Sebastopol CA 95472
(707) 387-0245

drsyndeacks@gmail.com

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