About Me
Jan Gilbert
When we are real with ourselves, we gain the ability to be more real with others. It comes with risk and vulnerability, as does living a full human life - free from the burden of always having to find a spot to hide.I am here to support you through the journey to your authentic self. However messy, however dark, exciting, frightening or fun, the trail always leads somewhere new.
As far back as I can remember, I’ve been a bit silly. As a dorky kid, I often used humor to couch expression of emotions that were uncomfortable. For me, performance became a way to step into roles that were outside my ‘normal,’ as well as build empathy and understanding for myself and others.
The role of theatre in my own life has been powerful and transformational. I have witnessed instances of creativity, play, spontaneity, joy, and community have invaluable impacts on people’s lives.
Having left undergraduate with degrees in Theatre Performance and Psychology, it felt a natural progression to complete the MA program for Drama Therapy at the California Institute of Integral Studies. I am trained in expressive arts therapies, but don’t fret! You won’t be doing Shakespeare in session (unless that’s what you’d like)!
I came up in the age of ‘Blank Slate’ therapists: movies full of Freudian tropes and caricatures of mental health professionals. While relational exploration is important and there is incredible therapeutic value within the relationship between client and therapist, I believe that value is inextricably linked to the simple fact that we are quite far from blank slates. (I also know Freud did not meet half of his clients and most of his theories were developed with only a portion of humanity in mind, but I digress). We are all humans and, unlike Freud, I don’t consider myself an expert in anyone else’s life experience.
In the therapeutic space, I work collaboratively with the expert in your life experience: you.
Using what feels right for you - which may include talk therapy, expressive arts, behavioral therapies, psychoeducation, and/or embodied work to integrate mind/body processing and healing - we will work together to support you in moving toward whatever goals you have in mind.
Let’s Talk!
Send me a message or go ahead and book your free 15 minute consultation to get started.
Learn More
Read more about my specialties and who I work with or how the therapy process works.