MEET DR. ERIN CARPENTER

Anxiety, relationship, and LGBTQ+ therapist in Lafayette, CA

Our work begins with curiosity

I love this work and have a deep respect for the trust it takes to let another person into the more vulnerable parts of your life. I approach each client with curiosity about who they are, the experiences that have shaped them, and the patterns they may already recognize but still find difficult to change.

Clients often describe me as warm, engaged, and easy to talk to. I’ll ask questions, share what I’m noticing, and be an active participant in our conversations. We’ll think together about what’s happening in your life and relationships and make space for the things that may be harder to notice on your own.

My hope is that therapy becomes a place where you feel deeply known and understood, while also gaining a better understanding of yourself. Together, we’ll use that understanding to help you trust yourself, make choices that feel true to you, and create meaningful change in your life and relationships.

At the core of my approach is the belief that meaningful change happens within relationships, including the one we build together. The relationship between us gives us another way to understand how you experience vulnerability, trust, and connection.

I’ll show up as a real person: warm, thoughtful, and genuinely invested in understanding you. We can pay attention to what happens between us, using those moments to better understand patterns that may also show up in relationships outside of therapy.

Over time, therapy can become a place to experience new ways of relating to yourself and others, and to carry those changes into the relationships that matter most to you.

Healing happens in relationship

MY APPROACH

What it’s like to work together

Therapy that’s relational, thoughtful, and grounded in curiosity

Therapy with me is collaborative and active. Some sessions may begin with something that happened during your week, while others unfold as we follow a thought, feeling, relationship, or pattern that feels important in the moment.

My work is grounded in psychodynamic therapy, which means we’ll explore what’s happening in your life today alongside the experiences and relationships that have shaped the way you think, feel, and relate to yourself and others. As those patterns become clearer, you’ll have more flexibility in how you respond and more choice in how you want to move forward.

Throughout our work together, we’ll build on those insights in ways that feel practical and meaningful in your everyday life.