Meet the Therapists and Coaches
Sheena Simpson, LMFT
Sheena is a couples therapist in Marin County, committed to providing a warm, supportive, and non-judgmental space where partners can safely explore their relationship dynamics.
Before becoming a therapist, she spent nearly two decades as a Japanese conference interpreter, honing her ability to listen deeply, discern meaning beyond words, and translate complex emotions into clear, understandable communication. This experience uniquely equips her to help couples bridge emotional and communication gaps, ensuring that both partners feel truly heard and understood.
Growing up in a Japanese American household and being bilingual and bicultural, Sheena brings a culturally sensitive approach that honors each couple’s unique history, values, and communication styles.
Sheena has extensive training in couples therapy, integrating evidence-based techniques tailored to each couple’s specific needs. Her approach is both compassionate and solution-focused: helping clients identify practical steps to overcome challenges while fostering deeper emotional connection and self-awareness.
The right words matter. In therapy, Sheena helps couples express their emotions with clarity, reducing misunderstandings and fostering connection.
Beyond surface-level listening, Sheena attunes to the deeper layers of emotion and unspoken needs in the room. She helps couples unravel the underlying patterns driving their conflicts, translating even the most difficult conversations into opportunities for understanding and reconnection. With a direct yet supportive approach, she balances emotional depth with clear, actionable strategies, ensuring that clients not only feel heard but also gain the tools to shift their relational dynamics.
Whether you are navigating conflict, healing from past wounds, or seeking to strengthen your connection, Sheena will empower you with the insights and skills to create lasting positive change. See our therapy fees.
Education & Training
Master’s of Education in Marriage and Family Therapy
Bachelor’s of Arts, University of California, Berkeley
Gottman Method Couples Therapy – Levels 1 & 2
Emotionally Focused Family Therapy – Level 1
Relational Life Therapy – Level 1, 2 & 3
EMDR Trained, HAP (Healing Through Adaptive Processing)
Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) 156841
Sheena Simpson, Couples Expert, LMFT License number: 156841
Session investment: $225 per 50 minute session (eligible for superbills)
Therapeutic Approaches:
Relational Life Therapy (RLT), Gottman Method, Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT): Enhancing relationships through emotional connection and effective communication.
Somatic Therapy: Integrating body awareness to heal trauma and stress.
Neurobiology: Applying brain science to enhance therapeutic outcomes.
Internal Family Systems (IFS): Working with different parts of the self to achieve harmony.
Mindfulness: Cultivating present-moment awareness for mental well-being.
Relational and Client-Centered: Fostering a supportive and empathetic therapeutic relationship.
Polyvagal Theory: Understanding the nervous system's role in emotional regulation.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT): Addressing negative thought patterns and behaviors.
Psychodynamic Therapy: Exploring unconscious processes and past experiences.
Attachment Theory: Understanding the impact of early relationships on current behavior.
Allison Waugh, LMFT
Allison works with couples who want to resolve conflict, rebuild trust, and deepen emotional and physical connection. Her approach is relational, somatic, and trauma-informed, grounded in the belief that lasting change happens through felt experience and authentic connection, not just insight or communication strategies.
In her work, Allison helps couples slow down and understand what is happening beneath recurring conflict or distance. She pays close attention to how partners relate to one another in the moment, how emotions and protective patterns show up in the body, and how past experiences may be shaping present-day reactions. By bringing awareness to these underlying dynamics, couples are able to interrupt familiar cycles and begin relating to each other in new, more connected ways.
Allison’s style is warm, active, and compassionate. She creates a supportive environment where both partners feel heard and understood, while also encouraging growth, responsibility, and deeper emotional honesty.
Joanna Karp, Relationship Coach
Joanna is a Relationship Coach and Emotionally Focused Couples Therapist licensed in Connecticut with over 30 years of experience helping couples repair disconnection and build more secure, meaningful relationships. Her work is grounded in emotional honesty, embodied awareness, and relational repair.
Her training includes Body-Centered Gestalt Therapy through the Hartford Family Institute, Voice Dialogue (parts work) with Drs. Hal and Sidra Stone, EMDR (Levels I and II), advanced certification in Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP), mindfulness-based practices, family therapy training with Dr. Dan Hughes, and advanced training in Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy. She is currently completing training in Relational Life Therapy (RLT).
Earlier in her career, Joanna spent nine years on staff with Shakti Gawain, where she led groups and workshops throughout the United States and Europe.
Joanna’s style is warm, empathic, direct, and nonjudgmental. She helps couples identify the patterns that keep them stuck, understand what drives those patterns, and move toward deeper connection and lasting change.
Joanna is the mother of adult twins and the grandmother of four. While she does not work directly with children or families, she brings a deep understanding of family dynamics into her work, recognizing how healing the couple relationship often benefits the entire family system.