Dr. Wendy McVey

Clinical Psychologist

PSYCHOTHERAPY FOR STRESS, ANXIETY & TRAUMA

CLIENT CENTERED THERAPY FOR THE CHANGE YOU WANT TO SEE IN YOUR LIFE

I am deeply committed to my profession and my clients.

I respect and honor different religions, abilities, backgrounds and identities, and I am LGBTQ+ friendly.

This is not just a job to me, I truly enjoy what I do and I have witnessed the long-term impact of effective therapy.

Contact me directly to book a complementary, 15 minute, Introductory Video Session.

I am happy to answer any questions about my background or the way I work to see if my skills are a good match for your needs.

PHONE/TEXT: (510) 239-3838

EMAIL: DRWMCVEY@GMAIL.COM

I design my sessions to be a safe, collaborative space where I focus on moving toward healing and change that is meaningful to you. I have a warm, non-judgmental, conversational style that recognizes the healing potential of a strong alliance.

I collaborate with you throughout each session, and between sessions through a Post-Session Survey that asks you to reflect on the session and give honest feedback about your feelings about our work together. I can then shift our focus or methods to make sure we are continuing to move toward healing and change that is meaningful to you.

What my clients are saying:

"I've gone through radical acceptance, found revolutionary joy, am still alcohol free, and am codependent no more. Thank you for your help along the way. I am forever grateful.

-Former Client (from unsolicited client email after end of therapy) 12/29/23

"Working with Dr. Wendy McVey has been the highlight of my therapy journey thus far. I cannot thank her enough for the immense progress I’ve made during our time together. She has accurately shed light on my family dynamics, which has allowed me to finally start healing. With her extensive knowledge and experience, I now have the proper tools to combat my diagnosis and use in my everyday life. She is a therapist who truly invested in me and came to each session prepared and focused. The work we’ve done together has been pivotal and ground-breaking. I’m so thankful to have had the opportunity to work with her. I would highly recommend teaming up with her to anyone in need of help or who feels as if they’ve hit a wall in their therapy journey."

-Former Client (from unsolicited client email after end of therapy) 5/3/22

I help you Identify and Remove the Blocks to moving forward towards the life you want:

#1: IDENTIFY BLOCKS

Do you have,

Chronic Physical Symptoms, such as GI Distress, Headaches, Heart Palpitations, Pain or Fatigue?
Low Self-Esteem, Ineffective Communication, Difficulty Setting and Maintaining Boundaries?
Increased Fighting or Withdrawal from Others?
Persistent Grief or Sadness?
Intense Feelings of Guilt and Shame?
Unpredictable Anger or Tears?

#2: IDENTIFY THE SOURCE OF THE BLOCKS

I help people who have experienced,

Loss of Loved One
Serious Illness or Injury
Unhealthy Family Relationships
Fighting, Separation or Divorce
Unhealthy Work Environment
Physical or Emotional Abuse

Leading to increased levels of:

STRESS = when our body produces hormones that trigger a fight or flight response due to our experiencing something new, unexpected or threatening to our sense of self.

ANXIETY = when we have too much stress or feel we are powerless to change our situation, leading to feeling overwhelmed and unable to cope; affecting our physical health, our relationships and our ability to enjoy life.

TRAUMA = when an incident causes physical, emotional, spiritual or psychological harm leading to unpredictable emotions, flashbacks, strained relationships, and physical symptoms like headaches or nausea.

#3: REMOVE THE BLOCKS

I provide compassionate care through specialized training in:

PSYCHODYNAMIC THERAPY where we look to the past to identify patterns in your emotions, thoughts, and beliefs in order to gain insight into their effect on your current self and be able to change them.

COGNITIVE BEHAVIORAL THERAPY (CBT) teaches you to become more aware of your thoughts and beliefs and gives you skills to help you react to emotional triggers in a healthier way.

EYE MOVEMENT DESENSITIZATION AND REPROCESSING (EMDR) helps you process traumatic memories that are overwhelming your feelings and responses to situations in the present.

Each is tailored to your style of learning and growth so, together, we build on your inherent abilities and resilience.

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE

Wendy McVey, PsyD

Clinical Psychologist-CA License #PSY25534

I began my career managing a Corporate Team before finding a love of Hospice volunteer work. My Hospice job duties entailed going to the Client’s home to relieve their caregiver for 4 hours. This led me to quickly form relationships with dying clients, mostly by being present and actively listening. I was surprised to find inspiration in their courage; their courage to be real and flawed and not know, their courage to keep caring, have difficult conversations, make hard decisions, and set boundaries, their courage to keep showing up, crying, grieving and making changes, all with a sense of humor and a deep connection to the heartbeat of other beings. They each came with me as I helped the next Client find the courage to believe a sick body can still be on a journey toward healing a heart and the hearts of those around them.

After 5 years, I followed this inspiration to graduate school to earn my Doctorate degree in Clinical Psychology.

My dissertation focuses on Caregiver Attitudes Toward LGBT Seniors in Residential Settings and I continue to let it guide my practice and the clients I serve.

I now have more than 15 years experience providing comprehensive, individual and group psychotherapy to diverse populations and a certification as a Cancer Trained Clinician with specialized training in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) and Accelerated Experiential Dynamic Psychotherapy (AEDP).

My recent experience includes, facilitating a support group for suicide hotline workers, performing disability evaluations for Veterans, and working in a startup environment providing individual therapy to professionals and executives in San Francisco's financial district.

I am deeply committed to my profession and my clients. This is not just a job to me, I truly enjoy what I do and I have witnessed the long-term impact of effective therapy.

For detail of my academic training and experience, please visit www.linkedin.com/in/drwmcvey

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CONTACT

I see clients by video in the state of California and in my Montclair-Oakland or Lafayette offices by prearrangement.

Contact me directly to book a complementary, 15 minute, Introductory Video Session.

I am happy to answer any questions about my background or the way I work to see if my skills are a good match for your needs.

PHONE/TEXT: (510) 239-3838

EMAIL: DRWMCVEY@GMAIL.COM

Therapy Fees:

$190 for 50-minute session

I provide a monthly Superbill which may be used to request Out of Network insurance reimbursement; my clients report having good results using Reimbursify.com to assist with this.