about teresa king, ma
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Education
BA, Interdisciplinary Studies | California Institute of Integral Studies (2016)
MA, Counseling Psychology (Integral Counseling Psychology) | California Institute of Integral Studies (2025)
Clinical Training
Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) Externship | Completed June 2026
Marriage & Family Therapist Trainee | Pierce Street Integral Counseling Clinic | Supervised by Omar Nicholas Bustos, PhD, LMFT #84833 (September 2024–August 2025)
Registered Associate Marriage & Family Therapist #160182 | Registered Associate Professional Clinical Counselor #21642 | Pierce Street Integral Counseling Clinic | Supervised by Susan Frankel, LMFT #23930 (September 2025–Current)
Professional Memberships
California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists (CAMFT)
APA Division 39: Society for Psychoanalysis and Psychoanalytic Psychology
San Francisco Center for Psychoanalysis (SFCP)
Ongoing participant, Lacanian Reading Group
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Rooted in psychoanalytic, relational, and critical theory perspectives, with a focus on unconscious processes, desire, and hidden relational patterns
Guided by feminist and relational insights, emphasizing intersubjectivity and mutual recognition, particularly in work around commitment challenges and infidelity
Informed by a social justice orientation, recognizing how capitalism, patriarchy, and power structures contribute to individual discontent
Committed to a warm, non-judgmental, and client-centered approach that integrates psychoanalytic depth with social and political awareness to foster authenticity and growth
Special interest in compulsive sexual behaviors, self-sabotage, and intimacy challenges
Focused on facilitating transformation by helping clients uncover unconscious struggles while challenging societal norms that limit personal and relational fulfillment
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I came to this work through a mix of personal experience, academic inquiry, and a deep curiosity about what makes people feel lost, disconnected, or stuck in cycles of self-sabotage. I understand firsthand how easy it is to appear put-together on the outside while feeling lost or disconnected inside. For much of my life, I’ve been curious about the tension between what we say we want and what we actually pursue. I know what it’s like to be disciplined and driven in some areas, yet struggle to bring that same clarity and intention to the emotional world. My own experiences have shown me how intelligence and ambition don’t always translate into fulfillment — and that realization is part of what led me to this work. Through my training and early clinical work, I’ve become particularly drawn to working with those who feel unseen in their emotional struggles — whether due to gender norms, societal pressures, or simply a lack of tools for self-understanding.
My Journey So Far
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My story does not have the most illustrious of beginnings: I dropped out of high school midway through my junior year. I had some character strengths: I was bright, politically aware, and curious about the world — enrolled in my school’s scholar program — but beneath that, I was deeply disaffected and ill-equipped to navigate the emotional terrain of adolescence. The unhealed developmental trauma I carried made it hard to stay connected to myself or my potential. I was smart, but I was also angry, overly idealistic, and self-sabotaging. I eventually fumbled my way through my remaining coursework, earned my diploma, and headed off to a small private liberal arts college known for its creative, intellectual culture.
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Those years were messy and formative. I transferred schools several times before completing my undergraduate degree in 2016. In between, I worked, volunteered, and cared for others in all kinds of ways. I spent time as a peer counselor, doula, and mentor, drawn to helping people even when I couldn’t yet help myself. I trained in restorative justice, harm reduction, and trauma-informed community work, often throwing myself into service roles that mirrored the healing I was still yearning for myself. In retrospect, I still lacked access to the repressed, unintegrated parts of my story, and this prevented me from accessing my own agency. As a result, I felt subject to cosmic determinism: my individual will did not matter, thus I was distinctly lacking in vitality and willingness to risk accountability for my own freedom.
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Professionally, I found some stability in the nonprofit world, focusing on fundraising and development. I appreciated the sense of purpose that came with connecting people and resources toward social change. However, systems-level work still felt somewhat abstract and dispiriting to me. As always, I wanted to develop one-on-one relationships with people. Outside of work, I volunteered steadily — delivering meals to homebound seniors, tutoring children experiencing homelessness, serving as a financial coach for affordable-housing residents, and mentoring foster youth through Alameda County’s CASA program. My career and volunteer life were both shaped by the same impulse: to find a means of bridging idealism with structure.
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In 2022, I entered the MA in Counseling Psychology program at California Institute of Integral Studies and transitioned into a full-time role in university administration. I completed my clinical practicum at Pierce Street Integral Counseling Center, where I discovered how my experiences with caregiving, advocacy, and social justice translated into therapeutic presence. During my graduate studies, I also became deeply engaged in research on sexuality and family systems — eventually serving as a research fellow in CIIS’s Human Sexuality doctoral program.
That same period brought personal transformation, too: I met and married my husband, which deepened my understanding of intimacy, interdependence, and relationship psychology. In August 2025, I graduated and transitioned into my current role as an Associate Therapist at Pierce Street Integral Counseling Center, where I continue to weave together my background in community work, research, and psychodynamic training.
My Values
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At the heart of my work is the belief that every person carries intrinsic worth, and no person is beyond understanding or compassion — even when they are struggling, lost, or acting from pain. Every behavior, even the most self-defeating, carries a story and a survival logic.
I hold that healing begins when we are met not with judgment, but with genuine regard and curiosity. Radical non-judgment — my belief that healing requires being seen without shame or condemnation — guides my clinical work, my relationships, and my understanding of justice.
We are all shaped by systems larger than ourselves, but we are never beyond repair or redemption. I aim to create a space where people can bring the full truth of who they are and still feel respected, worthy, and capable of change.
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I approach both therapy and life as continuous education. Growth is not linear or finite; it unfolds through reflection, humility, and the willingness to stay curious. I’m devoted to ongoing study — of psychology, philosophy, and the human condition — because understanding ourselves and others requires movement between ideas and lived experience. This value keeps my work dynamic, informed, and alive to nuance.
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Much of what shapes us operates beneath awareness — in the unconscious, in the body, in ancestral and spiritual realms that resist easy explanation. I hold humility as an ethical stance: a reminder that I am never the ultimate authority on another’s inner world. I work in partnership with what is mysterious, emergent, and sometimes beyond words, trusting that healing often arrives in forms we can’t fully predict or control.
My Approach
Making Sense of What Repeats
We start by slowing down and getting curious about the patterns that shape your life — the emotional loops, relational dynamics, and survival strategies that once kept you safe but may now keep you stuck. Together, we make sense of how these patterns formed and what they’re protecting. My approach blends compassion with depth, helping you see yourself clearly without shame or judgment.
Reconnect With Who You’ve Been — and Who You’re Becoming
Therapy is a space to gather the pieces of your story — the parts that were dismissed, silenced, or forgotten — and begin to hold them with understanding. We explore your past not to stay there, but to uncover the wisdom it carries. This work helps you inhabit a fuller version of yourself: grounded in where you’ve been, and aligned with where you’re going.
Step Into Your Power and Truth
As awareness deepens, new choices become possible. My role is to help you translate insight into action — to live in ways that reflect your values, integrity, and inner authority. This is not about becoming someone else, but returning to the clarity and confidence that have been yours all along. Together, we work toward a sense of wholeness that feels authentic, embodied, and free.
Reflections from Colleagues
Begin Where You Are
You don’t need to have everything figured out to begin. Whether you’re feeling stuck, curious, or simply ready to understand yourself in a deeper way, therapy can help you make sense of what’s been hard and reconnect with your own strength. Together, we’ll create a space where honesty is safe, growth feels possible, and change unfolds at your pace.