Christopher Trailer

My name is Christopher Trailer and I have been a licensed marriage family therapist for 36 years in California based primarily in the San Francisco Bay Area. I have worked with the American Red Cross Disaster Mental Health Crisis Team responding to critical incidents. I have also worked with military families and rape survivors.

My approach

I consider myself to be eclectic with a base primarily in CBT.

My focus

As a marriage family therapist, I work with ordinary people going through extraordinary events/situations in their lives ( i.e., family difficulties including separation and/or divorce; deaths; health problems; spiritual crises; even loss of pets). My use of CBT causes me to begin my work with clients by learning about their core beliefs and value system within which they interact with others and the world around them. As an LMFT, I focus on their interpersonal relationships to assess incompatibilities with their core beliefs and values. I am comfortable working with those who have suffered traumatic events (i.e., rape; loss of jobs; returning from combat; natural disasters, or terrorism).

My communication style

My style is relaxed and casual, I speak Standard English--avoiding as much use of "psycho-babble" as possible so that my clients feel I am working with them, not on them. I make an effort to be as available to my clients as possible while maintaining clinical boundaries, so if/when they hit "bumpy roads" they needn't wait for our next scheduled appointment but can contact me for a 10-15 brief supportive and timely consult. I am a clinician who is willing to discuss the spiritual aspects they present and encourage them to use the Faith principles to which they attest.

My journey to mental healthcare

I actually led a fairly charmed life, but saw others who didn't and I wanted--as most of us do in the Helping Professions--wanted to give something back from my many blessings and privilege. By the age of 28, I had 14 years of community service under my belt. I taught children in my parish about Catholicism free of guilt, fear, and shame; I became a Big Brother to 3 unduplicated or related boys (who were without fathers); I taught literacy to those who could not read; I worked with women who had been raped and aided in their recovery; I volunteered through the American Red Cross Disaster Mental Health Team to assist neighbors who had experienced loss or significant damage to their homes due to fire, floods or other natural disasters. Out of all those services, the one that impacted me the most was the rape crisis work and that caused me to leave my corporate career and go back to Graduate school (San Francisco State University 1983-1985) from which I earned my Master of Science degree and in March 1988 became license by the California Board of Behavioral Science. I have held that license in good standing ever since.

My goals for you

I try to determine what they hope to achieve in their therapeutic process early on by asking, "How do you see me helping you?" This provides me with an early opportunity to assess what their therapeutic goals are and whether they (goals) are realistic and within my scope of practice. I also tell my clients I respectfully avoid offering advice and that "...I am not the 'answer man' but the 'question man'."

My first session with you

To leave with a sense of relief and confidence that they've met someone who can help with their issues and concerns effectively and that they've been heard without judgment or prejudice.