Jeffrey Zimmerman, Phd

Specialties

Imagine yourself as the person/​couple/​family you prefer to be! Your preferences for your own life, as opposed to old ideas about how people should be, is one of the cornerstones of the Narrative Therapy approach I so strongly believe in. A story can be changed with some work, attention, and support.

Bay Area Family Therapy, directed by Jeff Zimmerman, is celebrating it’s 24^th year of working with adults, couples, kids, adolescents, and families. Jeff is internationally recognized as a therapist, teacher, and writer of Narrative Therapy ideas, an approach that is collaborative, positive, and does not require clients to be saddled with negative descriptions of themselves. Therapists in this approach don’t see themselves as having much different issues than the ones interfering with our clients lives, just some skills to help others escape these problems.

Jeff has extensive experience helping clients battle problems such as anxiety and depression, work issues, behavioral problems and growing up difficulties. He has written about, and helped many couples push aside the problems that have taken over their relationship. He is experienced in working with medical systems and problems that cut across the disciplines, such as pain and chronic illness effects.

Currently, he is writing about the influence of brain science on psychotherapy in general, and on Narrative Therapy in particular. As such, mindfulness and attention to the body are being combined with the Narrative approach.

History

Established in 1991.

Jeff originally co-​founded this practice, called Bay Area Family Therapy Training Associates, in Cupertino. Being part of the original group doing Narrative Therapy, it was the first Narrative Therapy Training Center in North America. We have produced many well trained practitioners in our approach, and became teachers, trainers and writers in the psychotherapy field.

Bay Area Family Therapy is well known in the International Narrative Community, as well as around the Bay. We have had contracts from local schools to provide, train, and supervise interns placed in these schools. We have also consulted with teachers and administrators in these schools.

We presented, and still present Narrative Therapy workshops that are attended by local practitioners and those from other parts of the US. In addition, we brought in other presenters from around the world to teach.

And, of course, we have always had an active practice serving adults, children, adolescents, couples and families.

Meet the Business Owner

Jeffrey Z.

Business Owner

Jeff came to California in 1988, having been an Associate Professor of Psychiatry in a University School of Medicine. He was part of their Pediatric Psychology program, and consulted with the Family Medicine Department about working with couples, families and adults, and provided training to their residents. He also consulted in a rehabilitation center. Coming to California, he was an adjunct faculty member at Stanford hospital.

Jeff has published extensively, given workshops all over the world, and trained countless therapists in Narrative Therapy. He has been a licensed psychologist for over 35 years. His personal approach has been appreciated by many clients. Currently, he is training professionals and students internationally, in combining ideas from brain science with Narrative Therapy.

Originally from the East Coast, Jeff and his wife raised 2 daughters on the Peninsula, before moving to San Francisco. Jeff enjoys live music, movies, camping, cooking, and is a big Giants fan.