Tracey Chester, Psychotherapy

Anyone can get stuck. Having someone to talk to and seek support from can offer immense comfort. We live in a fractured world. The digital world offers constant socialization, while making us feel more physically isolated from friends and loved ones. Depression and loneliness have reached all-time highs. People who suffer from chronic conditions such as illness, pain, PTSD, or mood disorders need extra help that loved ones may be unable to offer. I am a personable, mature, highly educated woman who brings life experience and natural empathy to my work. I believe that a supportive client-therapist relationship is the most powerful tool in treatment.

I began my career as a grief counselor, first with San Diego Hospice and then with Elizabeth Hospice. I served in this capacity for five years, and gained a passionate commitment to end of life issues. I understand the challenges of caregiving. Additionally, I worked with grief-stricken people in some high-profile homicides, and eventually ran a group to support people who had suddenly and violently lost a loved one. Through all of that work I developed an intense curiosity in a host of existential issues. What do our lives mean? What is success as defined by society or by ourselves? What makes us tick? We are all individuals with different backgrounds and genetics, yet we approach life with similar goals. Life transitions are especially hard, and often bring up these questions.