Midlife transitions
When the career, the family, the life you built no longer feels like yours. Work dissatisfaction, life direction, meaning.
More about this serviceContemplative psychotherapy · California
When the life you’ve built no longer feels like yours.
I’m Norman Hering. I’ve spent 44 years practicing Zen and 35 years practicing psychotherapy. I work with people who look like they have it all together — and feel stuck anyway.
Before anything else — who I am.
I have a deep understanding of trauma and how it gets in the way of our lives and growth. My own story includes childhood trauma, which has had a profound impact on my life. I use both my personal story and professional experience to inform our work.
LMFT·MFC #32062·35 years of practice·Doctorate in clinical psychology
My approach
How I work
Contemplative practice leads; clinical training supports. The proportions depend on what you need.
A sitting practice, brought into the room
My work is rooted in family systems theory and Buddhist psychology. I have practiced Zen meditation for 44 years — first studying toward monkhood, later as a lay practitioner. When it is useful, we can begin a session with a few minutes of sitting together. Many people find it settles the mind before we talk; for others it holds no interest, and that is fine too.
A clinical foundation underneath
I hold a doctorate in clinical psychology and have trained extensively in cognitive behavioral therapy and Imago relationship therapy. When your situation calls for practical structure — tools for anxiety, patterns that keep repeating — that is where we go. My agenda is your agenda.
Ways of working together
What I work on with people
Couples
Extensive training in Imago Relationship Therapy. For partnerships under strain, or ones worth strengthening.
More about this serviceAnxiety & depression
A cognitive behavioral foundation, employed with care — practical tools for the patterns that keep returning.
More about this servicePractical matters
What a first session looks like
Sessions are 50 minutes, usually weekly, by teletherapy or in-office. The first session is a conversation about what brings you — nothing more. There is no commitment beyond it.
Fees & insurance
- Individual session · 50 minutes
- [rate]
- Sliding scale
- A limited number of places — ask me
- Insurance
- Out-of-network; superbills provided
- Good Faith Estimate
- Provided on request, per the No Surprises Act
The next step
Start a conversation
If something here resonates, you’re welcome to write. A sentence or two about what brings you is plenty — as much or as little as you wish.
Thank you — your note is on its way to me.
I read these myself, and I’ll reply personally, usually within a day. Until then, be well. — Norman