Archives: Authors

Polly Elly's orientation is strongly rooted in AEDP, a somatically focused attachment based practice. A graduate of The Wright Institute, Polly is leaning towards becoming an AEDP Certified Practitioner and is enjoying a thriving practice in Corte Madera. Polly is extensively trained in experiential couples work helping partners to create a warmth-filled life together and a deeply felt, enduring experience of love. She is a certified parenting specialist with the county of Marin. In-home parent-child work (super nanny style) and 24-hour remote parent coaching are among her unique offerings. Her dual approach to teen treatment includes parents in a way that builds new closeness and lasting connection to their teens. When needed, Polly is able to work with a special focus on anxiety disorders, bringing both heart and a proven effective treatment to OCD, Panic Disorder and Trichotillomania. www.pollyely.com

Pooja Gala, MA holds a master’s degree in Clinical Psychology from SNDT Women's University and a B.A. in Psychology from St. Xavier's College, both in Mumbai, India. At present, she works in Mumbai in Dhirubhai Ambani International School as a counselor for children with social, emotional and behavioral needs, and conducts psycho-educational assessments for students with special needs. 

Rachel E. Smith, MS, is a physician assistant and clinical implementation specialist at Ariadne Labs, a joint health innovation center at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. She is a Doctor of Public Health candidate at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Rachel Zoffness, PhD,  is a child and adolescent psychologist in the San Francisco Bay area. She earned her Bachelor’s degree from Brown University in Psychology & Neuroscience. She discovered the need for quality mental health services for children while teaching in a 5th grade classroom, when she realized that some children were not getting the support they needed to thrive academically or socially. Inspired by her work with children and teenagers in educational & research settings—such as St. Luke's Roosevelt Child & Family Institute and the NYU Child Study Center – she obtained an M.A. in Psychology at Columbia University. She went on to earn an M.S. in Clinical Psychology from San Diego State University, and a Ph.D. from the SDSU/UCSD Joint Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology. She received additional post-doc training at the East Bay Mindful Center in Oakland.

Zoffness has worked with children, teenagers and adults in hospital, community mental health & private practice settings for over 10 years. She taught undergraduate Psychology courses at San Diego State University, and supervised therapists-in-training at the Wright Institute’s Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) Clinic in Berkeley. She previously taught science to children & teenagers at the Wildlife Conservation Society in NYC, and has written articles for the American Museum of Natural History magazine. She feels very lucky to serve as a source of support for children, teenagers & families in the Bay Area. information about Dr. Zoffness can be found on her website: www.zoffness.com

Rafal Mietkiewicz is a clinical psychologist working in private practice in Gdynia, Poland. He is trained as a Gestalt psychotherapist, and includes an existential approach in his work. Apart from classical psychological knowledge, he takes a lot of inspiration from literature, art and philosophy. He is a dedicated vegan, runner and triathlete.