Cathy Bloomfield, M.A., MFT
Northern Peninsula

For over twenty years, Cathy Bloomfield has helped clients work through their most challenging problems and realize their potential. Cathy works with couples to explore and identify achievable goals and then helps them to be accountable for achieving those goals. Her warm, friendly style makes her approachable. Her clinical expertise and practical nature keep her work focused on the most important issues you face.

Cathy was originally licensed in Minnesota as a psychologist in 1980, and became licensed as a Marriage and Family Therapist in 1992 after moving to California. In addition to working with couples and individuals, Cathy has taught numerous courses and workshops for married, engaged, and committed couples. Cathy has been affiliated with The Couples Institute since the year 2000. She currently has offices in both San Mateo and Belmont, CA.

Contact Cathy at The Couples Institute

Sara Bunce, MA, MFT
Mid-Peninsula

Sara Bunce has a gentle, empathic style that offers safety for challenging feelings and insights. She helps clients look at underlying patterns that may be creating difficulties for themselves individually and in their relationship.

She is enthusiastic about couples work and its potential for helping partners as individuals while relieving problems in the relationship. She observes, “How we behave and communicate in relationship impacts how we feel about ourselves and can challenge or benefit the relationship.”  Sara offers practical tools for communication, intimacy, and conflict resolution.   If needed, Sara also has expertise in helping couples and individuals with divorce and co-parenting issues.  In addition to her couple’s specialty, Sara has experience working with substance abuse, depression, and anxiety.

Sara has served on the Executive Committee of the Board of Directors of the Women’s Recovery Association, a nonprofit agency for drug and alcohol rehabilitation.  She has offices in Menlo Park and San Mateo.

Contact Sara at The Couples Institute

Lori J. Collins, MS, MFT
Mid-Peninsula

Lori provides professional counseling, coaching and education to help couples stay connected, functioning as teammates not opponents. She is passionate about working with couples, and also has a special interest in anxiety disorders. She has trained extensively in cognitive-behavioral techniques for solution-oriented counseling. Clients appreciate her sensible approach and her caring nature.

Focusing on practical solutions for change, Lori instills hope and motivation allowing change to occur one doable step at a time. She is especially adept at helping couples who need help balancing time between their relationships, work and busy schedules.

Lori notes, "I like to balance my counseling work with prevention and education. When couples learn communication skills and relationship skills, they see positive results quickly."

Lori practices in Redwood City. She has been in practice since 1990.

Contact Lori at The Couples Institute.

Susan Scott Hennings, MA, MFT
Southern Bay Area

Susan has extensive experience in couples therapy and the related issues of communication skills, conflict resolution, pre-marital preparation, sexuality, affairs and parenting. She also has a special interest in supporting individuals and couples who face the challenge of a divorce or becoming a blended family.

Her gentle, compassionate style combines effectively with her active, direct approach. She observes, "I listen with a non-judgmental ear, and I’m unafraid to ‘throw the penalty flag’ when couples get off track and mired in their ineffective behaviors.” Susan’s clients benefit from her passion for her work and her commitment to it.

A therapist since 1992, Susan has a private practice in San Jose. She has been affiliated with The Couples Institute since 2000, and has trained with Dr. Bader and Dr. Pearson since 1994. Susan regularly assists at Peter Pearson’s "Coming from Your Heart" weekend workshops and conducts refresher classes for couples who have attended and who wish to review, refine, and practice their skills. A longtime sex educator and popular presenter, Susan also leads workshops on intimacy and sexuality.

In addition to her affiliation with The Couples Institute , Susan Hennings teaches workshops on intimacy and sexuality in the community and at Santa Clara University, where she is an Adjunct Faculty Member. For more information, visit her website www.susanhennings.com

Contact Susan at The Couples Institute

Catherine Morris, MA, MFT
Mid-Peninsula

Catherine’s work with couples is a deep passion for her.  She finds couples counseling to be both challenging and exhilarating. “The feeling of helping a couple to heal their relationship is like no other I can describe. It is truly remarkable to watch the transformation of couples who first came into my office arguing endlessly and can now enjoy one another and solve problems together.”  

Catherine helps couples who haven’t communicated in years find ways to talk together without anger and resentment.  They begin to communicate with clear, open dialogue and develop a trusting, warm relationship.  Her goal is to assist couples in developing a fulfilling life and a rewarding partnership where each person feels appreciated, cared for and loved.  The focus is on the patterns of interaction rather than the details of the last argument that a couple had.  Through her compassionate, yet directive approach she helps couples discover skills and techniques that help them to build a strong bridge of love and understanding between them.

Over the years she has volunteered as a community and family mediator, a chaplain at Stanford University Hospital and facilitator for a parents group with Kara, a non-profit organization that provides support to individuals and families facing life-threatening illness, death or grief. 

Catherine sees clients in her Menlo Park office.

Contact Catherine at The Couples Institute.

Robert Solley, Ph.D.
San Francisco

Working together with you, Robert creates a safe environment in which to move towards the relationship you and your partner would like to have.  With an active yet empathic style, he will intervene to correct unhelpful patterns and contribute tools and perspective towards making things sustainably better.

Robert believes that a central key to successful relationships is what he calls differentiated emotional attunement.  He explains that this is a fancy term for being able to know your own thoughts and feelings at multiple levels, while also being able to understand, empathize with and reflect another person’s thoughts and feelings. Through Robert’s attunement to both of you, and by teaching you how to attune to each other, you can begin to heal emotional stumbling blocks.  Through these experiences vicious cycles turn into virtuous cycles, allowing your relationship to progressively improve.

Robert earned his Ph.D. in 1988.  In addition to specializing in couples therapy, Robert is a neuropsychologist.  His experience in formal assessment gives him a clarity of focus on the essential aspects for change.

Contact Robert at The Couples Institute. 

Russell Wilkie, MA, LMFT
Southern Bay Area  

Russell Wilkie has counseled couples and families with difficult psychological challenges since he started his career working in an inpatient psychiatric hospital in 1986. Many therapists lack confidence and experience around issues of chemical dependency, violence, and crisis intervention. But Russell is equipped and experienced in these matters, as well as more common concerns such as communication, transition and fulfillment. He is also experienced in multicultural therapy, having worked in two different organizations for American Indians.

"Relationships and how we communicate are the two most important things in our lives. I am totally committed to improving communication and relationships.  I believe communication is more at the core of quality relationships than digging into our deep, dark, past issues."

Russell demonstrates his commitment to the field with community service, which includes a current appointment as President to the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists of Santa Clara Valley (CAMFT-SCV). He is also a member of the Goodparents, Inc. Professional Advisory Board and trained instructor for all of Goodparents programs. 

Russell's practice is in Campbell.

Contact Russell at The Couples Institute.

Wendy J. Harrison, MA, MFT
Mid-Peninsula

Wendy Harrison is a very pragmatic therapist. There’s no “psycho-babble” in her office, just careful attention to cause, effects, and results. She says, “If the patterns and habits people have formed aren’t working for them, we work together to change them. My primary focus is on helping clients to achieve maximum results as quickly as possible.” Her clients describe her as open, energetic, hard-working, humorous, and caring. They appreciate her depth of knowledge and eclectic approach.

Wendy has been in practice since 1989. She joined The Couples Institute when she moved to the area in 2001. Her focus in couples therapy includes extensive experience with conflict resolution, divorce mediation, and Gay and Lesbian couples. Her office is in Menlo Park.

Contact Wendy at The Couples Institute

Peter Klein, Ph.D., MFT
Mid-Peninsula

Peter Klein is a licensed clinical Psychologist and Marriage and Family Therapist in Menlo Park. His clients appreciate his clinical expertise and his careful attention to detail, since both contribute to their overall positive experience and results. His active style helps clients uncover underlying causes of their difficulties. In addition to his specialty with couples, he conducts long-term dynamic therapy with individuals.

Dr. Klein has extensive experience providing psychotherapy for couples and individual adults, as well as training and supervising psychotherapists. He is a Consulting Associate Professor at Stanford University and a Clinical Supervisor for the San Mateo County Psychiatric Residency Program. He has been in private practice for over 20 years and affiliated with The Couples Institute since 1991.

Contact Peter at The Couples Institute