Meet Jennifer Machado, MFT: San Francisco Therapist for Individuals & Couples
Therapist for anxiety, trauma, and life transitions
Hi, I'm Jen — a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist based in San Francisco's Inner Sunset neighborhood.
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I work with individuals and couples who are ready to understand themselves more clearly and make real change. My approach is active and collaborative — I'm not a silent presence in the room. I ask questions, offer perspective, and stay genuinely engaged in the work alongside you. Many clients, especially those new to therapy, find that style makes the process feel less opaque and more like a real conversation.
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I draw on a range of methods and tailor them to you specifically, with a Gottman-informed lens for couples work.
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Outside the office, I'm a San Francisco lifer — biking and running through the park, and starting most mornings with coffee in the backyard with our chickens.
AREAS OF FOCUS
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Anxiety & Depression
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Communication & Conflict
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Relationship Patterns
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Life Transitions & Career Change
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Family of Origin
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Trauma
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Parenting & Co-parenting
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Perfectionism
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Dating & Partnership
Some Background
I didn't take a straight path to this work — and I think that's part of what makes me good at it.
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I grew up around New Orleans and moved to San Francisco in 2005 after Hurricane Katrina, with an English Literature degree and no clear direction. I spent most of my twenties figuring it out — working in law and management, traveling, running my first marathon, living in Fort Mason with ten roommates, then the Mission, then on my own on the edge of Nob Hill. I was curious and a little unmoored, which I now recognize as a fairly honest way to be in your twenties.
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The turning point came when I attended an Expressive Arts Therapy workshop at the California Institute of Integral Studies. Something clicked. I enrolled in their graduate program, earned my master's in 2013, and became fully licensed in 2018.
What drew me in — and still does — is the belief that therapy at its best is a genuine human encounter. Not a transaction nor a performance, just people working honestly toward something that matters.
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APPROACHES & TECHNIQUES
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Gottman-Informed Couples Therapy
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Solution-Focused Therapy
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Person-Centered Therapy
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Narrative Therapy
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Somatic Therapy
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EMDR
ACCREDITATIONS
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California Behavioral Board of Sciences, Licensed MFT #104421
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CA BBS Registered Clinical Supervisor
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M.A. Counseling Psychology, California Institute of Integral Studies, 2013
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California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists, Clinical Member
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
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Well Clinic San Francisco, Integrated Psychiatry and Psychotherapy; Clinical Psychotherapist and Supervisor
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Institute of Health and Healing, California Pacific Medical Center; Psychotherapy for inpatient patients and families
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Safe and Sound, Child Advocacy Organization; Associate Psychotherapist for Adult Individuals, Couples, Group Therapy
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CASA, Court Appointed Special Advocates, psychotherapy for foster youth
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EBAC, East Bay Agency for Children; Associate Psychotherapist
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TALK line, 24/7 Crisis Support Line for Parents (415-441-KIDS); volunteer
What my clients are saying:
"Jen is extremely easy to talk to and asks all the right questions to help identify emotions and the reasoning for feeling them. She makes me feel very comfortable, open, and validates emotions I used to feel ashamed to have."
"Since starting therapy with Jen, I now treat myself the way that Jen treats me: with kindness, empathy, and accountability. I feel my feelings instead of intellectualizing them, I'm more self-aware of how I move through the world. I give myself the grace she would and treat falling short of my goals as an opportunity to reflect and put better habits into practice, instead of a reason to beat myself up."
"Jen is like the maternal best friend hype woman you wish you had in your life, except she also gently guides you to ask the critical questions to get out of whatever negative cycle you find yourself in."
Who I work best with
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You're ready for genuine self-exploration and willing to look honestly at yourself
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You want to feel heard and understood by someone who meets you where you are
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You're looking for practical tools and real change — not just insight, but shifts that show up in your daily life
