Helping you live a life that reflects who you are & what you value.
Meet luis Abbott, A Therapist based in san francisco bay area & online sessions across california
What if you didn’t have to wait for life to calm down to start feeling more grounded, confident, and like yourself again?
Life doesn’t always make it easy to slow down or make space for your needs. There’s always another to-do, another distraction, and another reason to put yourself last.
The reality is, with the right tools and support, you can learn to move through life’s demands without losing yourself in them. Then, you can start living the way you want to, even in the middle of the chaos.
HOW I WORK
We’ll have real conversations that lead to real change.
In our sessions, I show up as a real, authentic person in the room with you, and I want to get to know the real you as well. I’m here to support you, to get in the mess with you, and when needed, to challenge you in ways that help you grow.
Some sessions might involve sitting with your feelings together and learning to get comfortable with being uncomfortable. Other times, we might focus on noticing the patterns that keep showing up and practicing how to do things differently in real time.
I’ll always be direct with you, but I’ll also validate what you’re going through, carefully calling out blind spots that might be keeping you stuck. I’m not just going to help you “reframe” or cope your way around difficult feelings. I want to face your challenges together, build your capacity to handle whatever life throws at you, and empower you to start living a life that feels like your own.
MY SPECIALTIES
WHAT I VALUE
Curiosity.
Curiosity is the starting point for everything we do. Instead of judging your emotions or trying to get rid of them, we’ll get curious about what they’re trying to tell you. I’ll ask questions like, “What part of you is coming up right now?” or “What might this reaction be protecting you from?” This helps you understand yourself instead of fighting yourself—and that’s where real change begins.
Courage.
This doesn’t mean wearing a mask or pretending to have it all together. Real courage is being willing to show up, even when things feel messy or uncertain. I work best with people who want to live fully and are ready to grow into who they’re meant to be. That takes bravery both in the therapy room and out in the world. My role is to help you build that courage, one choice at a time, until you trust yourself to handle whatever comes your way.
Collaboration.
Therapy with me doesn’t involve me telling you what to do. Instead, we’ll work side by side toward your goals and move through the process together, meeting you where you are and adjusting our approach as we go. Sometimes I’ll take the lead, other times I’ll follow your pace—depending on where you’re at that day. My job isn’t to steer your life, it’s to walk with you while you figure out where you want to go.
Congruence.
When your life reflects what you truly value, everything you do starts to feel more grounded and meaningful. A big part of our work will be exploring what actually matters to you—the principles, relationships, and practices that make you feel most alive. As you get clearer on those values, you’ll start to notice where your actions don’t align with them and learn how to make small, intentional shifts that bring you closer to who you want to be.
MY METHODS
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This evidence-based approach is designed to help you process painful or overwhelming memories in a way that feels safe and contained. Together, at a pace that feels manageable, we’ll bring up the hardest parts of what happened and process them in a new way until their intensity and emotional charge lessen. Over time, your past starts to feel like something that happened to you, not something that still controls you.
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You’ve probably experienced having mixed feelings or being at odds with yourself. This method helps you make sense of those different “parts” of yourself—the ones that react rashly, protect, avoid, or criticize. Each of those parts has a reason for showing up, and our work is to understand and heal them so they no longer feel the need to overpower your true desires. As you get to know these parts with curiosity instead of judgment, you begin to feel more balanced, in control, and in tune with yourself as a whole.
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ACT gives us a framework for handling life’s challenges more effectively by building what’s called “psychological flexibility”: the ability to stay present and act in line with your values, even when things get hard. Instead of trying to eliminate uncomfortable emotions, we’ll focus on helping you move through them with more compassion and a greater sense of agency. Together, we’ll clarify what truly matters to you and find practical ways you can live in alignment with those values. This work helps you create a life that feels meaningful, not just manageable.
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RLT is a model for couples that focuses on building real, authentic connection. We’ll look at the patterns that keep you and your partner stuck in the same arguments or power struggles and practice facing challenges as a team rather than competitors. This work helps you communicate with more honesty and empathy, and listen to your partner with more compassion. The goal is to help you rebuild a foundation for your relationship that feels equal, collaborative, and grounded in respect.
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EFT is a couples therapy approach that helps you and your partner understand the underlying emotions that are driving your conflicts and the impact you have on each other. We’ll slow down your interactions in session so you can start to recognize the cycle you get stuck in in real time. Through that awareness, you’ll start to see each other differently and create new, more supportive ways of connecting.
TRAINING & EDUCATION
Bachelor of Arts in Psychology
Master’s Degree in Counseling with an emphasis in family, marriage, and child
LMFT #128105
Trained in EMDR
Trained in Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy