About Me | Alanna McLeod AMFT

About Me, Alanna (she/her)

I admire people who are genuinely themselves. And I think there's nothing more valuable in life than healthy human connection—with oneself and those in the world around us, especially those we love. (Science tends to agree!)

But building and fostering relationships is an art. So much can get in our way. Shame, self-consciousness, fear, anxieties, guilt. A history of trauma, personal or intergenerational. Others' judgment or mistreatment. Cultural taboos. Unjust societal structures and systems.

My own experience with profound personal losses led me to professional roles expanding conversation around taboo topics, including mortality, aging, caregiving, death, and grief. Along the way, I've felt most alive when connecting at the tender spots of our humanity. As a native San Franciscan, my heart beats strongest when serving in this community.

I fully believe that every one of us has the capacity to reclaim our own individual and relational power in order to live fully, on purpose!

I also believe in the life-changing magic of dogs and travel to far-off lands.

Burritos are self-care.

Contact

Education and Experience

Bachelor's Degree
Cognitive Studies
Carleton College

Northfield, MN

Master's Degree
Counseling Psychology
The Wright Institute

Berkeley, CA

Internship
Bereavement Counseling
Mission Hospice

Externship
Emotionally Focused Couple Therapy
ICEEFT

Volunteer
Mental Health Consultant
NOMV

Volunteer
Healing Circle Assistant
By The Bay Camp

I pursued a special major designed as a multi-disciplinary exploration of human cognition and communication through psychology, linguistics, biology, and philosophy. (This degree could have led to a tech job in AI. Turns out, I like working with people's emotional intelligence more than smart machines.)

My education in psychotherapy was founded in recovery, resilience, and social justice models. These are strengths-based and empowerment-focused. Unlike the medical model, which asks "What's wrong with you?", we get curious about questions like "What happened to you?" and "What's right with you?"

Counseling family members after the death of a loved one provides emotional safety along with psychoeducation to help them move through the natural grieving process and mourn the loss in their own individual ways. I worked with clients to address issues of managing stress, healthy coping, adapting to change, navigating complicated relationships, and building self-confidence, resilience, and hope.

I completed an immersive training course focusing on the science of attachment and a systematic approach to working with couples. As the gold standard of evidence-based couple therapy, EFCT improves understanding of self and other, fosters emotional health, and builds stronger connections—keys to a happier, more fulfilling life.

I advise peer companions in their support of fellow veterinary professionals, especially those struggling with suicidality. Not One More Vet (NOMV) was created to transform the status of mental wellness within the profession to reduce incidences of suicide and help members of the veterinary medical community survive and thrive through education, resources, and support.

I serve grieving teens and children by engaging them in a summer camp environment to help break the isolation they feel after a loss and learn that a sense of normalcy is still possible. By the Bay Camp introduces peers who can personally relate to the death of someone close to them; provides mentorship and professional therapeutic services; teaches healthy coping skills for managing grief in daily life; and develops resiliency and hope.

I can help clients struggling with:

Stress Management
Grief, Loss, or Bereavement
Life Transitions
Depression
Anxiety
Conflict (intrapersonal and interpersonal)
Relationship Challenges (romantic, friendship, family)
Difficulties with Self-Esteem
Substance Use Harm Reduction
Professional/Career Issues
College/Graduate School Issues
Middle/High School Issues
Medical, Health, or Caregiving Distress
Sexual Concerns
LGBTQIA+ and Gender Identity Support

Nugget the Comfort Chicken taking flight at Jasper Ridge Farm