A woman with shoulder-length blonde hair and tattoos on her arms arranging flowers in a glass vase. She is smiling and wearing a black shirt, standing at a wooden table with flower arranging supplies.

About Claire Greenwood

I’m a white, queer mostly cisgender woman born and raised in San Francisco, California. In addition to being a therapist, I’m a nerd, an (introverted) political activist, a writer, and someone who loves to eat carbs.

I spent my twenties studying Buddhism both academically and personally, and I lived as a Buddhist nun in Japan for many years. I became a therapist because at some point I realized that no amount of spirituality can solve the deepest traumas and relational wounding; we also need people who can help us see ourselves in a new way.

Longterm therapy has transformed how I see myself and relate to the world, and I’m honored to now help people in the same way.

Work With Me

Queer, trans, nonbinary, and gender-expansive professionals who want deeper work than coping skills

I work with queer, trans, nonbinary, and gender-expansive adults throughout California who are ready for something deeper than symptom management. Many of my clients are high-achieving professionals who look fine from the outside — and are quietly exhausted, stuck in relational patterns they can't think their way out of, or carrying shame that hasn't shifted despite years of self-awareness and success. Some are navigating autistic burnout or the particular exhaustion of masking across every context of their lives. Others are working through internalized transphobia or homophobia — the self-doubt and self-hate that persists even in people who are outwardly proud and politically sophisticated.

Some types of people I enjoy working with are: first responders, doctors, nurses, therapists, and tech workers who are wondering if working for a corporation is all there is to life.

i.

WHO I WORK WITH

MY STYLE

Compassionate, deep, and authentic

I like to go deep. Together, we’ll explore the things in your life that really matter. I’m smart, and great at seeing underneath the surface of what you’re saying. I try to encourage compassion at all stages of therapy, both for yourself and others.

But I’m also very funny, and I will make you laugh. You have been warned.

ii.

 

 

OFF THE CLOCK

Some things I love

For hobbies, I like to make silly skits about therapy on Tiktok (feel free to snoop), playing with my dogs, and I'm also getting into standup comedy and improv. I like dancing ballet and salsa, being in nature, and writing. Oh yeah, and I love being bougie and sipping a cute drink at a nice restaurant with a spread of amazing Italian or Japanese food. It's my Taurus rising, I swear. I need to be around nice things. ​

Also, I take cake very seriously.

iii.

A young woman with blonde hair and tattoos on her arms is sitting outdoors against a wooden fence, eating a slice of cake and holding a plate with cake in her lap. There is a pink cake decorated with berries on the ground in front of her.

Where I trained, what I keep training in

I hold a master's degree in Counseling Psychology from California Institute of Integral Studies. I've over 10 years providing spiritual care and working in community mental health settings. I also am currently completing a two year long training program in psychoanalytic psychotherapy at the San Francisco Center for Psychoanalysis. 

  • 2019-2021

    Masters in Counseling Psychology
    California Institute of Integral Studies

    Studied integral counseling theory and practice with an emphasis on providing culturally sensitive, embodied, and spiritually engaged psychotherapy

    2016-2018

    Masters in East Asian Studies
    University of Southern California

    Studied East Asian history and culture with an emphasis on post-colonial feminism and 13th century Japanese Zen Buddhism 

  • ● Ongoing psychoanalytic consultation with Dr. Adam Beyda​

    ● EMDR refresher course, EMDR Institute 2025

    ● EMDR Basic Training I, EMDR Institute, completed winter 2023

    ● Certificate in Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy, San Francisco Center for Psychoanalysis (ongoing)

    ● Weekly Psychoanalytic Case Conference with Jonathan Moss, MFT 2022-2023

    ● Trans Embodiment and Neuropsychoanalytic Approaches to Treatment- series of workshops on gender dysphoria and trans affirming care with S.J Langer, LCSW

    ● Yearlong case conference on transgender affirming psychotherapy and trans healthcare with Lisette Lahana

    ● Early Career Case Conference- Psychoanalytic Institute of Northern California (San Francisco, CA) 2021

  • Greenwood, Gesshin Claire. (2019). Just Enough: Vegan Recipes and Stories from Japan's Buddhist Temples. New World Library.

    Greenwood, Gesshin Claire. (2018). Bow First, Ask Questions Later: Ordination, Love, and Monastic Zen in Japan. Wisdom Publications.

Ready to feel a little better?

(Or at least talk about it?)

Reach out to schedule a consultation call