A bit about me

Hello, I’m Eula Lys (pronounced “oi-lah leese”).

I’m a therapist because I believe in the healing strength of being with: Being with our feelings, our present moment experience, and each other. So often, we walk through life feeling alone and disconnected. Therapy is a place for you to unfold and expand into a life that feels more authentic and spacious, a place for you to experience connection and transformation.

Clients who work with me often describe me as warm, thoughtful, and creative. In addition to what you might think of when hear the words “talk therapy,” I also incorporate art, movement, and mindfulness into our sessions. I view my clients and myself as co-collaborators in the therapy process, and work with you to create a space that feels supportive and safe.

I view therapy as a form of activism, and invite us to explore how systems of oppression affect our lived experience.

My own lived experience of trauma and evolving sexual and gender identity in relationships informs my work. After spending years disconnected from my own body and self, I understand how relieving it can be to learn how to come home to the body and the present moment. I take a non-pathologizing approach, honoring the strategies that got you to this moment, and supporting you as you unfold into your authentic self.

Some identities to help you land with me: I’m non-binary, trans, queer and use they/them pronouns. I’m white, with German and Norwegian ancestry. I grew up in Wisconsin and have lived in the Bay Area for over a decade.

I have experience in advocacy, social work and animal welfare. Prior to becoming a therapist, I spent years working as a humane dog trainer, and still love working with and rescuing fearful, senior dogs.

I live and work on Ohlone land and pay Shuumi Land Tax. Visit the Sogorea Te’ Land Trust and learn more about rematriation of Indigenous land.

Me With You

The field of psychotherapy has a long lineage of colonization, and has historically not met the needs of many communities, particularly the BIPOC, queer and trans communities. While I honor the teachings and teachers who have guided me along the way, I also hold that most westernized healing frameworks, including many listed below, are appropriated from traditional indigenous healing practices, including somatics, storytelling, mindfulness, and movement.

As a human, I hold your cultural and relational needs as my primary focus. We collaborate together, holding your humanity above any particular modality. As a clinician, the below modalities and professional trainings inform my work:

Relational Somatic Healing: A modality that aims to heal relational and developmental trauma, helping folx develop and experience healthy secure relationships within themselves and outside the therapeutic setting

Internal Family Systems: A collaborative model that uses a parts work lens to heal trauma

Experiential Therapy: A form of therapy that uses present-moment awareness to foster new reparative and healing experiences in session

Emotion-Focused Therapy: An attachment-focused method of therapy for relationships that fosters connection and new, positive cycles of interaction

Education

MS, Rehabilitation Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Madison

MA, Integral Counseling Psychology, California Institute of Integral Studies

 

A little more about me

For many years, I worked in animal rescue and animal welfare in the Bay Area. I volunteer with Muttville Senior Dog Rescue in San Francisco, California, and rescue senior dogs. As someone who has loved and lost two senior dogs over the past several years, I understand the pain that comes with losing a companion animal. If your loved one passed over the rainbow bridge, you are not alone. This space will honor your grief and support you in your journey.