Matthew's Integral Therapy Blog

My whole life has been a preparation to be a counselor. From a young age, I was concerned with the well-being of others. Whether pleasing my parents, making peace among friends, or looking out for my younger sister, I sought harmony among people. At the same time, I sought a tranquility within myself. Starting around the age of puberty, I began to feel different from my peers. I knew the cultural expectation of a guy was to like girls, but I found myself attracted to other males. This divergence took place within a conservative family and a Catholic school upbringing. There was no place for this type of person within my environment. I lived with this dark secret for many years, weighed down, despairing, fighting against these desires. Eventually my psyche could not take the strain and stress. I plunged into a deep depression around the age of 12. Counseling did not seem to help as I could not face the real problem of my sexuality at that age. My anxiety soared and I recollected the...

Hopeless? Racing thoughts? Can’t sleep? Having manic, depressive or mixed episode symptoms or care for somebody that does? Join a fellowship of people and their caregivers seeking support around Bipolar and other mood disorders, led by Matthew Breuer, a Marriage & Family Therapist Intern with his own diagnosis of Bipolar Type 1. A graduate of the California Institute of Integral Studies, he is a trained facilitator by the National Alliance on Mental Illness and has experience with a variety of group settings, most recently as a co-leader for a Harm Reduction group at the San Francisco AIDS Foundation. Free online support group: www.facebook.com/groups/bipolarblues In-person therapy group in downtown SF. We meet weekly, Wednesdays, 7:30 to 8:30pm at 870 Market St. Suite 800, in the Flood Building off Powell Station, above GAP and across from Westfield Mall. An intimate 10 person per week capacity. 45 dollars per session. For more information, call or text Matthew at 415-745-93...