Ray Hamilton (they/them)

Ray Hamilton (they/them) is a pre-licenced therapist pursuing their master’s in Clinical Psychology at San Francisco State University. Ray is White and identifies as gender-nonconforming, trans-masc leaning, and a lesbian. Other identities important to Ray are being raised in a multigenerational household, donor-conceived, and neurodivergent.

Ray’s education is based in psychodynamic theory with an intersectional lens. They believe the personal is inherently political: Western therapeutic models have historically separated the effects of oppressive power structures from intra/interpersonal dynamics and conflicts when in reality they are inseparable. Ray believes it is the duty of all therapists, especially White therapists, to examine their own intersecting identities to understand how they may unintentionally contribute to the oppression of People of Color and other marginalized groups. Ray is passionate about building community and solidarity between folks across all lived experiences.

Ray's approach is eclectic, integrating psychodynamic and narrative approaches with pieces of other modalities for tailored care. Their work centers on non-pathologizing, contextual understandings of mental health. They remain staunchly against shaming labels like ‘negative’ and ‘unhealthy’ to describe behavior. Ray feels ALL coping skills start as adaptive responses to meet our needs at certain points in our lives. While our environment may change, these patterns may not and can begin to harm us rather than help us. Ray considers clients the experts on their lives, and feels their role as a therapist is to help guide folks toward identifying, understanding, and transforming these patterns through bearing witness to their stories. 

Ray has experience working with a diverse array of folks across several settings.Their primary clinical interest is trauma work and they hope to continue working with survivors of childhood abuse and neglect, intergenerational trauma, sexual and domestic violence, minority stress, and scarcity and houselessness trauma.  

In sessions, Ray is highly empathetic and prioritizes rapport building, curiosity, and non judgment. They embrace radical genuineness, which can show up as utilizing their sense of humor, crying with their clients, or self disclosure when appropriate. Ray believes clients should know therapists are also imperfect people with a multitude of strengths and flaws that are on their own personal journeys of self-fulfillment.

Ray is a therapist, but they are also a Pokemon enthusiast, doting cat parent, and lover of legos. When they aren’t working, you can find them singing along to showtunes, watching speed runs of video games, or praying The Winds of Winter will be published within their lifetime!