About Lissa Dutton Therapy
You're the one who holds it all together. And you're tired.
You're thoughtful. You're self-aware. You're the friend people call when something falls apart - the one who notices everyone's needs, often before she notices her own.
But underneath all that capability, something quieter has been happening. An anxious loop that won't settle. A relationship pattern that keeps showing up, no matter how much you've worked on it. A version of yourself you've outgrown, with no clear sense of what's meant to come next.
You've tried to think your way through it. You've read the books, had the conversations, maybe even been to therapy before. And still - something isn't shifting.
There's another way through - and it isn't trying harder.
The parts of you that overthink, people-please, brace for the next conflict, or quietly keep the peace aren't flaws to fix. They're protective patterns that once kept you safe - and they've been working overtime for a very long time.
When we slow things down enough to actually listen to them, something begins to shift. The inner noise softens. Self-judgment loosens its grip. You start to recognize yourself again - not the version of you who performs or manages or holds it all together, but the one underneath.
Hi, I’m Lissa
I'm a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT #122200) based in Palo Alto, California. I work with women - adult women across every life stage, from early adulthood through retirement - who are navigating anxiety, life transitions, and the kinds of patterns that feel almost impossible to shift on your own.
My approach is client-centered, relational and grounded in Internal Family Systems (IFS), Somatic IFS, and polyvagal theory. These are modalities that honor both the wisdom of your mind and the information held in your body. Rather than asking you to push through discomfort or override your reactions, we get curious about them together.
I've completed IFS (Internal Family Systems) Level One training and am currently deepening my work through a Somatic IFS consultation group, I also integrate other modalities when appropriate including polyvagal theory, ACT and mindfulness. Continuing education matters to me - the work I do with you is informed by ongoing training, not a certificate from a decade ago.
A bit about my path here.
My training brought me into a range of settings - a high school, a clinic serving children, teens, and adults, and a grief counseling program for young people navigating loss. Each of those experiences taught me something different about how people carry change, build coping patterns, and metabolize what life asks of them.
Before becoming a therapist, I earned an MBA and spent years in professional and organizational settings. That background gives me a particular understanding of the pressures many of my clients face - the weight of performance, the tangle of workplace dynamics, the quiet toll of tying your sense of self to how well you're producing. When a client comes in saying "I don't know who I am outside of my work," I know what that feels like from the inside.
I'm also the mother of two young adult children, which has given me a grounded, lived sense of what the adolescent and early-adult years really ask of a family. That perspective informs how I work with young adults, and with the parents who love them.
What working with me actually looks like.
Clients often describe me as collaborative and steady. I'm not here to tell you what to do, rush you toward insight, or reshape you into someone you think you should be. I don't pathologize the parts of you that are struggling. I don't believe you're broken.
Instead, we slow things down. We get curious about the parts of you that show up when things feel hard - the anxious one, the critical one, the one who keeps everyone else comfortable. We explore where they came from, what they've been trying to protect, and what becomes possible when they trust you to lead.
You don't have to have it all figured out before you come in. You don't have to perform, defend yourself, or arrive with the right words. You just have to be willing to get curious with me.
Over time, the work tends to ripple outward. Conversations feel clearer. Boundaries feel more possible. The sharp edge of self-judgment softens into understanding. The life you've been trying to force into focus starts coming into view on its own.
Who I work with:
Women navigating relationships, life transitions, divorce, career shifts, empty nest or midlife reassessment
Overthinkers, internalizers, and recovering perfectionists
People-pleasers learning what it means to have needs of their own
Clients working alongside couples counseling who want space for individual work
Young adults and the parents trying to support them well
Fees & Insurance
Sessions are 50 minutes and typically meet weekly or bi-weekly, in person at my Palo Alto office or virtually anywhere in California.
Session Fee: $200
I do not accept insurance but I'm happy to provide a monthly superbill you can submit for potential out-of-network reimbursement. Many PPO plans cover a portion of therapy costs - it's worth a quick call to your insurance to ask about your out-of-network mental health benefits before we begin.
Cancellation Policy
We hold your appointment time specifically for you - which means we're also holding it away from other clients who may need care that week.
If you need to cancel, we ask for at least 24 hours notice. Cancellations made with less than 24 hours notice, or no-shows, will be charged the full session fee.
Ready to begin?