John Clarke Therapy

Home
United States
San Francisco, CA
John Clarke Therapy

Contact information, map and directions, contact form, opening hours, services, ratings, photos, videos and announcements from John Clarke Therapy, Mental Health Service, 4155 24th Street, San Francisco, CA.

01/08/2026

Therapists, like our clients, experience similar patterns around screen use.

A longing for rest or space from feeling constantly connected.

A part that wants to shift it. But also feels a layer of shame around
“Why can’t I just do better?”

Here’s the reframe I want you to hear: Your phone isn’t the problem.

It’s the solution your system found for a different problem.

After a day of emotionally attuned sessions, your nervous system wants relief. So it scrolls and distracts and numbs. Exactly like so many of our clients do.

It's not because any of us are weak or lack discipline.

It's because something in you is trying to survive a level of emotional load it was never meant to carry alone.

And our devices work to fulfill that need, briefly.

The longer-term cost is quieter but real:

Our nervous systems never fully settle. And our deeper feelings stay unprocessed.

Until one day we realize that we are the ones teaching presence, but we, like our clients, struggle to feel fully here on our own.

This is why “just delete the app” doesn’t work. Because the scrolling was never the core issue.

If you're a therapist who wants to change your relationship with technology, using tools like IFS and Somatics, you're invited to join me for an upcoming 8 week trauma-informed digital detox inside of Reclaim Your Presence.

We kick off this January and you can find the details in the comments or the bio.

Any questions? Reach out to my team at support@johnclarketherapy.com and they're happy to help.

01/01/2026

Founder’s pricing for Pathways to Self increases tonight.

If you’ve been wanting a space to bring your real cases, real questions, and your own inner experience as a therapist or practitioner, this is for you.

Pathways to Self is a consultation and practice community for people working with IFS and trauma.

Members receive:

• Weekly live case consults & hot seats
• Practical IFS training with demos + meditations
• A growing on-demand library you can return to anytime
• A private, supportive community of fellow practitioners

A place to bring the cases that stay with you after the session ends and receive support that meets you where you are.

Founder’s pricing of $99/month is available through tonight.

On Jan 2, the price increases to $179/month.

If this feels like a supportive next step, check the comments for a sneak peek of our live consults and details on joining 👇

12/30/2025

At the end of the year and into the new one, many people become more reflective. Looking back, taking stock, noticing what did and didn’t happen.

And often, the parts that show up first aren’t the wise ones. They’re the evaluators.

The inner critics. The parts that measure, compare, judge, and worry that something went wrong.

There’s nothing wrong with those parts.

They’re trying to protect us from regret, from falling behind, from being left out or left out of time.

But they’re not the best parts to lead reflection.

Protectors tend to look back with fear and urgency.

Self can look back with clarity and kindness.

You might gently notice which part is doing the reflecting right now... and whether there’s room to invite a little more Self into the process.

12/29/2025

As we cross into a new year, there is often a moment of reflection. A looking back. A taking stock.

And very quickly, that reflection can turn into pressure to optimize, to do better, to become a “new version” of ourselves.

But there can also be a different moment. A softening. A little less urgency. A little more presence. More time with loved ones, or simply with ourselves.

Even if your work hasn’t slowed, the tone can feel different... more reflective, more human.

And I find myself wondering what it would be like to let some of that presence come with us into the new year.

Because for many therapists, the pressure of a new year doesn’t only live in our goals. It lives in where our attention goes.

To our clients and their stories. To our colleagues and communities. To our loved ones. And yes, to our devices.

The inbox that never really closes. The messages that keep coming after the day is “done.” The pull to stay responsive and available.

All very human. And… not always very kind to our nervous systems.

So one of the questions I’m sitting with is this:

What would it feel like to begin the year not by adding something new… but by listening more closely to what’s already here?

What do you notice when you reach for your phone in the morning?
When you move through a day of holding others?
When the day ends and there’s a moment that’s just yours and you reach outward again?

None of this is a problem to solve. It’s an invitation to notice.

In IFS language, there are often very good protectors here: parts that want us to stay connected, competent, and available.

And there may also be quieter parts that feel tired and longing for more space.

So here’s a gentle inquiry to carry: What kind of relationship do I want with my attention this year?

Not what it should be. Not what looks impressive. But what feels regulating, nourishing, and supportive.

If you’d like a gentle way to practice this kind of noticing, I’ll share a short IFS Parts Check-In meditation in the comments

12/28/2025

Often, what drains us most isn’t the client. It’s the pressure to make something happen.

In IFS, moments that feel stalled are often moments where protectors are doing their job.

When we stop fighting those parts and start listening, sessions tend to feel:

🟢 More grounded
🟢 Less effortful
🟢 More relational

Not because we’re doing less. But because we’re working with the system instead of against it.

This is the heart of From Burnout to Balance: helping therapists move from effort and over-responsibility into clarity and steadiness using IFS.

Register for the free From Burnout to Balance webinar and learn how to work with protectors without burning yourself out.

Link in bio.

12/21/2025

Many therapists were trained to see resistance as something to overcome.

IFS offers a different lens.

When a client intellectualizes, changes the subject, or says, “I don’t want to go there today,”
that’s often not avoidance, it’s protection.

Instead of asking, “How do I move this forward?”...

IFS invites us to ask, “What is trying to keep this system safe right now?”

That shift alone can reduce pressure in the room, for both client and therapist.

These are the kinds of clinical reframes we work with every week inside Pathways to Self, where therapists learn how to integrate IFS with real clients and real complexity.

If you’re feeling worn down by trying to push progress, join our free training From Burnout to Balance and learn how IFS supports sustainable, attuned therapy.

Link in bio.

12/18/2025

In IFS work, moments that feel like shutdown are often the most important signals.

When a client suddenly changes the subject, intellectualizes, or pulls back, it’s rarely avoidance for avoidance’s sake.

It’s usually a protector saying, “Something here feels too close.”

Instead of pushing deeper, this is an invitation to get curious:

➡️What just shifted?
➡️Which part stepped in?
➡️What might it be protecting right now?

This is the subtle clinical art of tracking the system, not forcing progress. Especially in complex trauma and attachment work.

These are the kinds of distinctions we explore every week inside our Pathways case consults.

If you’re feeling burnt out from trying to “get it right” with complex clients, join the free "From Burnout to Balance".

Learn how IFS can restore steadiness, clarity, and confidence in your work. And more about the Pathways to Self community.

Link in bio.

12/17/2025

IFS can be a powerful approach for working with DID, but the how matters.

The work begins the same way it always does... with protectors.

In many DID systems, there’s often a primary protector or “host” part that functions as a gatekeeper.

That part isn’t an obstacle to the work. It is the doorway.

Rather than pushing toward trauma material, IFS invites us to:

Build relationship with protectors first
Understand their role and concerns
Gain consent before moving deeper

This isn’t about doing something “special” or dramatic.

It’s about staying attuned, respectful, and in Self-energy, especially with complex systems.

If you’re a therapist learning or deepening your practice of IFS and wondering how to apply it with real-world complexity—DID, trauma, and beyond—this is exactly the kind of nuance we explore inside the Pathways to Self community.

✨ Weekly live case consults
✨ Integration-focused teaching (not just concepts)
✨ A space to deepen your confidence using IFS in clinical practice

Explore the details in the comments.

12/15/2025

IFS isn’t something you figure out once and apply.

It’s something you keep meeting again and again, in your own system and in the room with clients.

We'll be exploring your questions about IFS tomorrow on Going Inside Live at 12pm PT | 3pm ET. The episode is recorded in real time, and your questions help shape the conversation.

Submit your question ahead of time using the link in the comments.

You’re welcome to bring a clinical question, or simply listen and learn alongside other IFS-oriented therapists.

12/12/2025

In IFS, we’re not looking for intellectual guesses like “I think this part is 10” or “I assume it’s protecting me from rejection."

That’s thinking about the part. Not relating to it.

Real insight work means the client is in connection with the part and hears directly from it.

If the answers aren’t coming, that’s your cue: Slow down. Get curious. Help them connect before asking more.

12/11/2025

Therapists: IFS isn’t just about exiles.

If you’re skipping over protectors, you’re missing the work.

12/10/2025

The longer you’re in the field, the more you realize: healing isn’t one-size-fits-all.

You need a map, yes. But you also need the flexibility to leave the trail when your client’s system asks you to.

The best therapy happens when you can let the work evolve with you.

Address

4155 24th Street
San Francisco, CA
94114

Website

http://www.johnclarketherapy.com/, https://go.johnclarketherapy.com/ifs-webinar-social

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when John Clarke Therapy posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Practice

Send a message to John Clarke Therapy:

Shortcuts

Want your practice to be the top-listed Clinic in San Francisco?