Ami Hartley, LMFT

I am a colleague of Ami Hartley LMFT, and I have worked with her closely for the last 5 years. She has expertise in addiction, relationships, and Adult Children of Narcissists. She is certified as an Addiction Specialist, and she is also board certified in Art Therapy. She is very compassionate, supportive, and authentic. I have referred many clients to Ami over the years, and I have full confidence that they are in good hands.

I was pretty lost when I went in for therapy and Ami was not the first therapist I’d met with trying to deal with my anxiety and relationship troubles. She was the first one however that helped me understand that my mother had narcissistic personality disorder. This in addition to gently telling me it sounded like most of the men I’d picked out for dating and partners were also narcissists helped explain so much. It’s not like this fixed things overnight or anything, I still seem to be attracted to them and still need to address my other unhealthy ways of coping with my anxiety, but we’re only a few months in and I feel we will get there. She is also an expert in addiction so when I feel ready to quit this as a means of coping I know she will be an excellent guide.

I began seeing Ami when I joined the group she holds for Children of Adult Narcissists. I had been struggling in my life to become emotionally whole and independent and this group and my work with Ami was critical to my continued and personal growth.
The group led by Ami was exactly what I needed to continue to heal from my past. It was a safe place where I could share my feelings and bond with others who understood what it was like to grow up as I did. The group was a haven that helped me immensely, particularly with my self-​esteem and in my professional growth. I realized I was projecting a lot things I had experienced with my parents onto my co-​workers and clients and once I was able to step away from that, my work improved greatly.
After the group, I decided to see Ami in individual sessions to continue to explore how my childhood affected me to the present. She was kind and compassionate and I am better for seeing her. She really helped me settle a part of my life and now I am transitioning into a new phase thanks to her help.
I suggest anyone interested in the group give it a try. It helped me immensely and Ami is a wonderful resource.

Sometimes the weight of the world just seems to cave in on you. Sometimes your life just seems out of sort. Sometimes you just need someone to confide in. Those are the times that I turned to Ami and in turn felt relief, invigorated, and inspired. She was patient and supportive. I appreciated the fact that she offered a comfy couch and a listening ear, but also art therapy and hypnotherapy, both of which I strongly recommend. I almost don’t want to put this out there, in fear that if I ever need to see her again, she will be booked and not have time for me! But I can’t keep her a secret– she should have the recognition she deserves! She is great and will keep you grounded. ~Thank you Ami, for helping me to heal.

I am an adult child of a narcissist, a situation that I have tried to minimize for myself for more than forty years. After many self-​help books, various 12-​step programs, and several less-​specialized therapists, I found Ami Hartley. She is a warm, good-​humored, sensitive person. I immediately knew that I would feel comfortable telling her my worst secrets. I talked, and she listened. Together we confronted my long-​held feelings of anger, shame, grief, hurt, sadness, fear, loneliness, guilt, and hurt. We discussed the ways in which a child adapts to a narcissistic parent and how this can cause distress in later life. At Ami’s suggestion, I tried a number of art therapy activities that helped change my perspective on a long life filled with emotional pain.
Ami has great understanding of a variety of therapy techniques, provides useful guidance, and is easy to talk to. She is a patient listener and a joy to be around.
I haven’t felt this calm and peaceful since 1972!

I’ve had the pleasure of working with Ami and although I don’t write too many reviews on here, felt inspired! She is patient, caring, and incredibly insightful. She used a variety of techniques to support the challenges I was working on. I loved how flexible and capable she was as a practitioner– combining art therapy, hypnosis, and just great listening has produced some incredible results. I highly recommend Ami. She really is an expert and overall wonderful.

I saw Ami to work on some relationship issues and found Ami to be very supportive, helpful and insightful. She offers realistic suggestions and provided direction in making more positive life choices. But most importantly Ami is very compassionate and I felt heard by her. I find I am no longer repeating negative patterns and have been able to move on. I highly recommend her!

I saw Ms. Hartley to quit smoking. I’ve been wanting to quit for years and have tried EVERYTHING… except hypnotherapy. Honestly, not my style as I tend to go for pills or a magic cure. Long story short, I went 2 times and after smoking my head off for about 4 days after the sessions, I quit. I am so happy that I tried it. Ami was terrific and very warm, but serious about this health concern. She was professional (session started and ended on time), and had knowledge about the addiction cycle. Whatever happened in her office — IT WORKED!

I’ve had motion sickness my whole life.
Road trips in the car would lead to hours of nausea and
vomiting, especially on winding roads. I even had to pull over and yack while on the road from Santa Cruz and I was driving! I tried a patch in the past and I took it off after a few hours because it made me feel «sick».
I decided to give hypnotherapy a try after hearing a story that my partner told me. She told me about how her mother smoked while carrying her for 9 months in the womb and then continued to smoke decades later. But then with one hypnotherapy session, her mom had quit entirely [without nicorette gum and without a nicotine patch] cold turkey.
I was hypnotized by a therapist, Ami Hartley for motion sickness. The therapy session was so relaxing.
I tested it out.
I took the ferry from the wharf to Sausalito. No problem. On the way back, they told us to go below deck to grab the bicycles. I thought, «Oh no below deck,» as the boat swayed back and forth. While waiting, I noticed I didn’t feel sick. I felt calm.
I wish I had done this a long time ago.
I’m so excited. Next stop is a longer boat ride for whale watching in the bay.