Professional Background

Education, License & Certifications

Licensed Marriage Family Therapist in California, Nevada and Idaho

University of Arizona, Bachelor of Arts in Speech Communication

Saint Louis University, Master of Arts in Counselor Education, Marriage and Family Therapy emphasis

San Jose State University, Post-Baccalaureate Credential Program in Education Counseling

Pupil Personnel Service (PPS) Credential, School Counseling in CA

Other Training

Level 1 Internal Family Systems

Level 2 IFS: Addictions & Eating Disorders

Somatic IFS – Step 1

Somatic Experiencing Training (Intermediate)

Energy Skills Ninja (Year 4)

EMDR Basic Training

American Red Cross: Disaster Relief Mental Health Professional, Psychological First Aid

FEMA Trained Disaster Relief Responder, Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM)

Professional Affiliations

CAMFT (+ regional affiliates Sacramento Valley CAMFT & Sierra Foothills CAMFT)

Lisa Olson, IFS Therapy in California

(Accepting New Clients)

 Hi, I want to extend to you a very warm welcome.  It takes fierce courage to embark on therapy, regardless if you are new to it or not. I believe that the relationship with your therapist is paramount to any specific modality. I invite you to linger awhile and take a look around at everyone and everything that is the IFS Telehealth Collective.  If you are ready to make some changes in your life, I assure you, the right person is here for you.

My Approach

I am a trauma-informed Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist and a hard-wired systems thinker. The most appealing concept, for me, in systems psychology is interdependency – the idea that parts of a system are connected and rely on each other to function. From the human development perspective interdependence represents the delicate dance of mutual reliance and support within relationships. 

We tend to replicate the systems we grew up in when interacting with our other systems (think: school, work, faith communities, etc.) long after leaving our homes. We may notice familiar and recurring behavioral patterns that we can’t seem to shake, no matter what we try. Perhaps you, too, have tried it all and are still left feeling…disillusioned.

What I love about Internal Family Systems (IFS) is the illumination and normalization of “multiplicity’ – that individuals are a complex mosaic of emotional, mental, somatic and spiritual parts. We are not just one, we are many. Just like a family system in which each individual member has a distinct role, in IFS,  each part has its own beliefs, viewpoints, interests, roles and burdens. Somatic IFS takes this concept further by emphasizing how these "parts" can manifest physically in the body through tension, sensations, or movement patterns.

Using energetic and somatic approaches, intricately woven with IFS, I support you in accessing deeper layers of your internal experience, restoring balance by changing the dynamics between the parts. As an IFS therapist, I can help you reclaim and reintegrate wounded parts, and unburden generational legacies.  To bolster the cultivation of Self-Energy, the compassionately wise core of our being, I incorporate Acceptance Commitment Therapy (ACT).  ACT helps us accept our thoughts and feelings, and then commit to actions that align with our values. We cannot escape difficult emotions, but we can learn to adapt to them in a productive way.

I specialize in helping people experiencing challenges with anxiety, codependency, religious abuse and the deconstruction process, neurodivergence, and grief. I also specialize with sober individuals learning to cultivate a new life without dependence on drugs and alcohol. I offer specialized support for the LGTBQ+ and First Responder communities.

I also have an intimate understanding of the complicated family dynamics related to perinatal loss. Replacement children, rainbow babies, and subsequent children (a.k.a. subsequent siblings) are all terms to describe the same thing: children born or adopted after the death of a brother or sister. Few people have heard of this condition, and even fewer understand the psychological impact of being born into a family after such a tumultuous and tragic loss.

My Journey

In my family growing up, I was, well, the problem.  I was the scapegoat. Now I lovingly refer to myself as the Escaped-G.O.A.T.

I desperately wanted to fit in with my family, but I was too curious, too imaginative, quite mischievous, had too many questions, noticed (and verbalized) too many hypocrisies, talked incessantly, had a difficult time sitting still and pushed the limits whenever possible…just to find out what would happen. 

I spent most of my young life searching for a magic bullet or superpower to eliminate the excruciating desperation I felt amidst the unchanging results of all my efforts to get the attachment I needed. I began self-medicating at a tender age and I had completely blown up my life by 22. In my effort to avoid some very serious consequences, I got sober and completely overhauled my lifestyle and value system. I wasn’t able to avoid the consequences but I did build a solid foundation for a meaningful life. It was through my healing that I came to realize the existence of the micro-moment – that moment between something happening and my response to it.  I noticed significant changes and experienced actual results in my life when I started simply paying attention. So profound was this personal power and recovery that I have since dedicated myself to helping individuals and families to live intentionally while navigating tumultuous and tricky life transitions that appear necessary in the human experience.

About Me:

I am intuitively curious and imaginative and I also love to learn new things. I am equal parts an outdoor and indoor enthusiast. Being outside in nature, during all four seasons, both slows me down and fills me up. I have three young adult children who have flown the coop, prompting my move to Lake Tahoe to marinate in nature.  At the same time, I love to snuggle up next to a fire, light some candles and settle in with a good book or documentary. If it’s “based on a true story”, all the better.  I am a sucker for stories about the human experience. It’s probably why I am a therapist.

I’d love to help you.

Please contact our client care team to get matched with an IFS therapist who would be a good fit for you.