Meet Vince!
Hi! My name is Vincent Buhagiar and having grown up in Concord, I am a local to the East Bay. For as long as I can remember I have had a deep passion for psychology and helping others. It has always been my curiosity that has attracted me to the hidden corners of the human expereince. It was in college that I received my calling to become a holistic therapist as I was going through my own healing process. The path to healing is often difficult, painful, and down-right terrifying. My hope is to support my clients and help them to navigate through the darkness of their suffering.
I bring a warm, accepting, open, and light-hearted energy to the therapy room. I am not the type of person to pity or shame my clients. Our work together might be difficult but also rewarding, as I challenge you to confront the reality of your experience. Together we will determine how your own beliefs are contributing to that reality and whether this is functional for you - or not. I will also help you to uncover your own personal blind spots as you meet the You that you are truly supposed to be.
A Bit More About Me
How i Identify
As a clinician who identifies as polyamorous, white, male, hetero-flexible, middle-class, educated and able-bodied I hit nearly all the privileged markers recognized by our society. As a result of being a member of the dominant group for nearly every category and living in such a diverse culture as the Bay Area, I believe it is my responsibility as a clinician to bring humility and openness into my practice. My work around oppression has been around becoming aware of the ways in which privilege and oppression manifest in the day-to-day life of so many people. I invite you to come sit with me and tell me your story as I listen with a respectful and compassionate ear.
Interests and Hobbies
When I am not with clients or studying I love to be outdoors! Camping in the redwoods, snowboarding, and hiking Mt. Diablo are among my absolute favorite activities. Sometimes when I am feeling less active but still want to be outside, I love nothing more than curling up in my hammock with an exciting book or hanging with friends while listening to some tasty tunes.
Education
After receiving my high school diploma from Clayton Valley High School, I went to San Jose State University and graduated with a Bachelors of Arts in Psychology. I then received a Master’s Degree in Holistic Counseling with a specialization in Transpersonal Psychology from John F. Kennedy University. My 11 year journey through academia finally came to a completion when I received my MFT license from the state of CA in June of 2021; LMFT#126503. Since then, I have taken my educational responsibilities upon myself and have continued to learn through multi-media sources and personal experiences to stay up to date on current information.
Approach to Healing
HOLISTIC COUNsELING
As a truly holistic practitioner, I view my clients not as bundles of symptoms but as human beings walking their own spiritual path. Utilizing curiosity, compassion, and deep inquiry, I seek to help my clients recognize life obstacles as opportunities for growth, and suffering as a necessary part of the human experience. It is my role as a therapist to help my clients to navigate these difficult life obstacles and to integrate the lessons they have to offer. Clients will learn to call upon their strengths to overcome these challenges.
My work as a therapist is greatly influenced by the theoretical orientations that work with the different ‘parts’ that make up a person’s psyche. It is my understanding that the symptoms that often bring people into therapy such as anger, depression, anxiety, low self-esteem, interpersonal issues, etc. are caused by these different parts of the psyche being cut off from a person’s whole being. As we work towards reintegrating these different parts of the psyche, distressing symptoms will begin to naturally fade away.
CLIENT-CENTERED THERAPY
I recognize that each client is unique with their own set of therapeutic needs, so I always seek to meet my clients where they are and provide a customary clinical style that will best support their path towards healing. One of the first things we will do when we sit down together is to work in tandem to decide upon your custom tailored therapeutic goals.
TRANSPERSONAL PSYCHOLOGY
I seek to utilize third ear listening skills in order to hear the myths, archetypes, and poetic nature that appears within my clients’ stories. Guided by intuition, I seek to help my clients to develop a healthy relationship with the different archetypes that are surfacing in their lives and expand their understanding of these latent energies. Specifically, I am extremely interested in working with the Shadow or the parts of someone’s psyche that they cannot see or do not identify with. It is my belief and my lived experience that although this archetypal energy often causes extreme suffering for a person, it simultaneously guides the person on a path towards deeper healing. I seek to support my clients as they navigate the dark corners of their psyche.
SELF-LOVE
Love is defined as ‘the pure enjoyment in the existence of someone or something without the desire to possess, control, or change it.’ In our work together, we will seek healing through the cultivation of self-love as you develop a compassionate relationship with even the most uncomfortable parts of yourself.
DREAM WORK
Dreams are often full of rich imagery that can serve as guides in the healing process. We will explore the dreams brought into the therapy room and listen for the important messages they have for us.
Nightmares contain messages that are so important, that the psyche marks it with fear.
Lucid dreaming is a particularly powerful form of dream work that can provide the dreamer with conscious access to unconscious material. As an active lucid dreamer myself, I am willing to assist my clients in developing the skills necessary in building this discipline.