About Office - RonaldMah

Ronald Mah, M.A., Ph.D.
Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist,
Consultant/Trainer/Author
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About Office


My office, my space, my stuff, my personality...
Hope you like it.  I LOVE it!  When I had my physical office- 300 square feet filled with all my idiosyncratic, fun, cool, sarcastic, and sometimes therapeutically symbolic stuff, I often refer to something in the midst of the therapy as an analogy, to illustrate a metaphor, to tell a story... to make a connection... to make something conceptual or thoughtful or symbolic "real" and perhaps, emotional.  This what you'll see behind me when we do video sessions (except what my body might block!).  
Funny thing is that people who are supposed to be ADD (attention deficit disorder) are NOT distracted, but tend to really like the stimulating background!  May be about this space and stuff being me- mine... real, not whatever I as a therapist am supposed to be.  But then, real therapy starts with being authentic.  Don't like it?  Can't deal with it?  OK, I'm sure you can find a therapist, room, or place with nice blank walls or one "nice" piece of art! For those who might be interested, here's some background about my background! Some stuff may get referenced in therapy, but some things are just for fun and because it's my space!  So, there!

Made this Peppermint Patty to go w/Marcie for wife's costume for her Kindergarten Halloween party. I'm a UC Berkeley- Cal grad, Go Bears!  And Hawaiian Battleaxe made of Koa wood, Marlin spike, and Bullshark teeth!  Ask me the for the story of how I got the Battleaxe home from Hilo, Hawaii (not an airplane passenger carry on item!).
Alice falling down the Rabbit Hole- methaphor for how one falls into some crazy aternative world or situation- suddenly, there's a caterpillar smoking a huka!  How often do you feel like you fell down the Rabbit Hole of life... of relationships... of intimacy confusion?

(hard to see in the lower right hand corner of the tapestry) When Alice realizes and says, "But you're nothing but a pack of cards!" she leaves the craziness and returns to the real world, which is what happens when one recognizes what is making them confused.
Two posters from Amsterdam of football (soccer) players w/ powerful message that racism harms sports (and most everything else!).
Race, gender, sexual orientation, class, age, ability/disability... everything and anything can matter for who and what you are, and can show up and express positively or negatively in your life and relationships. Nothing is automatically irrelevant, and just about anything might be relevant.  Let's go exploring!
Chinese caligraphy for "Learning" made up of two words: "Study" and "Practice" Phenomenal metaphor for learning growth and change.  No matter how much you "study" (read, watch videos, talk... have therapy), you won't learn to live a healthier life or have better relationships without "practice."  Therapy is study, the real world with real people is where you need to practice to turn it into learning.
Sushi clock (because I like sushi and it's a fun clock!) Frame full of "homies" because they're cool!
Northwest Native American art of Raven and Hummingbird (so simple and yet so beautiful, which happens for someone when they get that connection in therapy).
Katana- replica from the "Last Samurai." Lord Kasumoto Moritsugu played by Ken Watanabe was the last Samurai- NOT Tom Cruise!

Maneki-neko (lucky cat), Daruma to make a wish, Max and Wild Things, and Dobby (who beats up on himself terribly like so many people consumed by shame and guilt).  Can you learn to stop beating up on yourself? Probably no one is as hard on you as you are.

The Cowardly Lion, the Scarecrow, and the Tin Woodsman because sometimes you need to find courage, brains, and a heart (perhaps, in therapy!).
A very old but neat clock with a little boy and a little girl on swings (couldn't let my friend throw it away!), a sleeping butterfly kid, funny Japanese lord and lady rabbits, Japanese wooden doll, an obsidian blade w/ a pronghorn handle, and an African fertility statue (mother and children).

A stuffed moose head... because!  The fairy from Fractured Fairy Tales for wishful thinkers, Woodstock w/ a HRC flag (be an ally... social justice is intrinsic to all relationships!), a wooden flute, a sloth head... because again! The sloth head makes me smile every time. And a lovely painting of elder teaching a boy how to play music.
Chubby Cat falling off table! (Hard to see) Garfield and Odie among the Twelve Immortals, a Horse statue (my family name- "Mah" means horse in Chinese), and cool street kids.

And some metal robot warriors!

ADDRESS:
3056 Castro Valley Blvd., #82
Castro Valley, CA 94546
Ronald Mah, M.A., Ph.D.
Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist, MFT32136
CONTACT INFORMATION:
office: (510) 582-5788
fax: (510) 889-6553
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