Wes Pederson, Ph.D.

Dr. Pederson (PSY 26040) is a licensed clinical psychologist, co-founder, and CEO of The Wise Mind Institute.

He offers individual and group psychotherapy to adults and adolescents as well as training and supervision to post-doctoral interns. With advanced training and experience in existential-humanistic therapy, Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), and Radically Open DBT (RO-DBT), he specializes in the treatment of substance abuse, chronic depression or anxiety, disorders of over-control or under-control, and long standing life and relationship issues. 

The primary focus of his work is the process of self-realization, or embodying one's authentic self in the deepest and most effective sense, which has been the focus of his research and personal practice for many years.

Kerrie Pieloch, Ph.D.

Dr. Kerrie Pieloch (PSY 33829) is a licensed clinical psychologist and the Clinical Director of our Redwood City office. She earned her doctorate from Suffolk University in Boston, MA. She is licensed in both California and Massachusetts (PSY 11350).

She has trained in a variety of settings with children, teens, and young adults including inpatient and residential hospitalization programs, outpatient clinics, a community mental health center, and an elementary school. She completed her pre-doctoral internship at the Franciscan Children’s Hospital and her post-doctoral fellowship at McLean Hospital/Harvard Medical School. 

Originally from New York, Dr. Pieloch spent most of her life in the Northeast (New York and Massachusetts) before relocating to the Bay Area in 2022. She is passionate about her work with youth and families and has extensive experience working with children, teens, and parents. Dr. Pieloch’s therapeutic approach is collaborative and warm, with an emphasis on advocacy for her clients. 

Dr. Pieloch is foundationally trained in DBT and DBT for pre-adolescent children (DBT- C) and specializes in DBT and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) for children and adolescents with anxiety, mood disorders, and personality disorders. She also provides guidance and support for parents of children and adolescents who are struggling with mental health difficulties.

In addition to her work with youth populations, Dr. Pieloch has been trained in Perinatal Psychotherapy and Mental Health and can treat postpartum depression, anxiety, and OCD. As a mother to an infant, Dr. Pieloch loves to work with pregnant moms and help parents adjust to parenthood and the emotional rollercoaster that comes with it!

Michael Miyasato, Psy.D.

Dr. Michael Miyasato (PSY 29831) is a licensed psychologist who specializes in working with teens and adults who struggle with anxiety, overachievement, perfectionism, video game addiction, and the impact these issues can have on mental health. He also has extensive experience working with Asian Americans and their families, addressing unique cultural challenges and finding paths toward balance and fulfillment.

Michael’s approach to psychotherapy is based in authenticity and compassion while not losing sight of clear practical goals. From this foundation, he provides his clients with the necessary skills and insight to improve their lives. He believes in being flexible and collaborative; focusing on his clients’ goals while integrating his own informed perspectives as is useful. Michael sees his role in therapy as a co-pilot; sometimes teaching and offering direct guidance, other times simply accompanying his clients through turbulent times so they aren’t making their journey alone.

He offers a structured, yet, compassionate approach tailored to his client’s needs. His expertise includes comprehensive Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) and Radically-Open DBT (RO-DBT) in individual as well as group settings.

Pembe Ethem, Psy.D.

Dr. Pembe Ethem (PSY 33995) (she/her) is a licensed clinical psychologist who earned her doctorate in clinical psychology from John F. Kennedy University and holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from San Jose State University.

Prior to joining WMI, Pembe has provided individual and group therapy to incarcerated individuals suffering from psychiatric disorders including substance use disorders, personality disorders, posttraumatic stress disorder, and mood disorders through a Psychiatric Inpatient Program (PIP) within the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.

Pembe completed her pre-doctoral internship at California State Prison – Sacramento, treating incarcerated individuals at the Enhanced Outpatient (EOP) level of care, both in the Psychiatric Service Unit (PSU) and in the mainline.

Having grown up in the Bay Area, Pembe prioritizes culture and inclusivity through a strength-based and attachment theoretical lens. She approaches all of her clients with authenticity, compassion, and warmth.

Pembe’s dissertation studied the role of humor for clients and therapists with different cultural backgrounds. Pembe has had extensive experience utilizing Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Seeking Safety, Humor Therapy, and Schema Therapy. Pembe also teaches part-time at her alma-mater and enjoys mentoring growing students.

Pembe also enjoys working with individuals (ages 15 and up) who are looking to improve their lives and be their most authentic selves. She has particular experience supporting individuals through difficult life transitions, trauma, loss, and embracing vulnerabilities through a treatment plan specific to each individual’s needs.

Amy Banas, Ph.D.

Dr. Amy Banas (PSY 36026) is a psychologist who earned her Ph.D. in Human Development/Educational Psychology from the University of California, Berkeley. 

Amy completed her traineeship in the Piedmont Unified School District, focusing predominantly on adolescent mental health and assessment. She also served as a lay counselor for many years through the Stephen’s Ministry program, which provides mental health support to community members who otherwise could not afford care.

Amy’s approach to therapy is warm, holistic, and client-centered, often peppered with some humor. In addition to DBT and RO-DBT, she uses CBT, existential-humanistic, and solution-focused methods to form hypotheses about the issue and work collaboratively with the client to - as a team - build, implement, and evaluate strategies for the best path toward client goals. 

Teamwork has long been a part of Amy’s life. Prior to her Ph.D., she competed as an NCAA Division I student-athlete, was a USA Track and Field Level II certified coach, and worked with novice and elite athletes in numerous capacities. This expertise lends itself to a passion for helping athletes and others in high-stress environments find balance and thrive toward their goals. Because of Amy’s experience successfully completing the “Lean Launchpad” start-up incubator at the Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley, she also understands the unique intensity and challenges of the start-up world. 

Amy has expertise working with recovery from injury and concussion/TBI, eating disorders, depression/anxiety, identity and purpose, bullying, academic stress, ADHD, spiritual/existential exploration, sexual assault, and exposure to violence and feels kindred to “highly sensitive” folks whose emotions feel SO BIG sometimes. She believes everyone deserves the opportunity to redeem the hard parts of life and create beauty from the messy and broken places.

Sarah Easton, LCSW

Sarah Easton (LCSW 94875) is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker who earned her masters from the University of Chicago. Prior to joining the WMI team Sarah worked in community mental health with severe mental illness, as well as for many years as a clinician at the Palo Alto VA Medical Center.

Within the VA, she helped manage an intensive outpatient program and provided individual and group psychotherapy for veterans dealing with addiction and trauma. 

Sarah specializes in working with addiction, grief and loss, spiritual development, and relationship issues. Her approach to therapy is informed by the integration of psychodynamic (Jungian), behavioral (DBT), and body-centered modalities (Hakomi and MBSR).

She believes that traditional talk therapy can be powerful alone, but integrating mindfulness of the body can more adequately address experiences in the present moment and help transform deeply ingrained beliefs or patterns. Moving beneath words and life stories, experiences can be felt and understood, allowing innate wisdom to support transformation.

Additionally, Sarah has witnessed how behavioral therapies can offer much needed structure and skills to help cultivate a sense of emotional resilience and the development of healthy relationships. 

Sarah views therapy as a courageous act, a gesture of willingness to turn towards inner life. Her therapeutic approach is warm, relational, and accepting. Sarah’s curiosity, care and attentive presence will create a safe and supportive space for reflection and change on each client’s journey towards healing and growth.

Kerianne Doi, LMFT

Kerianne Doi (LMFT 148331) is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist who earned her master’s degree in Clinical Psychology from San Jose State University. She has extensive experience working with adolescents, adults, and families across school-based, community mental health, residential treatment, and private practice settings.

Kerianne provides individual therapy to adolescents and adults experiencing PTSD, depression, anxiety, emotion dysregulation, and relationship difficulties. Her work focuses on helping clients better understand their emotional experiences in context and uses practical, evidence-based strategies to navigate life's challenges. She is trained in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT), Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), and Prolonged Exposure (PE). Kerianne specializes in Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) and has specialized training in Dialectical Behavior Therapy Prolonged Exposure (DBT-PE).

Kerianne believes therapy should be both validating and practical—a space where clients feel deeply understood while building concrete skills for meaningful change. She values authenticity, collaboration, and humor in the therapy room and takes a trauma-informed, strengths-based approach that considers the role of identity, intersectionality, and social environments. Together, she works with clients to understand the function of their emotions and behaviors, identify patterns that no longer serve them, and build lives that feel more aligned with their values.

Kerianne is passionate about working with Transitional Age Youth (TAY), LGBTQIA2S+ and neurodivergent clients, and individuals navigating identity exploration and life transitions. She is committed to creating an inclusive and affirming space where clients feel safe to show up authentically.

Jennifer Nickel, AMFT

Jennifer Nickel (AMFT 148568) is a Registered Associate Marriage and Family Therapist, supervised by a licensed therapist. Jennifer earned her MS in Counseling from the Kaiser Permanente School of Allied Health Sciences and completed her practicum at the Kaiser Counseling Center, where she had the privilege of serving a range of clients that reflected the wonderful diversity of the Bay Area.

Jennifer also holds a MA in Educational Therapy, and prior to joining the WMI team worked as an Educational Therapist, supporting students with learning differences and their families to navigate academic and emotional challenges.

Jennifer’s work is grounded in building meaningful relationships with clients to guide them towards lasting change that aligns with their values. She creates a warm, non-judgmental environment where clients feel heard, understood, and supported, and works collaboratively with clients to identify desired outcomes and explore strategies for growth.

Jennifer believes there is no one-size-fits-all approach to therapy, tailoring her work to each client's unique needs. She is particularly interested in supporting clients in periods of transition - those starting something new or changing something old.

Jennifer’s approach to therapy integrates evidence-based practices with compassion, humor and insight. She helps clients cultivate an awareness of their thoughts, feelings and automatic behaviors to help them respond flexibly to whatever life brings.

Jennifer’s goal is to empower individuals to accept that distressing thoughts and feelings are part of life while moving towards those things that make life meaningful for them. Jennifer works with children and adolescents, adults, couples and families.

Carl St. Goar, Ph.D.

Dr. Carl St. Goar (PSB 94028537) is psychological associate, supervised by a licensed clinician. Carl earned his doctorate from Palo Alto University. He has provided therapy in diverse training settings including: Palo Alto VA and the Gronowski Clinic. His pre-doctoral internship was at Community Health Awareness Council, and Ellis Elementary. 

Carl’s therapeutic practice is guided by interpersonal process therapy, CBT, and DBT. His work is client centered and based on the preferences and needs of the client. Carl strives to provide a space for clients to feel seen and heard so that he can work together with the client to provide treatment that is unique and specific to the individual.

Carl’s practice focuses on issues in the treatment of depression or anxiety as well as family, life, relationship issues and life transitions. Carl values working with clients to build their sense of autonomy so that they can live a life that is in line with their values.

Archita Birla, Psy.D.

Dr. Archita Birla (PSY 94029086) is a psychological associate supervised by a licensed clinician. Archita earned her doctorate in Clinical Psychology from Georgia Southern University in Statesboro, GA. She completed her pre-doctoral internship at San Jose State University. She has clinical training working in various settings, including community mental health, university counseling, and psychological assessment centers. 

Archita has extensive clinical experience and is passionate about working with clients who are BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, neurodivergent (ADHD, Autism), and/or disabled. She takes a client-centered approach to therapy, integrating DBT, ACT, and feminist/multicultural therapies to create a safe and affirming space in sessions to support self-reflection, processing, and growth. Archita emphasizes self-compassion throughout the clinical space, supporting clients to have empathy for their previous and current selves, as they navigate complex and challenging global and personal experiences. She integrates tools and skills with emotional processing to support holistic wellbeing. 

Orly Eitan, Psy.D.

Dr. Orly Eitan (PSY 94029151 ) is a psychological associate supervised by a licensed clinician. Orly earned her Doctorate in Clinical Psychology from the Wright Institute, Berkeley, California. She received clinical training in a variety of settings, including Kaiser Permanente, community mental health centers, and college counseling services. She completed her pre-doctoral internship at the San Jose State University Counseling Center. 

Her experience includes working with individuals across the lifespan and from diverse cultural, socioeconomic, and racial backgrounds. She has treated a wide range of clinical presentations, with particular focus on trauma-informed care, mood disorders, identity development, and complex mental health challenges. Dr. Eitan provides individual, couples, and group psychotherapy for adults and adolescents, utilizing a relational psychodynamic approach as well as Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) and Radically Open DBT (RO-DBT). She also integrates Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) in her work with couples.

Before transitioning into clinical work, Dr. Eitan built a successful career in the international business world, living and working in multiple countries. This global experience informs her deep appreciation for the cultural and contextual factors that shape individual identity and life experience. She has worked with entrepreneurs and business leaders on performance enhancement, and she draws on this background in her clinical work—particularly when supporting individuals facing high stress, life transitions, perfectionism, identity and career development, and high-intensity life challenges.

Dr. Eitan's work is grounded in the belief that each person holds the innate capacity for self-healing and a drive towards growth. She is dedicated to supporting clients in building resilience, pursuing self-actualization, and living with greater intention and authenticity.

Ashley Nickels, AMFT

Ashley is a registered Associate Marriage and Family Therapist (AMFT #164562) who earned her master's degree in Counseling Psychology from the California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS). She is supervised by a licensed clinician at WMI. Ashley also serves as WMI’s Outreach Coordinator. She holds a BA and MA in Spanish and offers therapy in Spanish and English. Prior to her clinical training, she worked as a middle and high school teacher, advisor, and administrator. Ashley completed her practicum training at a community clinic in San Francisco, where she worked with adults, couples, and children.

Much of Ashley’s work is with adults and adolescents navigating life transitions, identity exploration, and relationship concerns. She has particular interest in supporting women who are experiencing mid-life transitions, grief, and identity exploration, as well as adults who are ready to face what might be holding them back. Ashley also works with teens exploring who they are and want to become, as well as couples who want to deepen their connection and improve how they communicate with one another.

Working with Ashley, clients experience a therapeutic approach that is relational at its core, drawing on humanistic, depth, and transpersonal frameworks and informed by both psychodynamic styles and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT). She works collaboratively with clients to bring unconscious patterns into awareness, creating a safe, non-judgmental space to explore what might be holding them back from living the life they want. Curiosity, authenticity, depth, and humor guide her presence in the therapy room, and she believes therapy is a place to speak what might feel difficult to say and to practice connection, together.

Rhonda Len Wai

As The Wise Mind Institute’s Administrative Coordinator, Rhonda brings professionalism, efficiency, kindness, and humanity to every aspect of her work. She is an experienced and skillful office administrator with a keen interest in psychology and an appreciation for the journey of healing and enrichment.

Managing the vast majority of non-clinical daily operations, she is committed to relieving our clinicians of the behind the scenes (administrative) tasks so they can continue to stay focused on providing exceptional care. In addition to her administrative role, Rhonda conducts free 20-minute screening and intake sessions for prospective clients.