San Francisco · Depth-Oriented Psychotherapy
The Gerdenio Manuel Center for Psychotherapy is a practice devoted to the slow, careful work of understanding — helping individuals and couples meet what is difficult and move toward a more alive and integrated life.
The Work
We practice psychotherapy as a relationship — a sustained, attentive collaboration in which insight and lived, embodied experience open the way to change.
Our orientation is psychodynamic and depth-oriented, informed by attachment, contemporary research on the moment-to-moment process of change, and an abiding respect for each person's history, culture, and meaning. We integrate evidence-based methods for communication and repair where they serve the work. The aim is not the temporary removal of symptoms but a return to their root — and the freedom that follows.
Areas of Practice
Depth-oriented psychotherapy for adults navigating anxiety, depression, grief, trauma, life transitions, addiction and recovery, questions of identity, and the search for meaning.
Learn more →A space for partners to understand recurring patterns, repair rupture, and rebuild trust — combining depth psychology with practical tools for communication and connection.
Learn more →Thoughtful, collaborative assessment that clarifies diagnostic questions and treatment direction — translating findings into language that is useful and humane.
Learn more →“ He isn't the kind of therapist to merely work on temporarily removing symptoms but rather, he follows the symptom to the core and affords his client space for a corrective experience so that the root simply no longer produces said symptom. — Beau Scott, PsyD, on Dr. Manuel
About the Name
The Center is named in honor of our founder and senior mentor, Dr. Gerdenio "Sonny" Manuel, S.J. The name was chosen as a tribute to his life's work as a psychologist, teacher, and guide — and to the tradition of compassionate, rigorous care we carry forward.
Read our story
We welcome your questions about psychotherapy, our practice, and whether our work might be a good fit. Reaching out is a first step, not a commitment.
Contact the Center