Lisa Tobin

About Lisa

Lisa Tobin, Ph.D. is a Psychologist who graduated from California School of Professional Psychology – Alameda in 1992. As a seasoned clinician, Lisa has 32 years of experience in the field and is licensed in California.

What makes you enjoy working with seniors? Senior years have the potential to be a time of deep happiness and satisfaction, with greater freedom to enjoy time with family, friends, and personal hobbies/pursuits. However, struggles with grief, loss, and/or physical ailments can dampen such positive experiences.

I enjoy supporting seniors in reframing such struggles as opportunities for reflection, growth, and creative problem solving. Why do you think online therapy is effective for seniors? With proper technology support (and this is crucial), on-line therapy can provide access to services that seniors might not otherwise attend in person due to geographical isolation, mobility limitations, and/or difficulty finding care coverage for a loved one.

Like many novel challenges, technology can be daunting. However, with practice, on-line therapy can become as familiar as using the telephone, and open up new options for mental health services and education for seniors. How do you approach therapy sessions?

I have been a licensed psychologist for thirty years. I have provided assessment and treatment in both in- and outpatient facilities as well as incarcerated settings. I have had the opportunity to provide treatment services for confined veterans and incarcerated persons with developmental disabilities or other cognitive impairments.

I have taught clinical psychology at a university, trained and mentored countless clinicians, and I continue to volunteer yearly at a local high school to talk to students about careers in psychology. What inspired you to become a therapist? My interest in becoming a psychologist stemmed from college volunteer work, initially with developmentally disabled children, then at a local county jail.

THAT was a long time ago, however. Perhaps more relevant is what inspires my work as a therapist currently. It is a deeply satisfying privilege to support another human being's reflection, self-awareness, and mastery of whatever tribulations they may face.

Truly exciting, and often synergistic as I too learn from my clients and can carry new knowledge forward as I work with others.