About Us
Bay Area Trauma Recovery Clinical Services (BATRCS) is devoted to treating simple and complex PTSD from any source (childhood abuse, domestic violence, sexual assault, crime, military related trauma, accidents, disasters, health related trauma, etc.). To broaden the population able to receive these services, clients are able to be seen on a sliding scale basis.
The evidence-based treatments we offer are rooted in Cognitive Behavior Therapy, Acceptance & Commitment Therapy, and EMDR protocols.
Our therapists are experienced graduate student clinicians who are supervised and fully trained by our clinical supervisors.
The evidence-based treatments we offer are rooted in Cognitive Behavior Therapy, Acceptance & Commitment Therapy, and EMDR protocols.
Our therapists are experienced graduate student clinicians who are supervised and fully trained by our clinical supervisors.
Our Clinical Supervisors
Matthew McKay, Ph.D. is the co-director of the Bay Area Trauma Recovery Clinical Services (BATRCS) and a professor at the Wright Institute in Berkeley, CA. He has authored and coauthored numerous books on ACT, the treatment of PTSD, and other emotional disorders, including Overcoming Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Advanced Training in ACT, Emotion Efficacy Therapy, Self-Esteem, Thoughts and Feelings, and ACT on Life Not on Anger. Dr. McKay specializes in the cognitive behavioral treatment of PTSD, anxiety and depression.
Valesia Ho, Psy.D. is a licensed clinical psychologist with a multiethnic/cultural background, practicing in the San Francisco Bay Area. She specializes in providing psychotherapy to adults and couples, utilizing a third-wave cognitive behavioral approach. In addition to her clinical practice, Dr. Ho serves as the co-director of the Bay Area Trauma Recovery Clinical Services (BATRCS). Dr. Ho completed her internship at the Department of State Hospitals-Napa, where she worked on an inpatient dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT) unit and led groups focused on treating complex trauma. During her post-doctoral fellowship, she received specialized training in the treatment of insomnia and sexual dysfunction. Dr. Ho is also a certified sex therapist.
Allyson Troxel-Galang, Psy.D. is a licensed clinical psychologist with abundant experience in CBT, ACT, DBT, PE, EMDR and additional mindfulness-based therapies in outpatient community mental health settings. Dr. Troxel-Galang completed her predoctoral internship with ANKA Behavioral Health, working primarily with dually-diagnosed individuals that were unhoused and people stepping down from recent hospitalizations. She then did two years of postdoctoral training as a clinical supervisor at the Wright Institute CBT clinic while also interning at the San Francisco DBT Center. She continues to maintain a private practice seeing clients both individually and for DBT groups at the San Francisco DBT Center. This is balanced alongside her work supervising student clinicians at BATRCS and teaching graduate students at the Wright Institute. Her areas of ongoing professional interest include the intersection of spirituality with psychological health-especially as it relates to trauma treatment and post-traumatic growth and the use of somatic-informed theories and treatments in therapy.
Alix Simonson, Psy.D. is a licensed clinical psychologist specializing in complex trauma, emotion dysregulation, severe mental illness, and LGBTQIA+ issues. She has worked in a wide range of clinical settings, including inpatient psychiatric units, hospitals, and outpatient specialty clinics. She currently practices at a PHP/IOP setting where she provides Comprehensive DBT and individually tailored evidence-based treatments for acute disorders. In her role as clinical supervisor at Bay Area Trauma Recovery Clinical Services (BATRCS), Dr. Simonson brings her breadth of clinical training and love for mentoring and teaching together to support her trainees in providing high-quality individualized care to their clients. Dr. Simonson earned her Doctorate of Psychology from the PGSP-Stanford PsyD Consortium at Palo Alto University, her doctoral internship at the downtown Los Angeles VA Hospital, and her postdoctoral fellowship at Stanford University School of Medicine.
Kate Petersen, Psy.D. is a licensed clinical psychologist specializing in CBT and ACT. She has extensive experience working with young adults, having completed her predoctoral internship at the University of San Francisco's Counseling and Psychological Services and her postdoctoral fellowship at Santa Clara University, with additional training working with incarcerated adolescents and in community mental health clinics. Dr. Petersen's approach to therapy is grounded in mindfulness and behaviorism, and she has a passion for empowering her clients with values-based exposure. She maintains a private practice in Walnut Creek and is also part of The Bay Psychotherapy Center, where she specializes in anxiety disorders, OCD, and PTSD. Additionally, Dr. Petersen is a consultant and content creator at TherapyAssist, an online platform for evidence-based therapy resources.
Our Board of Directors
Matthew McKay, Ph.D. is the co-director of the Bay Area Trauma Recovery Clinical Services (BATRCS) and a professor at the Wright Institute in Berkeley, CA. He has authored and coauthored numerous books on ACT, the treatment of PTSD, and other emotional disorders, including Overcoming Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Advanced Training in ACT, Emotion Efficacy Therapy, Self-Esteem, Thoughts and Feelings, and ACT on Life Not on Anger. Dr. McKay specializes in the cognitive behavioral treatment of PTSD, anxiety and depression.
Valesia Ho, Psy.D. is a licensed clinical psychologist with a multiethnic/cultural background, practicing in the San Francisco Bay Area. She specializes in providing psychotherapy to adults and couples, utilizing a third-wave cognitive behavioral approach. In addition to her clinical practice, Dr. Ho serves as the co-director of the Bay Area Trauma Recovery Clinical Services (BATRCS). Dr. Ho completed her internship at the Department of State Hospitals-Napa, where she worked on an inpatient dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT) unit and led groups focused on treating complex trauma. During her post-doctoral fellowship, she received specialized training in the treatment of insomnia and sexual dysfunction. Dr. Ho is also a certified sex therapist.
Robyn Walser, Ph.D. is an expert in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and has co-authored 3 books on ACT including Learning ACT: An Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Skills Training Manual for Therapists, The Mindful Couple: How Acceptance and Mindfulness Can Lead You to the Love You Want, and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for the Treatment of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Trauma-Related Problems: A Practitioner's Guide to Using Mindfulness and Acceptance Strategies. She also has expertise in traumatic stress and substance abuse and has authored a number of articles, chapters and books on these topics.
Jocelyn Sze, Ph.D. is a licensed psychologist who provides psychotherapy for adults at her practice in San Francisco using a cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) approach, specializing in the treatment of trauma, anxiety, and insomnia. Dr. Sze completed a postdoctoral fellowship in the Women’s Health and general outpatient clinics at the San Francisco VA Medical Center. Her research interests include the psychophysiology of emotion, mindfulness-based interventions, and women’s health issues, and Dr. Sze has published in leading scientific journals in these areas.
Stephanie Catella, Psy.D. is a clinical psychologist with expertise in transdiagnostic cognitive behavioral therapy for trauma, anxiety, and building emotional intelligence. She co-authored The Emotional Intelligence Skills Workbook with Matthew McKay and is the author of an FDA-approved prescription digital therapeutic for Fibromyalgia. In addition to her private practice, she is a consultant and content creator for innovative mental health and tech companies.
Victoria Lemle Beckner, Ph.D. is a partner at the San Francisco Group for Evidence-Based Psychotherapy, and Associate Clinical Professor at the UCSF Department of Psychiatry. She obtained her doctorate from the University of Texas at Austin, where she conducted research on the neurobiology of stress and memory. In her practice she specializes in the treatment of anxiety disorders and trauma, and she volunteers with the American Red Cross and other local disaster organizations providing acute trauma care. She is the lead author of the book, Conquering Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.
Robyn Gobin, Ph.D. is a licensed clinical psychologist with expertise in interpersonal trauma and women's mental health. She specializes in culturally responsive treatment of traumatic stress in adults and couples using cognitive-behavioral, emotion-focused, and mindfulness-based interventions. She is the author of The Self-Care Prescription: Powerful Solutions to Manage Stress, Reduce Anxiety, and Increase Well-Being and The Doing My Work Therapy Journal. In addition to her clinical work, she is a University professor, consultant, and grant-funded researcher. Dr. Gobin is a highly sought-after public speaker who regularly facilitates workshops on self-care, mindfulness, and trauma recovery.
Jordana Hazam, Psy.D., is a multiethnic clinical psychologist who divides her time between private practice and serving survivors of sexual abuse at the Kap‘ioloni Medical Center for Women and Children, Sex Abuse Treatment Center in Honolulu, Hawai‘i. Dr. Hazam graduated from The Wright Institute in Berkeley, California. She completed her doctoral internship at the Alaska VA Healthcare System, and her post-doctoral residency at the San Francisco VA Healthcare System with an emphasis in PTSD and Substance Use Disorders. She provides specialized training on the intersectionality of race and traumatic stress, including bicultural identification and Moral Injury in combat Veterans, and cultural considerations in the treatment of Arab-American/Middle Eastern & North African population and Indigenous communities.