Eliza Pedder

Eliza Pedder is a queer, California-licensed Marriage and Family Therapist based in the San Francisco Bay Area, offering LGBTQIA+ affirming, trauma-informed therapy for adults navigating deep emotions, life transitions, and experiences that can feel overwhelming or hard to name. Her work is especially supportive for overthinkers, highly sensitive people, and those living with anxiety, OCD, trauma, and grief in its many forms—not only loss, but the quieter griefs of identity, relationships, and unmet longings. Eliza’s approach is warm, collaborative, and deeply client-centered. She believes therapy should move at a pace that feels safe and attuned to each person’s nervous system, honoring where you are rather than pushing toward quick fixes. Drawing from attachment-informed EMDR, somatic practices, mindfulness-based approaches, and integrative therapy, she supports clients in gently reconnecting with their bodies, emotions, and inner wisdom. At the heart of Eliza’s work is a belief that intense feelings are not problems to be solved, but meaningful signals asking for care and understanding. She creates space for the full spectrum of human experience—especially feelings that have been minimized, misunderstood, or pathologized—so clients can explore them with compassion, curiosity, and self-trust. Eliza’s work is deeply shaped by personal experience. Three years ago, her brother died unexpectedly after years of struggling with internalized homophobia and using alcohol as a way to cope before coming out as gay. His death profoundly altered her life and clarified her purpose. In the wake of this loss, Eliza came out herself and felt a renewed commitment to supporting queer and LGBTQIA+ individuals navigating shame, identity, trauma, grief, and the long-term impacts of not being fully seen or accepted. Whether you are navigating grief, trauma, anxiety, identity exploration, or simply longing to feel more at home in yourself, Eliza offers an affirming, inclusive space where all parts of you are welcome—and where healing unfolds at a pace that feels humane, integrated, and true to who you are.