Lucy Sunday MFT, cMT-P

I was raised in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition, surrounded by contemplatives, meditators, and artists. From an early age my father ran a social-model hospice, steeping me in a living awareness of impermanence and a life orientation rooted in care, humility, and connection. That upbringing shaped my deepest strengths: a steady relationship with uncertainty and a trust in the present moment as a space where possibilities emerge.

Before becoming a therapist, I built and led progressive HR departments for global health and wellness ventures—work that eventually drew me toward a more radical, anti-capitalist understanding of what true well-being means.

I bring all of this to my practice. I work relationally and collaboratively, attuning to the whole person—emotional, neurobiological, somatic, cognitive, and spiritual. I’m guided by a lived experience of the world as poetic and profoundly interconnected, and by a confidence in our basic goodness.

My own path has been shaped by years of meditation practice and a commitment to meeting my own suffering with compassion and curiosity. The liberation I’ve experienced through this work is what called me to the healing profession. This reverence for complexity informs my work as a systemic therapist, where I support individuals, couples, and families in navigating relationships shaped by familial, cultural and environmental forces, trusting that healing arises when we meet ourselves and each other with presence and care.

A smiling blonde woman in a red patterned blouse and blue jeans sitting outdoors in a wooded area.

“When you step into a moment with the intention to connect rather than to be right, even the smallest gestures can become acts of repair, trust, and intimate understanding.”

Training & Credentials

  • MA in Couple & Family Therapy AUNE · MFT

  • Gottman Method Couples Therapy – Levels I and II

  • Internal Family Systems (IFS) - Certified Level I

  • Interpersonal Neurobiology (IPNB) – Dan Siegel, MD (Certification in progress)

  • Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) Externship & Core Skills I-IV

  • Pragmatic Experiential Couples Therapy (PET-C) - Level I

  • Certified Mindfulness Teacher (IMTA) 500 hours cMT-P - The Engaged Mindfulness Institute

  • The Art of Jungian Couples Therapy - Pacifica Graduate Institute

  • Trauma Informed Dialectic Behavioral Therapy (TF-DBT) - AMFM Healthcare

  • Somatic Experiencing (SE) – Foundational Theory & Principles Certification

  • Sessions Live: Mating In The Metacrisis with Esther Perel

  • Specialization in Trauma & LGBTQIA+ Affirming Practice – AUNE

  • Working with Polyamorous & Ethically Non-Monogamous Couples (Supervision, Yana Tallon-Hicks, LMFT)

  • Nonviolent Communication (NVC) – The Engaged Mindfulness Institute

  • Death & Dying Guidance - Sarah House Hospice of Santa Barbara

  • Ongoing Dharma study, practice, and instruction with Sam Bercholz

Reach out!