Elaine Tannous, LMFT

I’m Elaine, a bilingual Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, clinical supervisor and mental health trainer, passionate about helping individuals and families heal, grow, and honor their unique stories.

For over a decade, I’ve had the privilege of walking alongside people as they navigate life’s complexities. My curiosity about how we relate, communicate, and make meaning was first shaped by my experience as a first-generation, multi-ethnic person growing up in the US—constantly observing, code-switching, and adapting to different environments. This perspective, along with a genuine passion for helping others, inspired me to become a therapist. I enjoy collaborating with clients to connect the dots in their stories—whether personal, familial, or communal—to uncover beliefs, patterns, and areas of focus that help you break down barriers and live a more grounded, full, and authentic life.

As a Palestinian and Salvadoran child of immigrants, born and raised in the Bay Area (Ohlone territory), I am passionate about supporting other first-generation and (im)migrant, BIPOC individuals and families. I’m here for those seeking to improve their day-to-day well-being, carry forward intergenerational strengths, and break cycles of trauma—to ultimately create a healthier collective. I’ve experienced firsthand how therapy can make a difference in these journeys, and I’m excited to support you in yours.

I grew up with Spanish, Arabic, and English spoken at home, and offer therapy in English and Spanish. Though I am still working on my Arabic, if your teta (or elder) yelled it at you, mine yelled it at me too. I’ll understand 🙂

In our work together, you can expect me to:

• Create a non-judgmental, validating space where you can show up exactly as you are.

• Act with warmth, bring in humor, and witness with deep empathy.

• Draw from a variety of therapeutic approaches to meet you/your family’s unique needs and goals.

• Support you and your family in navigating seemingly competing value systems to find harmony and connectedness.

• Highlight your strength and agency.

• Explore power structures and how they impact you/have impacted your lineage- the challenges and abilities they have created in everyday living/mental health.

• Be open and transparent about how I protect your information/privacy. Especially for people with various documentation statuses, LGBTQ+ folks, organizers, and others who may be targeted by systems.

• Hold hope. For you, your family, and community, for a more healed life.

What I won’t do:

• Hold you or your family to Western/white-supremacist standards.

• Tell you you can deep breathe your way out of oppression.

• Recommend a weekend retreat to self-care your way out of chronic stress or burnout.

• Think of you/your family in a vacuum.

My clinical experience has primarily focused on providing bilingual (Spanish/English) therapy services and mental health training/consultation in community mental health settings, largely with Latine and (im)migrant communities. I was a post-graduate fellow at the UCSF Child Trauma Research Program, where I became a rostered provider of Child-Parent Psychotherapy, an intensive, evidence-based therapy for young children (birth to approx age 5) and their caregivers to heal from trauma, stress, or mental health challenges. I earned my MA in Marriage and Family Therapy from the California School of Professional Psychology (operated under the Alliant International University umbrella), and have a BA in Interpersonal and Organizational Communications from Cal State, Long Beach.

To learn more about my offerings, visit my website at www.elainetannous.com. Or to connect and see if I’m a good fit for you, reach out to book a free 20-minute consultation.

I look forward to meeting you and supporting you in this phase of your journey!

Elaine Tannous, LMFT