About Bruce Hearn, LMFT

If you’re considering working with me, it makes sense to want a feel for who I am and how I approach therapy.

Finding the right therapist isn’t just about qualifications. It’s also about whether you feel comfortable enough to speak openly and whether the conversation feels useful.

My approach to therapy

I work with adults and couples who want to understand what keeps them feeling anxious, disconnected, or stuck. That might mean looking at a harsh inner critic, a recurring relationship difficulty, or uncertainty about what you want from the next stage of life.

I’m interested in how you make sense of your experience and how earlier relationships may shape what you expect of yourself and others. We’ll connect that understanding with the situations you face now, including the choices, conversations, and feelings that are difficult to navigate.

What it’s like to work with me

Our work together is conversational and collaborative. I’ll ask questions, share observations, and help us look more closely when something seems important. You can tell me when an observation doesn’t fit or when you want to take a different direction.

With individuals, we may explore how worry, self-criticism, or familiar ways of relating affect daily life. With couples, I help slow down difficult exchanges so each partner can describe their experience and hear the other more clearly.

I aim to work at a pace that allows for honest reflection and room to try something different. We’ll talk about what you hope to change and what feels useful as we go.

Background

Before becoming a therapist, I spent many years working as a software engineer.

Over time, I found myself drawn more and more toward understanding people, especially how emotions and relationships work, and why they can be so challenging.

That led me to return to school and train as a therapist at the Wright Institute in Berkeley. 

My clinical training included work with teens, college students, adults, and couples, as well as experience in crisis support settings.

I have been licensed as a Marriage and Family Therapist in California since 2014 (LMFT #79269). My work focuses on individuals and couples navigating relationships, emotional patterns, and life transitions.

My training has emphasized how relationships and early experiences shape emotional life. It includes Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) for couples. These perspectives inform my work, which I adapt to the people and concerns in front of me.

Professional Affiliations and Profiles

You can verify my California license and view my professional and therapist-directory profiles here:

• California Board of Behavioral Sciences license verification (LMFT #79269)

• Northern California Community of Emotionally Focused Therapists (NCCEFT)

• Counseling California

• Psychology Today

• TherapyDen

Who I Often Work With

I work with individuals and couples dealing with relationship challenges, stress, and a sense of feeling stuck or disconnected.

Many of the people I work with:

• are thoughtful and capable, but feel something isn’t working

• are navigating relationship difficulties or life transitions

• feel like they don’t quite fit in, in some way

This can include people who:

• grew up feeling different or misunderstood

• have experienced anxiety, low self-esteem, or early relational challenges

• are navigating identity, culture, or belonging

My longstanding work with men has informed how I think about self-reliance, emotional expression, and closeness. I bring that experience to my work with adults of all genders, while staying curious about what these questions mean for each person.

In 2026, I founded PracticeRunner, a practice management platform designed for therapists. It grew from my interest in creating practical technology that supports clinical work and makes therapy practices easier for clients to navigate.

A Personal Note

Being in a long-term relationship and a parent myself has shaped my understanding of the daily work of staying connected.

It hasn’t always been straightforward.

That personal experience continues to shape how I think about therapy: with a respect for how complex relationships can be, and how much patience and understanding real change requires.

International Perspective

I grew up in the UK and have lived in different parts of the U.S., as well as spending time in Australia and traveling extensively.

Those experiences inform how I think about culture, identity, belonging, and feeling at home in relationships and in life.