PRESENSE Therapy

Clifford Delaney is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in private practice with a focus on serving under-represented populations. His work history in mental health began with Youth & Family Services programs supporting school age youth of uninsured families, teenage youth in residential living milieu, young adults 18-24 y/o (includes parents with children) in transitional living. He rendered 9yrs of adult services in Alcohol & Other Drug (AOD) treatment programs supporting individuals suffering from addiction/co-occurring disorders. Clifford integrates client centered, family systems, strength based, and goal-oriented approaches to develop a unique model he calls PRESENSE Therapy. The elements of the model are: Listen with Empathy (emotional connection), Affirm (acknowledge storyteller’s reality as truth), Self-efficacy (noted by storyteller), and Evoke (presence). Clifford believes, “people want to tell their story; if they talk long enough, they eventually talk about what ‘they could do’ as an expression of hope” Clifford graduated with honors from San Diego State University with a BA in Religious Studies and Bethel University/Bethel Seminary in San Diego, CA with a MA in Marital and Family Therapy. His is a member of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy and California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists. Clifford lives in San Diego with his wife and enjoys cooking and long drives through the beach cities of the California coast. Clifford’s favorite quote: “At the end of the day, we can endure much more than we think we can.” Frida Kahlo