Lovie Bucknell, LMFT

Founder and Clinical Director
Licensed Marriage Family Therapist # 104497

I founded Kindred Heart in 2020, and it has been an honor to watch us grow and serve more children and families across California with trauma-informed, evidence-based therapy.  I fully believe in our two-fold mission: to provide therapy to those who would not be able to afford it otherwise, while supporting the growth of clinicians through extensive training, supervision, and an authentic work-family environment. I am passionate about the golden rule of nonmaleficence,  a core ethical principle in healthcare, often summarized as "first, do no harm."  It obligates professionals to act in ways that avoid, prevent, or minimize harm, whether intentional or unintentional, and to prioritize safety and risk management.  Every day I learn so much from clinicians and our clients and I am so grateful to witness such growth. 

 I approach my clients with authenticity, non-judgement, curiosity and compassion. The issues that I am honored to support clients with include: depression; anxiety; working through trauma with EMDR and brainspotting; grief/loss; major life transitions; self-discovery; exploring/cultivating creativity; exploring cultural identities; creating satisfying relationships; and understanding and resolving conflicts in family relationships. I integrate various theories and approaches based on your particular goals. Our work together can be exploratory or action oriented: focusing on the past, the present or the future; long or short term.

I earned a Bachelor's Degree in Psychology and Minor in Dance from University of Oregon in 1997 and completed my Masters in Marriage and Family Therapy from San Diego University for Integrative Studies in 2013.  I have experience working with children, teens, families, couples and elderly persons in our community from: Reach Counseling/ Northern California Abuse Treatment,  Mountain Valley Children and Family Services, Nevada County Children's Behavioral Health and The Nevada County Crisis Stabilization Unit, which I managed for my 5th year there.  Before this, I owned a record store from 1999-2006 and promoted various musical acts. My first non-profit organization was a dance company from 2000-2012 called The Movement Alliance. I have also enjoyed teaching various dance forms at Sierra Community College since 1999.  

We have such an amazing team.  It is wonderful to look forward to going to work each day!