Meet Alyx Duckering, LMFT, based in Los Gatos and throughout California, helping adults and teens untangle trauma, perfectionism, stress, and people pleasing…so you can feel human again, the way you want to.
Ready to trade pressure for peace?
Let’s unravel what’s not working and build something better.
You’re here because the constant pressure to perform has left you feeling numb, exhausted, and disconnected from yourself and the life you want. You’re ready to stop just “getting through” and start truly feeling alive again. Therapy here isn’t about quick fixes; it’s deep work that helps you reconnect with your strengths and helps you feel like you again.
You might think or even say things like:
“I’m running on empty, but stopping feels like failure.”
“Therapy is for people who can’t handle their lives. I should just suck it up.”
“If I show weakness, I’ll lose respect, or worse, my edge.”
“I can’t afford to slow down. If I do, everything will collapse.”
“Feeling this exhausted means I’m broken and maybe I don’t deserve help.”
You’re not broken. You’re just out of alignment with what matters most to you. And no, the answer isn’t necessarily just quitting your job, blowing up your life, and moving to Iceland. Although, Iceland is a pretty cool place to be…especially in Winter.
Anyway, SO, what to do…
This is where our work begins.
We cut through the noise and get real about what’s keeping you trapped in burnout, anxiety, or perfectionism. This isn’t about quick fixes or surface-level pep talks. I take a compassionate and no-BS process where you learn to challenge the lies you’ve been told by others and/or yourself, set manageable boundaries, and rebuild your life on terms that honor both your ambition and your sanity.
Sessions are a judgment-free zone where vulnerability meets accountability, and every step is designed to help you reclaim your energy, focus, and freedom.
Who thrives here:
Driven adults and teens in demanding careers and/or academic programs, competitive athletics, public figurehood and entertainment industry who have been running full throttle for far too long. You feel the weight of expectations crushing your energy and drowning your joy, but you’re not willing to quit or settle for “just okay.” You crave a way to keep chasing your goals without sacrificing your mental health, relationships, or sense of self. If you’re ready to break the cycle of burnout and perfectionism, set boundaries that stick, and build a life that fuels you instead of drains you, you belong here.
I understand the pressure to perform, the instinct to push through, and what happens when achievement starts costing you your sense of self. My background in competitive figure skating and the performing arts, combined with my clinical training, shapes how I help people pursue meaningful goals without sacrificing their well-being.
Therapy That Meets You Where You Actually Are.
You’ve probably read a dozen therapist bios that sound exactly the same: safe space, warm, nonjudgmental. That’s the bare minimum. You’re looking for someone who gets the grind, the inner pressure, the way you hold it all together on the outside while privately falling apart. I don’t just sit back and reflect. I get in the ring with you. I know what it’s like to perform, to perfect, to push yourself past your breaking point. Therapy with me isn’t passive. It’s active, honest, and tailored for people who are tired of pretending everything is fine.
What makes me different is I bring both realness and empathy. I’m not here to force you into a mold or strip away your ambition. Instead, I’m here to help you stop running on autopilot and start making choices that are actually aligned with who you are now. If you’re craving change that’s real, sustainable, and rooted in clarity (not just coping), this is where it starts.
To name a few modalities I integrate into my practice with clients…
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EMDR helps your brain process stuck memories so they don’t keep showing up as anxiety, triggers, or overwhelm. You don’t have to retell every detail–just enough for your brain to do its natural healing work and finally let go.
I am EMDR-trained and currently close to completing certification requirements, and enjoy taking additional advanced trainings to expand my expertise and ability to tailor the work to your needs.
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IFS helps you understand the different “parts” of you–like the overachiever, the inner critic, or the part that just wants to shut down. Instead of trying to get rid of these parts, we get curious, listen to them, and help them work together so you can feel more grounded and whole.
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I use an integrated approach in my work that is grounded in ACT. Rather than trying to “fix” your feelings and “fight” your thoughts, ACT helps you relate to them differently–so they no longer run the show. From that place, you can make choices that feel more aligned with who you really are.
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You shouldn’t have to fall apart to get help. Let’s start before the [next] crash.
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You don’t have to be polished or perform here. You get to be real.
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Keep your drive–ditch the self-destruction that comes with it.
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You’re already enough. Let’s unlearn what told you otherwise.
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We don’t just talk–we shift patterns, behaviors, and the way you live.
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If it feels a little raw, we’re probably right where we need it to be.
How I Got Here
I know what it’s like to live under pressure–to perform through exhaustion, to keep achieving even when your body and mind are begging you to stop. With a background in competitive figure skating and multiple styles of performing arts, I understand the toll of constant performance and perfectionism. I’m also closely connected to the tech, corporate, and startup worlds, where burnout is worn like a badge of honor and self-worth gets measured in productivity. I’ve seen the personal cost of this kind of life up close, and I’ve built my work around helping people break that cycle.
What makes me uniquely equipped to help is the intersection of real-world insight and clinical training. I’m a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist with advanced training in evidence based, experiential approaches (including EMDR, IFS, and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy) designed to treat clients facing trauma, burnout, anxiety, perfectionism, and people pleasing tendencies. I don’t do band-aid therapy. I help you uncover the patterns running your life and build something more honest, grounded, and sustainable in their place. This isn’t about fixing you. It’s about finally letting yourself be you.
Clients describe me as the one person who doesn’t flinch when they finally say the thing they’ve never said out loud. I pick up on what’s not being said, track the patterns they’re too exhausted to name, and help them untangle the chaos without asking them to tone it down or hold it together. In a world where you’re expected to perform, I give you the space and permission to just be messy, honest, and human.
What makes me good at what I do isn’t limited to just education, training or technique. It’s that I get what it means to carry pressure like second skin. I know how to challenge with care, how to go deep without losing direction, and how to hold space that feels solid enough for people who are used to being the strong one. When clients work with me, they don’t have to explain their ambition, their fear, or their burnout. I already speak the language.
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Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist #145814
MS in Clinical/Counseling Psychology from California State University, San Bernardino
Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and minor in Studio Art from Marymount Manhattan College
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EMDR-trained; working towards certification and advanced training in:
Transgenerational transmission of trauma and resources
EMDR in couples therapy
ACT-Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
Internal Family Systems
ADHD/ASD/neurodivergence
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Member of the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists (CAMFT)
Member of the EMDR International Association (EMDRIA)
Ready to feel like yourself again? Let’s talk.
Why “ACT Authentically”?
ACT Authentically is about more than just surviving. It’s about living in alignment with who you really are. The name reflects both my original therapeutic approach (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy) and the deeper goal: helping high-achieving, high-performing adults and teens move through burnout, perfectionism, and disconnection by reclaiming their values, voice, and vitality. It’s not about fixing yourself necessarily. It’s about showing up fully, in your life and relationships, with authenticity and intention.
You deserve support even if on the outside you look put together, so put together that people may not even think to check in on how you’re doing and just assume you’re fine while you indeed could use support.