John Coyne, PsyD

Health Psychologist in San Anselmo & Corte Madera, CA or Telehealth 

Licensed Psychologist Specializing in Health Psychology for Chronic Illness, Anxiety, Trauma, Depression, Caregiver Stress, Life Transitions, Loss and Grief.

My Background

My path to becoming a psychologist began with my own healing journey through chronic illness — an experience that shaped both my clinical approach and my deep understanding of what it means to navigate health challenges from the inside.

I hold a doctorate in clinical psychology and a master's degree in somatic psychology, and I bring over 30 years of experience to my work with clients. Before establishing my private practice in Corte Madera, I spent 20 years embedded in medical settings — working on interdisciplinary teams alongside physicians, specialists, and rehabilitation providers in hospitals, rehab centers, and primary care. That foundation as a Health Psychologist gives me a perspective that's relatively rare in outpatient therapy.

Over the course of my career I've provided thousands of hours of therapy to people coping with:

  • Chronic illness and health anxiety

  • Chronic pain

  • Depression and anxiety

  • Post-traumatic stress (PTSD)

  • Caregiver stress and burnout

  • Life transitions

  • Grief and loss

If any of these resonate with what you're facing, I'd welcome the opportunity to connect.

My Approach

My work is practical and solution-focused, grounded in evidence-based methods that are well-matched to the concerns I treat — particularly chronic illness, pain, trauma, and the stress that accumulates in both mind and body.

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) Rather than fighting your thoughts and feelings, ACT helps you loosen their grip — so you can move toward the life you actually want, even in the presence of difficulty. It's one of the most well-researched approaches for chronic pain, health anxiety, and depression.

Motivational Interviewing Change is hard, and it rarely sticks when it feels imposed from the outside. Motivational Interviewing helps you identify your own reasons to change — because internally-driven motivation is the kind that lasts.

Mindfulness-Based Therapy Mindfulness teaches you to meet the present moment with curiosity instead of judgment. Over time, this shifts how you relate to pain, stress, and difficult emotions — moving from automatic reaction to intentional response.

Somatic Psychology The body and mind are not separate systems. Somatic psychology works directly with the nervous system, recognizing that chronic stress, trauma, and illness are held in the body — and that lasting healing often has to begin there.

What Is Health Psychology?

Health psychology sits at the intersection of mental and physical health — working with the well-established understanding that thoughts, emotions, behaviors, and stress don't just affect how we feel emotionally, but how we get sick, recover, and manage illness over time.

The Mind-Body Connection Health psychology is built on the recognition that mind and body are not separate systems. Psychological factors — including depression, anxiety, trauma, and coping patterns — meaningfully influence disease onset, progression, and recovery. Stress, in particular, activates physiological systems in ways that have measurable effects on immune function, pain perception, and healing.

What Health Psychologists Address Health psychologists work with a wide range of concerns at the intersection of psychology and medicine, including:

  • Adjusting to a new diagnosis or chronic condition (diabetes, heart disease, cancer, chronic pain, autoimmune disorders)

  • Health anxiety and illness-related fear

  • The psychological impact of chronic pain

  • Caregiver stress and burnout

  • Behavior change tied directly to health outcomes — sleep, diet, exercise, smoking cessation

  • Depression and anxiety secondary to medical conditions

  • Grief, loss, and end-of-life decision-making

  • Life transitions brought on by illness or physical limitation

Integrated Care Health psychologists frequently work alongside physicians, specialists, and other medical providers — bringing psychological expertise into settings where physical and emotional health can't be meaningfully separated. This integrated approach is especially valuable for conditions that don't respond to medical treatment alone.