Therapists in San Jose, CA

Do you find yourself shut down or suppress your feelings? Do you struggle in relationships due to your trauma? Are you unsure of where you belong? I work with people of all identities to process unresolved feelings due to trauma. I strive to provide you a safe and non-judgmental space, in order for you to develop coping mechanisms for trauma symptoms (anxiety, depression, addiction, etc.) and to explore aspects of yourself. I can help you let go of past HURTS and develop tools to find RELIEF.

Are you struggling with stress, relationship issues, anxiety, depression, or any other mental health issues? You might feel alone, overwhelmed, or helpless dealing with these issues on your own. Want to look for clarity, understanding, support and guidance, and learn about coping skills? You will have a safe space where you can learn more about yourself and others, learn about mental health issues, and improve self-esteem, relationships, and quality of life.

You don't have to feel alone. Whether it's everyday life stressors, relationship problems, a loss of something or someone important, either a positive or negative life transition, experiencing signs and symptoms of depression or anxiety, or just simply feeling overwhelmed and confused, participating in therapy can provide a safe and supportive space to address, unveil, and tackle any and all of these things that we experience in our lives from time to time.

Life presents a multitude of challenges to our capacity to remain grounded and balanced. Additional support can help through stressful and uncertain times. Through the process of therapeutic work, self-discovery can occur in a supportive environment. Whether you are seeking therapy to address anxiety, relationship issues, phase of life changes or depression, I will work collaboratively with you to help facilitate the insight you seek.

Very often we find ourselves having the same arguments all the time in our personal relationships. Sometimes we get hurt like we have never been before and we can’t understand why it hurts so much. Old patterns and unresolved issues can keep us stuck in the same place at times. Never having learned healthy ways of communicating, we do not know how to get the results we want. So many of us go through these challenges at various stages of our lives, with work, personal and professional relationships and raising children. Some of these challenges can seem overwhelming and can drag us down.

Are you a driven person yet having difficulties managing your relationships, work stress, and family life? Are you feeling anxious or depressed? Do you need help getting through a traumatic event? Are you feeling like you’ve exhausted all your coping skills and nothing seems to work? From a trauma informed and attachment-based lens we will explore your core issues and help you improve your mental health and emotional well-being. You can heal from past trauma, learn to regulate your emotions, lift your mood, and communicate effectively. Together we'll work through unresolved feelings and patterns to live a more authentic life now.

[*Sorry, Dr. Miwa no longer takes new Clients]Are you looking to become a better, happier, and healthier person? Are you hoping to gain a deeper understanding and love for yourself and others? Psychotherapy includes improving the quality of your life, self-guidance, and/or managing more serious issues such as depression, anxiety, and chronic stress. As an experienced psychologist, I help you achieve your goals. We attain your emotional alignment, and look at and face truth in you. It may sound a little bit scary and challenging, but together, we can do it. You will fully be authentic to yourself and experience real joy in your life.

My clients are high-achieving creatives or in the tech industry, working for companies such as Meta, Google, Tesla, etc… I make an effort to create a strong therapeutic relationship in a safe, encouraging and supportive environment. From that foundation we might process difficult experiences and establish healthier ways of coping based in mindfulness practices. My clients typically leave sessions feeling a greater sense of freedom with more possible choices in front of them. They are able to access their own inner wisdom, achieving a better understanding of who they are and a clearer direction in where they wish to lead their lives.

Have you been feeling down or unmotivated lately? Feeling lost or couldn't stop worrying? You're definitely not alone. Whether you are feeling depressed, anxious; dealing with breakups, relationship stress, family conflicts, work problems, insomnia, constant self doubt, or aiming to boost confidence/self esteem; therapy may be a good starting point to help you expand your capacity to cope and recover from emotional distress. My work consists of using non-judgmental and collaborative approach to help you establish and develop skills to optimize your ability to overcome a wide range of stressors and concerns.

You are stressed out, and overwhelmed by the fast-paced Bay Area professional hustle. Underneath you wake up with this aching feeling that "you are never good enough." You try to supress, and rationalize this feeling away by checking out, working hard, and distracting yourself from all the stress and anxiety you carry. To deal with all this you disconnect, rationalize, and analyze your feelings. Your partners compain that you are "emotionally unavailable" or "detached." Deep down you can't sit with uncertainty, or your feelings. You realized you NEED to change and need help NOW. You can no longer live like and you would like relief.

Though I work with most issues, I specialize in helping people recover from complex trauma. People with narcissistic, abusive, or neglectful parents or partners sometimes develop issues with trusting themselves, have difficulty maintaining close relationships, struggle with an inner critic, vacillate often between depression and anxiety, lack a solid sense of identity, or feel a sense of emptiness when their lives seem great on paper. Sometimes that trauma can even become part of one's identity - I work with clients to build insight, boundaries, self-compassion, and acceptance to free themselves from it & live more fulfilling lives.

Are you tired of code/persona switching? Maybe there are some underlying behaviors & emotions that don't make sense & you want to learn more? Or maybe you can't seem to connect with someone who actually "gets it", which doesn't mean they're terrible people, because they're endearing when they try, but they just don't seem to fully understand. It's hard trying to navigate life & all it's complexities. As humans, we're multi-faceted, multi-dimensional beings which can be really overwhelming. There are parts that we love, other parts that we dislike, maybe even hate. This can cause to act in self-sabotaging ways, unintentionally.

You have wondered why certain things seem to re-occur in your life. You have tried but things don't seem to change that much. What is triggering these reactions? You seek to gain deeper understanding insights because you want to enjoy these relationships.

Hello! My name is Sara, and I am a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor (LPCC) with over 8 years of experience helping individuals and families in treating a variety of concerns relating to mood (i.e., anxiety, depression), trauma and related stress, relationship conflicts, and life transitions.

I provide personalized, culturally affirming care and attend to all identities at various intersections (BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, disability, etc). I work with clients to acknowledge their strengths, address impacts of culture and oppressive systems on mental health, and build skills rooted in their goals and values. I work with adults experiencing anxiety, perfectionism, burnout, life transitions, depression, grief, insomnia, and trauma. I also work with individuals adjusting to neurocognitive symptoms and family members of loved ones with dementia. Amidst life's toughest moments, finding clarity, connection, and joy is still possible.

I have worked in a variety of settings, including community mental health centers, college counseling centers, hospital clinics, and HMO clinics. Therefore, I have experience working with a diverse range of patient populations and presenting issues. My predoctoral training helped me to assist clients with depression, anxiety, and relationship difficulties. My postdoctoral training focused on trauma work, including sexual assault and child abuse. I welcome a complimentary phone consultation.

Do you find your current relationship(s) disappointing, have trouble keeping relationships or finding one at all? Our patients have concerns about how trauma impacts their daily life. They often report that food feels overwhelming and confusing. We will track and understand the unsettling and yet important feelings you have about yourself, your past, your food intake and your relationships with others. Common topics addressed in session include anxiety, low mood, sleep difficulty, feeling out of control with food, concerns about sex and more. Taking the first step to examine this with us isn't always easy but can be life-altering.

You don't like your current state. You don't like your mood swings, you don't like your insecurity, you don't like that you feel stuck both physically and emotionally now in this pandemic. The world is changing so rapidly and everything is different. You know you're not the only one who's struggling and you want to be more positive, yet it still feels like you're the only one who’s out of place, left behind, and failing. You want to stop feeling this way, you want to change.

Living in today's society can pull you in different directions, making you feel lost, hopeless or overwhelmed. Life's pressures and expectations can leave you feeling like you have little control over your own story. Let's rewrite your narrative together. I offer a safe and judgement-free environment where you can explore your identity, reclaim your agency, and become the author of your unique narrative. I also aim to support you in acknowledging systems of oppression and other sociocultural factors of a presenting concern in order to separate you from the problem and work towards depathologizing you mental health.