Therapists in Oakland, CA

Are you sensing a budding awareness in yourself of difficult patterns in your life that you wish to transform and grow through? It would be an honor to support you on your healing journey. I’m a therapist with a trauma-informed, client-centered lens and I utilize various creative modalities to help my clients experience greater insight, self-love, and balance in their lives. Some of the tools I use are art therapy, narrative therapy, meditation, dance movement therapy, as well somatic and sensory interventions. I also have training in SE, ACT, DBT, and CBT and these modalities influence my eclectic therapeutic technique.

I believe every person and family is unique and there are many ways to raise a healthy child. I want to honor the strengths within you and your family and offer the tools and support to help your child and family thrive. Through a trauma-informed lens, I work extensively with youth, parents, and families on life transitions, healthy communication, and processing/ healing from grief or abuse.

Children and teens are more aware of their own internal states and the world around them than ever before, while the family unit takes on more stress. This combination can create anxiety, depression, acting out behaviors, confusion, and educational struggles for many. Through a strength-based perspective I focus on communication, relationships, boundaries, and self-care. I work with youth (and families) to explore their patterns of interactions with others and encourage self-awareness and growth in these areas. Developing a relationship with a child or teen takes time and care, both of which I have done for nearly twenty years.

I am a licensed child psychologist with extensive experience in providing therapeutic services to children, adolescents, emerging adults, and families. My specialization lies in helping clients navigate through various challenges such as anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, peer and family stress, learning, behavioral and attention difficulties, life transitions, trauma, separation, self-harm, and suicidal thoughts. Additionally, I offer guidance to parents, helping them understand their children's challenges and strengths more deeply, enhance family communication and connection, and learn effective parenting and coping skills.

Do you find yourself at a crossroads or yearning for more? You may be at a breaking point or you may want to make some changes and you don't know where to start. I will ensure a safe and warm environment for exploration. We will move at a pace comfortable for you. Taking the leap of faith into therapy takes courage. We will engage in a process of empowerment to help you feel more centered & grounded in yourself. I work with individuals, couples, children, & families. I am here to listen, empathize & deepen your self-understanding . We will take a look at your inner longings and the parts of your life which may not be serving you.

Is your child struggling at school? Are you struggling at work? Perhaps a learning disability or ADHD are to blame? As a school psychologist in the public schools since 2011, I have extensive experience conducting psycho-educational assessments to identify impediments to learning. I can also screen for Irlen syndrome, a visual perceptual difficulty that can make reading hard. If your child is struggling emotionally, I offer play therapy, talk therapy, and art therapy, depending on age and inclination. For parents, I offer practical advice combined with an understanding of the special education process.

**Accepting New Clients** Feel cared for and heard, experience a safe and authentic connection, find clarity, heal from a past or more recent traumatic event. As a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, Provisional Art Therapist and Mindfulness-based Practitioner, I offer a person-centered, strength-based holistic approach to healing. In addition to traditional talk therapy, I work with the creative mind, this work includes art and expressive mediums to understand how our earliest experiences in life create the implicit, behavioral patterns that we can potentially carry with us for a lifetime.

If you are reading this, you have chosen to take the first step to healing. This decision is a demonstration of your resiliency, strength, and courage to be vulnerable, something to be immensely proud of. My therapeutic approach in working with individuals and couples is integrative. I recognize that no two persons are the same and that each person requires a treatment plan that is adapted to meet their needs. I recognize that experiences of trauma and pain are two unavoidable life experiences. However, I believe that there is a resiliency and strength inside each individual that supports a path of healing.

I want to support my clients in feeling whole. This can mean learning how to safely unmask your Autism or ADHD, healing traumas old & new, setting healthy boundaries, strengthening communication with partners, learning new ways to approach challenges without shame, or bringing compassion to chronically ill bodyminds. I specialize in working with neurodivergant people and couples. My young clients enjoy my playful interventions that help them feel confident and proud of being uniquely themselves. My adult clients are relived to tackle challenges without shame and ableism.

Your body is always communicating information to you, and your emotions are the messenger. Maybe it's the consistent feeling of overwhelm, or the throws of depression. Maybe you are experiencing physical pain as a result of emotional pain. Whatever it is, I believe in the wisdom of your body and I want to help you become an expert at your own body language so that you can have more autonomy over your life.

As a therapist, I bring a wealth of multicultural knowledge and experience to the table, ensuring you receive professional services built on respect and trust. Let’s bust the myth together: therapy isn’t just for those who’ve faced trauma. Whether you’re seeking clarity, a self-esteem boost, or solutions to life’s challenges, talking with a therapist can be life-changing!

My work with every client and family is personalized, trauma-informed, rooted in strengths, collaborative, neurodiversity-affirming, and culturally tailored to your needs and experiences. I believe that each client possesses the intergenerational heirlooms of innate resilience, spirituality, and introspection that serve as tools to assist in your healing journey. You are the expert of your experience and I am here to offer hope and support you as you share your narrative and author a new chapter of healing, continuing to grow into your best self, discovering balance, serenity, joy, and connecting with yourself and surroundings.

I am passionate about working with those who struggle with relationships and boundary setting, and clients who struggle with balancing differing sets of expectations due to cultural, physical, or mental factors. I also work with couples from differing backgrounds to deepen mutual understanding and couples struggling through a difficult phase in their relationship looking to increase communication and understanding. I work well with people from diverse cultural backgrounds, immigrant and first and second generation individuals and families, mixed race or multicultural individuals, and those who are struggling with chronic illness.

I specialize in working with young people and the LGBTQIA community. My professional background in education, clowning, and physical theater deeply informs my work. Using embodied play alongside talk therapy, I find that my clients are able to access expression, relief, and growth. This type of work is useful for kids experiencing anxiety, school and family challenges, and struggling with self esteem. It is also useful for LGBTQIA people to become more deeply in touch with their identities, using a creative lens. I am committed to meeting clients where they are at to develop a space for creative healing.

Selecting the right therapist is essential- here is some information about me and my practice to help inform your decision. I am a licensed clinical psychologist with over 15 years of experience working with children and adolescents. I work collaboratively with parents in creation of goals and throughout the course of treatment. Through play I help children to; express difficult feelings, resolve internal conflicts, learn adaptive ways to cope, and to develop resiliency. I offer free phone consultations in order to help determine if I am the right therapist for your child.

I use a warm, down-to-earth approach in my work with children, teens, adults and couples. I collaborate with clients to develop a whole view of challenges and strengths, which is informed by my wide breadth of clinical experience across the lifespan. I have expertise in working with infants and parents, developmental disabilities, trauma, and both anticipated and unexpected crises across all ages. I integrate these perspectives so that I can attune to your needs and provide responsive support. My hope is to help you water the seeds of your inner strengths, push through stuck situations, and live with more connectedness and vitality.

Are you concerned about your child’s behavior? Are you struggling to understand what is happening for your child? Are you finding parenting overwhelming? I work with children and parents to help them make meaning of life’s challenges and work with children and parents, both individually and together. I bring more than twenty years of experience providing therapy, consultation, and assessments with children and their families to my clinical practice. I have experience working with children and families around many issues including, loss, attachment, adoption, anxiety, depression, atypical development, learning differences and trauma.

All people deserve to experience safety within their minds and bodies however due to overwhelming and difficult experiences this does not always feel achievable. I seek to create a caring, non-judgmental, and trustworthy relationship with you where we can process your past and present experiences and develop skills that will enhance a sense of calm within your thoughts and body.

Therapy provides such a rich opportunity for growth and learning, helping persons to recover from the aftermaths of trauma, abuse and loss, meet the hardships of their lives and thrive. In times like this, with so much anxiety about our collective welfare, it can be an invaluable lifeline. In response to the Coronavirus, also known as COVID-19, we are now offering teletherapy (therapy by phone and online by video) for all our clients, whether new or established. Also called telehealth or telebehavioral health, teletherapy can provide vital care and support to individuals, couples and families.