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.

Are you looking for a new creative way to deal with difficulties in life and get in touch with your best self? Do you feel like you’ve tried everything with your child, but they struggle to benefit from traditional talk therapy? As art therapists, we incorporate talk therapy with art making to help our clients unlock their creative potential, look at problems with fresh eyes, and develop new creative coping skills for managing with difficult emotions. If you or your child is feeling blocked by past trauma, stuck in destructive patterns, or overwhelmed by depression or anxiety, then I encourage you to reach out. You are not alone.

Therapy is a space you carve out with me to reconnect - with yourself, your goals, your life’s meaning, your passion, your creativity, your spiritual path. We all struggle with difficult things at times; they pull us away from who we want to be, or the path we intend to walk in life. I believe relationships are the most important healers we have in our lives – starting with your relationship with yourself! Extending to all your other important and beloved relationships - with family, friends, community, planet, and spirit. No matter where you are, your journey to self-empowerment and joy begins Right Here. I will be there with you.

My framework as a psychotherapist is inspired by black feminist sci-fi writer, Octavia E. Butler who saw the possibility of many more worlds than just our own. I believe that transformative internal healing is critical to envisioning and building these worlds without the presence of imperialism, white supremacy, capitalism and cishet-patriarchy. The tools I use to support the exploration of individual, interpersonal and intergenerational trauma are shaped by abolition that rejects punitive and scarcity mindsets and disability justice which strives to value every body.

My clients are most often dealing with communication concerns, issues of intimacy and complications related to life changes. When traumatic events impact their daily lives, they may seek assistance. Occasionally couples and families experiencing stress in their relationships may need an objective listener and guide to help them figure out how to reestablish balance. With the many demands of life and work, we work together to find pleasure in their families and for parents to reinstate parental authority within the family structure.

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.

Finding the right therapist can be daunting, and for some, it can be the most difficult step. I offer a free 15 minute phone consultation so that you can assess if we are the right fit. I work with teens and adults presenting with concerns such as depression, anxiety, trauma, grief/ loss, chronic health concerns, relationship issues, and life transitions. In our work together we will explore your strengths and root you in them. We will define your values and explore how to live your life in harmony with them. We will also create space for the areas in your life where you want change and navigate the path to get you there.

We often find ourselves and bodies, on the path towards health after overwhelming experiences, trauma, grief or loss. Re-igniting our inner-fire and natural emotional balance can understandably be a challenge. Trauma-informed somatic psychotherapy can help! I take my role as a therapist, one who supports the client On their journey, as a facilitator of a sacred collaboration. I conduct therapy with an intention to process and move trauma (anxiety, depression and grief accompanying it) in order to restore balance between the mind, body, and spirit and reignite the internal fire.

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.

I am interested in working with Individuals, couples, and children. My work focuses on clients dealing with PTSD, trauma (complex and single episodes), anxiety, depression, life transitions, and chronic health issues. Our work together might include mindfully exploring past and present issues and integrating your experience in an inclusive way. We will explore body, mind, and spirit together, all parts of self are welcome.

I'm so glad you have found your way to my therapy practice Creative Wisdom Therapy! My intention is to support you, your teen, or your child use the power of creativity to make the changes you seek. Are you an adult or teen who would like to use your creative expression to learn about yourself, heal old or recurring wounds, and build healthy coping skills? Do you have a child who has lots of worries or big emotions? Is your child struggling with a difficult life event or transition? Are you a parent feeling stressed in your parenting role or experiencing a shift in your family dynamics?

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.

My ideology is inspired by the juxtaposition of American narratives, originating from the Deep South and Urban Midwest. Growing up in a Pro-Black, Christian Baptist home I learned how gender, sexuality, and white supremacy can greatly affect our culture, happiness and well-being. Early exposure to the mental healthcare system taught me that oppression can be as multi-layered and intersectional as the oppressed, and diagnosis will continue to be an act of oppression if it ignores cultural context, societal phobias, and systemic oppression. For a great number, our mental health is a representation of how we survive our social climate.

I help adults and teens looking to become more aware, learn and better themselves. Maybe there is something that needs to shift/change or maybe it is just a growth-oriented process. I have done a lot of my work with people who identify as Trans/Gender Non-Conforming/Nonbinary. Other queer populations who I have a lot of experience helping include couples, polyamorous relationships, the Latinx community, long-term HIV survivors, and gay/Queer men. My work celebrates diverse genders, sexualities and kink identities. My ideal client is open to work in a way that combines talk therapy, yoga/somatic approaches and art-based therapies.

I have been a practicing LCSW for 20 years. I believe that people can change for the better at any time in their lives. Our daily responsibilities often get in the way of us prioritizing our mental health, however there is no better time than now to start your growth journey. I am here to help you. I am very open minded and non judgmental. You can tell me anything and be assured that I will listen with compassion. I worked in healthcare most of my career and specialize in end of life, caregiver compassion fatigue and adjustment issues related to managing chronic illnesses. I also work with tweens, teens and adults of all ages.

I am an ATR-BC and Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and have been licensed for over 5 years and have practiced mostly in California and via telehealth. I have experience working in schools, hospitals, outpatient/ inpatient, residential crisis programs, and fieldwork with many different cultures, seeing adults, children, and families struggling with, mental illness, grief and loss, serious medical/ psychiatric issues, trauma, death/dying, dementia/ Alzheimer’s, personality disorders, and a variety of other issues.

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.