Therapists in Oakland, CA

My approach to counseling begins with careful listening to understand your unique situation and personal goals. I will listen without judging you or rushing to a quick fix that might not be applicable for your specific situation. Many of my clients enter counseling feeling alone or overwhelmed by feelings of sadness, anxiety, anger, or stress. They may feel stuck in painful relationships that aren't working, or stuck with intense feelings of hopelessness, helplessness, dread, or inner pain. My treatment approach is gentle, educational, and experiential.

Have you recently experienced a traumatic loss and are feeling lost and overwhelmed with grief? Are you in the midst of a major life transition with your career or relationship? Perhaps you are an artist experiencing a creative block? Art Therapy may be the answer for your or your teen. As an Art Therapist, I specialize in guiding clients through grief and loss, life transitions, trauma, anxiety, depression, ADHD, and blocks in creativity and self exploration. I help my clients to harness the power of creativity to deepen emotional exploration and uncover feelings that may be challenging to otherwise articulate with words.

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.

I am a queer artist, activist and therapist. I believe deeply in healing, and my practice as a therapist is one way I use my own healing journey to inform and create space for others to explore theirs. I seek to center my work on empowering and supporting people in the LGBTQIA+ community navigating all the emotional work it takes to exist in an oppressive culture - anxiety, depression, relationships, sex, gender, substance use, family, housing, employment, etc. Whether directly or indirectly through my practice, I also work to uplift and center the empowerment of queer, trans*, Black, indigenous and people of color (QTBIPOC).

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.

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.

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.

Lauren Chester (she/they) is a registered and board-certified art therapist (ATR-BC) who is passionate about cultivating environments where people can practice sharing their whole selves. Lauren believes in the process of art as a conduit for communication and expression and is passionate about the use of art to encourage meaningful conversations. Lauren’s practice of Art Therapy has been heavily influenced by the Disability Justice and Healing Justice movements and is non-hierarchical, co-creative, and gender-affirming.

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.

Whatever you're struggling with, it can be really helpful to have someone by your side to figure it out. Together we can bring awareness to your patterns, emotional experience, and relational issues in order to give you more agency and empowerment. That is what therapy is to me- I believe you are the expert in your own life, and I am there to support you. My ideal client is anyone who is motivated to explore their inner world and connect to their sense of self through depth work and creative means.

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.

I am a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist who works with adults, adolescents, and couples. I enjoy spending quality time with friends and family, comedy, theatre, film making, creative writing, improvisation, nature, traveling, film and television, documentaries, dancing and making art of all kinds. I graduated from the High School for Performing and Visual Arts in Houston, Texas. In college I studied theatre, documentary film and creative writing. I have a BA from Columbia College Chicago.

I specialize in working with queer, gay, bisexual, & transgender adults & adolescents in California. I am most passionate about providing advocacy for cultural and economic diversity in our community and serving LGBTQ+ people experiencing depression, anxiety, and PTSD. Engaging in therapy is more important than ever especially in response to our current political climate and recent backlash of conservative values showing incredible disrespect toward the LGBTQ+ community and throwing extra stress at immigrant populations and communities of Color.

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 create a safe holding space where people can deeply explore what is blocking them from enjoying their lives to the fullest. I focus on authentic connection and empathy to build trusting therapeudic relationships. I enjoy working with teens, young adults, and adults. If you are struggling to recover from DID, complex trauma, single traumas, low self-esteem, depression, anxiety, eating disorders, or bipolar disorder, I am here to help.

My name is Fabiola, I am an LMFT. I work with those who are experiencing difficulty completing day-to-day tasks as a result of trauma or loss. Losing a loved one can be such a devastating event in our lives. I utilize art, and mindfulness, and make an attempt to emphasize the client’s strengths in order to bring healing. I also utilize E.M.D.R. to decrease the client’s distressing symptoms to increase coping. Life is a unique journey for each of us there are times in our lives when we may experience painful events and feel alone. It is helpful to reach out for support and help to not walk through those experiences alone.

My specialty is utilizing expressive arts in the therapy space, which can include a variety of art forms, such as visual arts (drawing, painting, collaging), poetry, lyric writing, music, and movement. The arts provide an outlet for freedom of expression, shed light into one’s experience and bring confidence to our presences. Whether clients prefer talk-therapy or other creative avenues to support their process, I am committed to meeting my clients wherever they are on their therapeutic journey, while remaining curious, creative, collaborative, culturally humble, and strengths-based.