Therapists in Berkeley, CA

I work with couples and individuals struggling with a variety of relationship and communication issues. I have successfully treated clients with depression, anxiety, phobias, and low self-esteem. Clients that are looking for more aliveness in themselves and their relationships will be served well by what I offer.

My name is Alex and I'm excited about the potential of working with you in developing a sense of integration and resiliency in your life. Are you feeling stuck? Dissatisfied in your relationships and/or work? Disconnected from a sense of deeper purpose? Feel that there is the potential for greater richness and joy in life, but it is just out of reach? Rooted in a compassionate curiosity and from a holistic lens, we can unpack the how's and why's of your patterns; gaining insight into your emotions and experiences, and work towards greater self-awareness and well-being.

Feeling anxious, overwhelmed, frustrated, or stuck? I can help you find ways to cope with uncomfortable feelings so that you can feel more balance in your daily life and more fulfilling relationships and experiences. Many of us rely on friends and family to help us work through problems, but sometimes our friends or family are part of the problem itself. Or maybe we just don't feel comfortable talking about certain issues with them. Oftentimes we withdraw from our support systems and end up feeling more and more alone.

Creativity can be foundational to positive and longstanding change. We come into the world with an innate skill to solve the many problems that arise during development. Sometimes these solutions bring up new challenges or get in the way of our relationships and our ability to enjoy life. I work with children, adults, elders, and couples who are struggling to adapt to a stressful world. By developing a trusting relationship where exploration is welcomed and analyzed, we are able to find new ways of functioning, new solutions to our interpersonal conflicts, and improve our ability to flexibly adapt to our changing world.

Seasoned licensed psychologist with a cognitive behavioral brief psychotherapy theoretical orientation. I serve as a mirror to our community and specialize in trauma, stress management, chemical dependency, domestic violence and family systems. Bienvenidos a mi practica. Somos un cucharon para servir al pueblo. Sirvo como espejo para ayudarle encontrar tu destino.

I support my clients in three key areas: (1) effectively navigating career and workplace challenges; (2) improving their confidence and self-esteem; and (3) enhancing their relationships. As both a therapist and executive coach for 20+ years, I've intensively studied many approaches to psychotherapy and human development to be as helpful and effective as I can. Which of these approaches we'd use will depend on your unique needs and what we decide together best fits for you. I’m focused on significant progress in the short term and even more change and development over time. My approach overall is warm, accepting and personal.

Do you know what you want? Do you want to be free? Happy? Relaxed in your body? Content? Passionate and sexy? Courageous in the face of fear? More connected to your partner or to the Divine? How do you get in the way of living the life you want? Do you constantly judge yourself? Noticing all the ways you "fail" to live up to way you "should" be. Or do you tend to direct that criticism outwards? Blaming others, feeling envy, or always waiting for external circumstances to line up just right so you can finally live how you want.

Would you like to know yourself better and more deeply? To be able to move beyond painful and frustrating patterns in your feelings, relationships, and work? Sometimes it's clear why we feel and act how we do: ecstatic about a new romance, upset about a professional disappointment, awash with grief following the loss of a loved one. Other times feelings and behaviors may surprise you—a nagging anxiety, a lingering sadness, memories of past experiences that you thought you'd left behind, a sense that your relationship with a partner could be deeper, that work could be more fulfilling even as you have success along the way.

You love this person and want to believe they love you too. Yet seemingly small and insignificant issues explode into verbal attacks and defensiveness that escalates to questioning if the relationship is worth it. You’re left feeling resentful, lonely, confused, and frustrated. The hardest part? After months or years of making up and recommitting to each other, not much has changed. While apologies and time seem to help, the same pattern continues to happen- only under different circumstances. The love is there and all you want is a healthy relationship. My passion is supporting couples and families to get to where they want to be.

Chances are you feel some dissatisfaction with the things or people in your life. Maybe you feel overwhelmed and stuck, frustrated in your relationships or worried about the future. Maybe you already have some ideas about what things you'd like to be different. I will support you to make changes by helping you make the necessary contact with parts of yourself that influence the way you think, feel and act. In our sessions I will help you discover in a more full way what might be holding you back from having the life you want. We will explore your thoughts and feelings in the moment, which can lead to profound healing and change.

The essence of effective psychotherapy is found in the therapist's understanding, empathy and caring for you. Trust in our relationship develops from that foundation. My primary commitment to you is to help you grow in self-awareness and self-empowerment, and to help you take the necessary actions that will actualize your growth and development in the world. If you struggle with feelings of fear, shame, helplessness, worthlessness and anger; traumatic emotional, physical and sexual experience; challenges in relationship; dysfunctional behaviors; unfulfilled aspirations; questions about your life's meaning; and physical illness and aging, I can help you.

I welcome the opportunity to help professionals work through difficulties in personal, familial and professional challenges, including dealing with major crises and transitions. My education (Yale, UC Berkeley) and decades of experience have prepared me to help diverse individuals cope with a wide array of problems. I'm now working exclusively via video sessions. I have extensive expertise working with healthcare workers, including psychotherapists. My work with you might be short-term, or it may evolve into ongoing work if that is warranted.

I create an experience tailored to your individualized needs and goals. Instead of sticking to a template, we’ll identify how to ensure you feel most comfortable expressing yourself. Therapy can deepen your awareness—which could mean welcoming back parts that you feel disconnected from, discovering new thoughts or ideas, or working with feelings that don’t seem to fit easily in your day-to-day life. As a result, you’ll start to better understand the unique factors that influence your relationships and behaviors: your strengths, values, intuition, and emotions. With new perspectives, you can prepare to live with greater authenticity.

Hello, and thanks for viewing my profile. Asking for help can be difficult, and finding a good fit in searching for a therapist is essential. Therapy can help us deepen both our understanding of the problems we face and our agency in addressing them. My job is to push you to think critically about your concerns, to live with deeper meaning and purpose, and to find complexity and richness in your lived experiences. In addition to private practice work, I hold a clinical position at UC-Berkeley, and work as the liaison to the Cal Athletics Department and the Golden State Warriors.

Confidence and connection are the key ingredients for a meaningful life, but they can be compromised in times of stress or transition. The foundations of the past, once familiar and secure, are shaken. Anxieties encroach. Connections are lost. Yet, I believe that despite the pain and difficulty of these phases, there is immense potential for positive change and personal growth. Helping you discover that potential is what I love most about my work, so I encourage you to reach out to me to get started today. You can email me at vanpeltcounseling@gmail.com or text me at 510-859-4448 to set up a free consultation. I will respond ASAP.

What brings you here? If you are scrolling through these pages, you are likely looking for support, either for yourself or someone you care about. While it is easier now to find psychological support, finding the right person to work with is as important as ever. While working with me you will be received in a warm, non-judgmental, and curiosity filled environment. While considering what brought you into therapy, we will reflect on the circumstances contributing to where you are today. Our focus will be on integrating what has been in order to develop into what can be.

Healing happens in connection with others. What is shareable is bearable. I am a biracial, multicultural Oakland native. I know what it feels like to navigate the "in-between." I work with a diverse range of clients, adults and teens, and seek to reduce stigma around reaching out for support. I can help you to understand your challenges within the unique, social context of your life. I encourage self-reflection, making connections, and having your own "A-ha!" moments through our work together.

Hi, I'm Dave :) I want to help you feel more connected with yourself and those around you. I'm an Indian-American therapist skilled in helping people move through trauma, anxiety, depression, grief, relationship/family concerns, and school/career issues.

Licensed in CA & WI. I specialize in gender/sexual identity, faith/religious deconstruction and worldview shifts, religious/spiritual trauma, and recovery from Purity Culture/building a positive relationship with sexuality, and I am in training to become an AASECT-certified sex therapist. I approach therapy from a relational, psychodynamic perspective, which means bringing a lens of curiosity and self-compassion to better understand the patterns that shape emotions, thoughts, and behavior and how these things have been shaped by our experiences and history.