Therapists in Berkeley, CA

Holistically oriented, I believe we each have wisdom inside waiting to be tapped into, utilized and developed. I provide a supportive and nurturing space where you can discover your capacity to feel alive and whole. I help people develop and enhance their relational skills. I bring a sensitivity and knowledge to the effects of inter generational trauma, societal and cultural realities that may impact one's sense of self and connection to others. I help with self-esteem, co-dependency, surviving/thriving, sexuality, relationships & developing one's intuition. I help and support individuals and couples/relationships.

As a psychotherapist, I act as your collaborator, witness and guide, and bring curiosity and warmth to your exploration. Trauma, past wounding and internalized negative beliefs can make it difficult to know what you need from moment to moment. Therefore, in session, I support you in cultivating self-agency so that you may become familiar with what is right for you at a pace that is both constructive and safe. I am here to help you navigate difficult transitions, past and new traumas, grief and loss, shifts in identity, and a desire to change patterns in relationship on your path towards fulfilling connections to self and others.

My therapeutic approach mainly focuses on helping my clients identify their strengths to help alleviate anxiety, depression, and trauma. I am a firm believer that our childhood experiences contribute to our beliefs, behavioral patterns, and selecting a romantic partner. Therapy is a process! To allow ourselves to be intimate and vulnerable with someone about our experiences and trauma can be daunting. As a therapist, it is my goal to help validate, create a safe environment and help understand aspects of lived experiences.

Do you find yourself struggling with anxiety, depression, grief, self-esteem, identity, and difficult life transitions? Do you find yourself feeling stuck and can’t seem to focus or move forward? There are many ways to get unstuck, and this is the work I love to do to help you heal, grow and live a more fulfilling life. I use an integrative approach including attachment-based work, DBT, CBT, IFS, and mindfulness, bringing in each as needed. Above all, I strive to hold space and empathy for your life experience.

As a long-time practitioner, my way of working has evolved from a more traditional dynamic approach to a deep interest in the bridge between mind/body spiritual traditions and contemporary psychology. I have much varied experience working with both men and women who struggle with the challenges of loneliness and living a conscious, fulfilling and spontaneous life. If you are feeling stressed, or if anxiety or depression have you wrestling with problems that never seem to resolve, perhaps it's time to turn for help to a compassionate and engaged therapist.

Do you sometimes feel like you just need to get over that next hill, but then there is always another hill? Life's journey is a winding trail, with each turn bringing new challenges. Inner conflicts create uncertainty. Yet, you're not alone. Together, we'll navigate the twists of relationships and decisions, forging a path to self-discovery and empowerment. Let's embark on this adventure together.

Healing in therapy begins by finding a therapist who is a good fit. I am glad you found your way to this website to find someone who may be a good fit for you. My areas of focus are helping people who are struggling with anxiety, depression, grief and trauma. These struggles can lead us to feel stuck, frightened, overwhelmed, sad, exhausted. When our attention is drawn to a few strong feelings, a few loud inner voices, and a few number of life choices we feel limited and not fully ourselves.

Regardless of our histories, healing is possible. I know because I have experienced it myself & have accompanied people in untenable conditions deepen their awareness & access what they need to heal. I provide therapy for people who want to transform limiting beliefs & patterns, heal attachment trauma and abuse, navigate relationships & complex families, & take accountability for past harm. I support people to feel compassion for all parts of themselves & live with more resilience and joy. My clients are queer & transgender people, social justice organizers, survivors, people impacted by the legal system, addiction, and/or violence.

I love working with clients who want to be free of ingrained patterns that aren't working, whether from sub-optimal parenting or other experiences. Often these patterns are held in place through painful and threatening feelings stemming from conditioning or our natural dependency on challenged parents. I resource and support clients' present lives, which may mean touching in to what happened to connect to a source of reactivity. Clients who enjoy working with me want more aliveness and freedom, more flow and resilience. They want encouragement & new challenges, and will attend to their experience, unfolding the paths forward.

Do you feel like you’ve lost sight of who you are or what is important to you? Are you going through a transition and feel unsure about this new stage of life? Maybe you are using coping mechanisms that once helped you feel better, but now find they no longer work. When faced with life's changes, it’s easy to feel stuck and unable to take action. Therapy allows you to focus on your own growth, to develop insight about yourself, and to change behaviors that no longer serve you.

Even when we are trying to do everything right, things can feel wrong. If you cope with anxiety or are drowning in a difficult work environment, we will find the specific ways your nervous system grounds. If you struggle with depression, we will knit connection and purpose to heal disconnection. If you carry adult or childhood trauma, I offer evidence-based therapies for recovery. When appropriate, we will soften and shift habits through somatic-based practices. Even if you’ve never been interested in anything “spiritual,” meditation and breathing practices can give a frayed mind/body the experience of sanctuary it needs.

Parenting can be a deeply conflictual experience. Sometimes we agree with Bette Davis who said "If you have never been hated by your child, you have never been a parent." Other times we identify with Anne Lamott's notion that "There really are places in the heart you don't even know exist until you love a child." The seemingly unpredictable alternation of positive and negative feelings that come with raising a family can be painful and bewildering, and our self-esteem as parents suffers most when it becomes difficult to access the good in our closest relationships.

I am a compassionate, interactive, collaborative therapist who works with adult individuals, couples and parents who are facing a major life transition, relationship challenges, depression, anxiety, or self-defeating patterns of behavior. I believe in the healing power of humor and I strive to develop a frame that is profoundly supportive but also challenging, where you will feel free to express your feelings and speak your mind, with meaningful change and growth as our shared goal. My approach is trauma-informed; it integrates attachment theory, dynamic emotion focused therapy, neurobiology, systems, and relational models.

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.

You are about to begin an important journey to explore your struggles, connection with yourself and others, and how you can live in deeper alignment with your values. You might be challenged by your intimate relationships, you may be dealing with a chronic illness, addiction, the loss of a loved one, feeling overwhelmed or stagnant. You might want to cultivate a deeper sense of meaning and purpose in your life. I will work with you on improving your relationship with yourself and others through building insight into your history, integrating therapeutic tools, and deepening your mind-body connection.

I am a family systems psychotherapist working with individuals and families confronting complex mental health, behavioral, substance abuse and relational challenges that often break families apart. I support individuals and families towards finding sustainable solutions that restore trust, connection and peace. My style is relational, warm and direct. Together we seek to uncover roots causes while I use a trauma and attachment informed lens to collaborate with you towards healing and resolution. My formal training and clinical experience lend well to both solution-focused work as well as depthful healing.

There is a crisis of meaning and purpose in our society and far too few communities of support to guide us through the difficulties of modern life. I work with clients using psychodynamic, interpersonal and mindfulness-based approaches to help people move from lives of loneliness and alienation to lives of connection and purpose. Creating a safe and nurturing relationship with my clients is of primary importance in my work.

We are wired to connect, but sometimes our ways of connecting feel counterproductive, even painful. I support clients who are looking to heal their relationships, past or present. This can be healing themselves from trauma, finding ease and satisfaction in current relationships, or to explore new ways of being in relationship. I offer a trauma-informed approach to work with individuals, families and couples, to help them explore patterns that don't work, to process loss and grief, and to find authentic connection.

I believe that the most effective route to change and healing is through self awareness, I strive to work towards that end in all the therapy I do, both with couples and with individuals. I have found that there is no more powerful tool for breaking old patterns and affecting real change than self knowledge. With people who are curious and willing to look inward, I can help them do deep work and find out who they are and why they do the things they do..