Therapists in Oakland, CA

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.

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.

I am passionate about providing trauma-informed and dynamic treatment to folx who may feel unwelcome in their communities due to both internal and external perceptions of their identity. My passion is working with queer folx of color to foster a healing and reparative experience to discover and be empowered in your authentic self. Whether you're looking for a space of your own, for you and your partner(s) or chosen family, our work together can allow for deeper understanding, openness and communication.

I specialize in marital and premarital couple therapy, ADHD and anxiety. If anxiety, focusing or planning things are affecting your relationship, I can help. As you struggle, you know something needs to change. You're tired of avoiding or obsessing about dealing with these issues. You notice it's affecting your mental health and want to find new ways to manage it. You know your mood and stress levels affect your mental health and all parts of life. With ADHD, supports are so key for balance. You've struggled long enough and ready to make changes to feel better about them. If this is you, I can help and welcome you to reach out.

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.

Are you feeling anxious or down? Are you unsure about the future of a relationship, or wondering why you find yourself repeating the same patterns and behaviors? Therapy is a collaborative process of self-discovery and personal growth. I focus on helping my clients through the development of greater self-understanding, self-awareness and self-acceptance. I want to support you to make the changes you desire, and to live your life to the fullest. I treat a wide range of clinical issues and invite clients of diverse identities and backgrounds into my therapy practice.

I specialize in helping individuals who experience chronic stress, anxiety, depression, trauma, and interpersonal/ inter-familial conflicts. My aim is to support you in a safe and non-judgmental container, where we can explore the roots of your issues, as well as provide you skills which can help to alleviate any symptoms/ conflicts you may have. I believe that you are the expert of your story and hold a space that is of compassion and unconditional positive regard. I also offer online ketamine-assisted psychotherapy, when indicated for various diagnoses that may have been treatment-resistant with traditional forms of talk therapy.

My passion and dedication to this work lies in that asking for help is not a sign of weakness. Everyone at some point in their life has had some frictions or challenges and need support to get through those times. I work experientially and relationally. Welcoming clients to tell their stories, histories, and important aspects of life.

Anyone who is currently struggling with emotional pain and wanting to change, is my ideal client. I am here to guide you through a journey into your mind and heart, to help you face your greatest fears, and discover your unimaginable strength. Out of the ashes, rises the phoenix and out of a personal crisis, comes tremendous growth and healing. Whether you are dealing with mood swings, depression, anxiety, addiction, panic, trauma or relationship issues, I am here to help.

Therapy is a process of inner healing and deep commitment to cultivating growth within yourself. In what ways do you need to be supported in order to grow into something more authentically you? I hold the following words as intentions and as anchors for grounding each therapy session for all my clients. Healing. Freedom. Love. Life can be beautiful again when you are brave enough to do the work within. I work with all ages including children, youth and adults.

I offer expertise in evidence-based treatments for anxiety, depression, and relationship difficulties. I use a collaborative and strengths-based approach that integrates cultural factors as appropriate. I was raised in an inner-city, urban area, and I carry a high level of understanding for individuals that come from marginalized environments like myself. I also specialize in professional and work stress. I have been a business owner, philanthropist, and investor for almost 30 years. I have experience with high output career stress and how it can affect us.

I am here to be present with you as you explore and process how the vast injustices in the world may be affecting your internal states. Together we can examine the question: Is there something “wrong” with me as an individual, or do we live in an inequitable society that causes emotional and often generational trauma? Our trauma can lead to behaviors that do not ultimately serve us or align with our core values—but there is room to heal. Your ancestral roots, intersecting identities, and cultural practices are an honor for me to make space for in our work together.

Therapy should not and cannot be "one size fits all." It should be rooted in a consistent, deep effort to understand who you are and what you need, in relation to the resources you have near you. Therapy should also be practical and offer some fairly immediate results, even though bigger change takes time. It's ultimately about collaboration, and the formation of a helpful relationship. Although I have 25 years of clinical experience to bring to our work, it is more important that you feel we have a good match as we enter this work together. I trust that after we talk, you'll know whether it seems like the right match.

AUTHENTICITY, ALIVENESS, and CONNECTION are vital ingredients to living a healthy and meaningful life. Unfortunately these qualities do not always receive the proper attention needed to thrive. As a result, we develop coping strategies that often lead us to not getting what we want in life, leaving us feeling stuck, anxious, depressed, and hopeless. Therapy provides a unique opportunity to explore the unconscious patterns that keep us stuck. Therapy can help you make meaningful change to live the life you wish and to create the relationships you long for.

*****Please see my website at: www.janvitekphd.com/.***** A genuine, empathic, and caring relationship is at the heart of meaningful and helpful psychotherapy. I focus on creating a safe, warm, and reflective environment in which to explore thoughts and feelings and identify patterns of behavior. I seek an optimum balance between safety and nurturance and challenge and directness. Good psychotherapy is about making better choices about how to take care of yourself, how to form satisfying relationships, and how to attain your personal goals.

Working in non profits and government services for 20 plus years both in San Francisco and Alameda County, has taught me the art of appreciating people for who they are, keeping an open mind and helping them see their own strength within. I am very excited to be in private practice. Working with couples , parents, and individuals. I am very curious and passionate about non traditional coupling, open relationships, polyamory, issues of infidelity and the sexual needs of couples and individuals. I believe that we can heal intuitively and I look forward to meeting people willing to share that journey with me.

Unpleasant, earlier life experiences often cause mental & emotional scars. Overcoming emotional pain or the effects of generational attachment trauma can feel daunting. I focus on the challenges that Black people & other POC face when approaching relationships, as well as challenges experienced in the workplace. Because the quality of our relationships determines the quality of our lives, both at home & at work. In my work with relationships, I use my understanding of any past experiences of each partner that may be negatively impacting the relationship, as well as any repeated interactional patterns that cause pain to one another.

Being felt, heard and seen is the most important part of healing. I believe in giving an attuned presence to help you be the most embodied you can be. This process happens through emotional attunement and somatic mirroring. My training with Thomas Hubl has been instrumental in my own psycho-spiritual transformation. I have experienced my own wounds and view myself as a wounded healer. My own self growth journey and spiritual engagement has made my presence as a therapist one that is likely unique for you. I see wounded humans in a different light. My style of therapy integrates many modalities that help you reach your potential.

I strive to create an authentic connection with my clients so we can develop an effective partnership in which healing, trying on new ways of thinking, and exploring change can happen safely. I believe that the foundation of mutual trust, empathy, and curiosity that I create with my clients will help them build meaningful relationships with others, mend old wounds, and learn more about themselves and how they contribute to their struggles. Helping my clients see themselves through a new lens will help them achieve the growth and fulfillment they want in their lives. Please don't hesitate to call for help.