ADHD Therapists in Alameda, CA

As a therapist and supervisor for associates, I strive to always be honest with my clients, open to feedback, and work collaboratively. It is my focus to assist you in reaching the goals that YOU want to achieve. We will work in a collaborative manner to create goals and design a pathway to change. I will challenge you to enact this change and guide you through the process in a supportive manner. For Parents of Children and Teens: Trauma, ADHD , Anxiety, and Depression can play havoc with your child's ability to thrive and be happy, affect grades, and lower cognitive abilities and emotion regulation. I am here to help.

My approach in therapy is to create a warm, non-judgmental, interactive atmosphere in which we can bring the wisdom of your highest and best self to your current difficulties and dilemmas. I am attuned to the effect of unconscious patterns that begin in childhood and yet try to work in the present, trusting that the past -- to the extent it is important -- will show up in the present. My belief is that human beings naturally tend toward wholeness. I use education and mindfulness and cognitive-behavioral techniques to enable you to participate fully in your own healing and growth.

I often find myself working well with creative individuals, self described geeks, teenagers in turmoil and inquisitive children. My unique brand of therapy is based on authenticity, compassion and collaboration while guided by a direct and pragmatic approach. I like to encourage self-care, building on personal strengths, while helping my clients in exploring their relational patterns and the significance of their dreams, fantasies and interests.

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.

I earned my B.A., M.A., and Ph.D. at UCLA. After completing my Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology at UCLA (one of the most highly rated Clinical Psychology programs in the nation), I completed a Postdoctoral Fellowship at Harbor UCLA Medical Center focusing on Child and Adolescent clinical populations. I have been working with children, adolescents, and their families for more than twenty-five years. I have clinical familiarity with the treatment of a general clinical population as well as more specialized populations like ADHD , ASD, Anxiety, and Depression.

For therapy to be effective, it is important that you feel safe to express your most vulnerable thoughts and feelings as well as be committed to putting in the work. As a therapist, I provide a compassionate, non-judgmental space where you can feel seen and heard. From that place, and employing the most effective evidence-based therapies along with integrative and holistic modalities, we work together to uncover and shift negative subconscious beliefs and blocks to create lasting change. I love helping my clients live more fulfilled and meaningful lives in alignment with their values and purpose.

When we are exposed to trauma at an early age, it can seriously impact how we feel about ourselves and our relationships with others. Trauma can also profoundly affect whether we feel this is a safe world and can contribute to depression, anxiety, and relational/familial issues. My practice is from a strengths-based, trauma-informed perspective with a non-judgmental framework. I aim to understand clients’ internal responses and to provide more options for emotional regulation and problem-solving.

I completed my Masters of Social Work at Smith College School for Social Work. I received my post-masters training at Kaiser Permanente Oakland Adult Psychiatry, where I practiced individual adult and group psychotherapy for six years before transitioning into private practice. Working at Kaiser afforded me experience with a wide range of client concerns and gave me the opportunity to work with clients from a wide range of socioeconomic, cultural, and relationship backgrounds. Before pursuing my MSW, I practiced as a corporate transactional attorney at two Bay Area law firms after completing my JD at Harvard Law School.

I am an experienced children's psychotherapist, with a private practice in Alameda and have provided therapeutic services for children, teens and families for 20+ years. I have been able to help families deal with a variety of issues including trauma, loss, family-conflict, children/teens with learning disabilities and a variety of behavioral issues, as well as familial substance use issues, post-divorce issues, severe anxiety and depression.

At East Bay Center for Anxiety Relief, we work with adults, children, teens, couples, and families. We also facilitate periodic groups focused on communication skills, social skills, anxiety, depression, and working women. We strive for mindful, efficient, and effective therapy. Our clinicians are trained in research-based models such as TEAM-CBT and Gottman couples/family models. We work a bit differently than more traditional practices. We don’t cram an hour of therapy into 50 minutes. Instead, we provide full 60-, 75-, or 90-minute sessions.

Have you been feeling lost, isolated, terribly anxious, and overwhelmed? Have you been concerned about your relationships? Or perhaps it is your child struggling with anxiety, sleep, school and peer difficulties. I specialize in supporting people in transition and navigating challenges, from children or teens struggling with changes at home or school, to adults dealing with internal blocks and recognizing their need to heal to create positive change in their lives. I help my clients express themselves in more authenticate and creative ways to improve their sense of connection with themselves, their loved ones, and their world.

As a psychotherapist, I help clients redefine how they live their lives. I am a licensed clinical social worker who sees children, adolescents and families as well as individual adults. By engaging in a series of conversations, I will help you to challenge the problematic assumptions and ways of being that prevent you from realizing the full potential of your life. I work from a colloborative stance that assumes you are the expert on your life. But my own expertise in helping people overcome emotional problems, troublesome habits and relationship roadblocks can help you create new solutions to old problems.

I look forward to addressing your individual needs. I specialize in treating adolescent issues of all types with a specific focus on depression and mood disorders. I also offer services for people suffering from addiction, in all its forms. I work with adolescence, adults and couples, and of course with the entire family when indicated. I am considered a technical eclectic, which means I use whatever theoretical approach I feel will work best for your situation. We will also draw from film, literature, culture and spirituality in our sessions so that we can make use of your unique personal interests.

I can make a difference in your child's success in special education, IEPs, learning differences, navigating for parents who's children may need extra help in school, or having a negative effect on a young child who has lost their self esteem and has a failure mentality and turn it into a child believing and feeling like they can succeed and has pride with knowing they can achieve success. Academic help is every child's right through a federal law that is already in place. Many parents do not know how to access these programs. These techniques or resources are tailored specifically for your child.

As your therapist, I will help you gain clarity of what you want in life and discover the path that leads to it. Many times this involves simple, guided questions that explore how you came to feel the way you feel and why you do the things you do. I utilize a relational framework when working with adults, children, couples, and families. This means that I focus, first and foremost, on a sense of safety, trust, and enjoyment in the therapeutic process.

Finding a therapist can be a difficult task; actually calling one is even harder. When I am struggling with something I find myself irritable, directionless, and without energy (or too much nervous energy) a difficult time to build new relationships. It is my hope that stepping into my office might feel like finding an oasis; a welcoming place where you can put down your burdens, relax, and see what you can unpack or unload. I engage with people with acceptance and curiosity. I find things I like and inspiration in conversations. I am constantly amazed by people’s creativity, perspective, and desire to connect in a personal ways.

Sessions are available, now, on-line, and phone. I provide a safe haven for you to explore stress, relationship issues, and past traumas that are getting in the way of you experiencing a fulfilling life. My unique and gentle techniques enable you to challenge patterns and behaviors that are limiting joy, satisfaction, and the ability to be calm.. We work at your pace, developing strategies, which will empower you to reach your goals. Together we create a safe environment, where you feel free to shift and change on all levels of being: psychological, emotional, spiritual, physical, and energetic.