Therapists in Berkeley, CA
Niko Whitmire
Psychologist, PsyD, MFA
Verified
Verified
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.
Not accepting new clients
Chris Heine
Marriage & Family Therapist, LMFT
Verified
Verified
You may be here on a whim. You may want to capture a more positive experience of life. You may feel like your world is unmanageable or confusing. You may be absorbing an intolerable level of pain. I meet you where you are and provide a sounding board for understanding your thoughts, feelings, and emotions. I am your collaborator and partner. Through our dialogue, you will begin to better understand your instincts and motivations. The goal, over time, is to uncover deeper insights. I actively listen, constructively challenge, and collaboratively teach. I am positive, compassionate, and non-judgmental.
Robert Schnitzius
Marriage & Family Therapist, MA, CSAT
Verified
Verified
I specialize in helping individuals and couples transform obsessive thoughts, harmful/addictive behaviors (especially sex addiction and/or porn addiction), and unhealthy patterns into a serene, fulfilling life with repaired, satisfying relationships. Therapy can actually be fun! Especially as one establishes more fulfilling ways of being with oneself and others, and learns to hear, trust and act upon one's own inner guidance. Changing old, limiting patterns takes courage, and having a therapist with the right blend of compassion, insight and humor can be a valuable ally on the road to transformation.
Cyndi Lukk
Marriage & Family Therapist, LMFT, MA
Verified
Verified
Are you too stressed to even be in touch with yourself? Too worried and tense, having a hard time to relax? Are you avoiding people and their expectations (and judgments) because you're tired and feel you don't have much to give at the moment? Stress feels like having a super sensitive burglar alarm ringing loudly throughout the mind and body. It confuses our thoughts. We are unable to see facts or future clearly. Our creativity is blocked or showing up as destructive energy. The body is in fight (frustration and anger) or flight (anxiety and overload) or worse - feeling frozen (numb and depressed).
Ellen J Balis
Psychologist, EdD
Verified
Verified
There are times when healing can't be done alone. My work is essentially relational -- healing in a therapeutic relationship. I help people overcome trauma, anxiety, depression, relationship issues, and substance abuse, bearing in mind that these issues can overlap or involve additional problems with eating, working, or social life. I am warm, engaged, active, and flexible, balancing exploratory work with directness. I see people who know what needs fixing, and those who don't. It is a gift to witness people emerging into the center of their own lives and finding the courage to tell their own truth.
Not accepting new clients
Cici Kinsman
Marriage & Family Therapist, MA, MFT
Verified
2 Endorsed
Verified
2 Endorsed
My style is engaged, authentic and direct, while holding space for our complete focus on your work at your pace. I operate with deep respect for the ways in which culture, race, class, gender, gender identity, immigrant status, sexuality, and physical ability can impact your experiences and sense of yourself. I work with a wide range of clients including individuals, adolescents and couples of all sexual orientations (heterosexual, gay, lesbian, queer, bisexual); clients of all genders and gender identities; people of multicultural or immigrant backgrounds; parents, prospective parents.
Johanna M Murphy
Psychologist, PhD
Verified
2 Endorsed
Verified
2 Endorsed
I believe in taking a developmental approach to understanding the root causes of your difficulties (understanding patterns over time) and then addressing the problem within the given context of your life. I facilitate a deep inquiry into what has blocked the healing process and help people to recognize how to create the life they desire. I believe in the innate resilience of all people to heal if given the space and time. All of my training and clinical experience inform my work and allow me to use an integrative style that is adapted to the individual needs of each client.
Simon Kiyoshi Hara
Marriage & Family Therapist Associate
Verified
1 Endorsed
Verified
1 Endorsed
Maybe you are pursuing something important--a relationship, career, education; yet you find yourself overwhelmed, depressed, angry, or stuck. Maybe you act differently to meet others' expectations, win approval, avoid being picked on, or just to fit in. This act of contorting one’s self can be taxing! Sometimes past trauma can impact meaningful relationship-building, can interrupt pursuing life goals, and stifle growing into our truest selves. Therapy offers an opportunity identify these pieces. Together we can sort through them in an effort to build insight and help you embody the most empowered and authentic version of yourself.
John Maris
Psychologist, PhD
Verified
Verified
We come to therapy to understand and solve our most complex personal challenges. When suffering goes deep enough, therapy is an intuitive response to problems that are emotionally complex and cannot be solved by our ordinary methods. Therapy alleviates our isolation by giving us the specialized and dedicated attention of a therapist. Therapy restores or kindles confidence in our ability to make it through difficult times. Lastly, it gives us some emotional distance, some sense of freedom, from the at times consuming turmoil of our personal lives by stimulating a deeper or broader understanding.
Not accepting new clients
Kelley Bryan Gin
Psychologist, PsyD
Verified
2 Endorsed
Verified
2 Endorsed
My practice focus includes treating children, teens, and families as well as adult individuals facing complicated emotional and behavioral conditions. How I work depends upon the circumstances bringing you to a psychotherapist as different problems and situations need different approaches. Every therapy is unique even if there are preferred methods and practices for treating anxiety, depression, and others. Each treatment is foremost a relationship. This often takes time to build, which may be a challenge when limited by schedules, insurance benefits, or circumstances. My goal is that psychotherapy is effective in addressing change in thinking and behavior, and that you find it helpful.
Nancy Perry
Psychologist, PhD
Verified
Verified
After a full career as a psychotherapist and Clinical Director of a nonprofit program that served adults on the autism spectrum, I am now working as an advocate for families with a loved one with disabilities on the spectrum.
Jessica Brown
Marriage & Family Therapist, LMFT, MA
Verified
5 Endorsed
Verified
5 Endorsed
The people I work with are unsatisfied or struggling in key areas of their lives. They are challenged by unfulfilling relationships with co-workers, romantic partners, dating, friends, or family members. Some struggle with their career and creative pursuits, or with major life decisions. The difficulties they face tend to feel familiar; patterns they have not yet been able to fully understand or find their way out of on their own. Since patterns are formed by relationships early on in our lives, it takes a healing and generative relationship to make changes.
Not accepting new clients
Patti Wiley
Marriage & Family Therapist, MFT, PhD
Verified
Verified
During the past 30 years of working as a psychotherapist, I have helped people with anxiety, depression, loss, relationship and work issues, and often just a general sense that something isn't right. As a Jungian and relational therapist, I am empathic, nonjudgemental, nonpatholgizing, and deeply interested in the uniqueness of each human being who comes to me. Warm and down-to-earth, I enjoy exploring deeper levels of experience but can be practical and provide suggestions and tools when that is what is needed.
Sophie Soltani
Psychologist, PsyD
Verified
Verified
I strongly believe in an individual's ability to change and improve the quality of his or her life. I view my role as a catalyst for transformation, and work to create a safe collaborative environment of mutual trust, where any issue can be discussed and explored in depth: www.drsophiesoltani.com
Philip MacEachron
Psychologist, PsyD
Verified
Verified
I see people who might have grown up being seen as "weird" and despite their successes may still find it hard to shake a negative self-image that undermines their current efforts. You may struggle with a creative self that has been muted in favor of a professional self to accommodate the needs of family and others. You may be trying to live in an antiracist way in a world that doesn't always support that effort. You are pulled in too many directions, and it can be hard to find your balance.
Elizabeth Ehrenberg
Clinical Social Work/Therapist, LCSW
Verified
Verified
Welcome. I do this work because I care deeply about healing through connection and compassionate relationships. I love working with people so they can learn about themselves, challenge old stories that may no longer serve, and ultimately live more authentic lives. Each of us is strong, powerful and beautiful, with unique gifts to offer this world. Yet sorrow is real, and having a safe and compassionate space to address grief, transition, relationship issues, trauma, anxiety, depression, addiction, and questions about gender and sexuality is fundamental and healing.
Dr. Ruth Rubalcava
Licensed Educational Psychologist, PsyD, LEP
Verified
Verified
If your child is struggling in school, psycho-educational testing is the first step in understanding your child's needs. As a licensed educational psychologist, I specialize in psycho-educational testing and school meetings. I have extensive experience in both assessment and intervention of psychological disorders impacting learning and school performance such dyslexia, dysgraphia, dyscalculia, ADHD, autism and emotional disturbance.
Aurelio Sanchez
Clinical Social Work/Therapist, LCSW
Verified
1 Endorsed
Verified
1 Endorsed
My specialties include: transitional age youth and adults experiencing difficulties with depression, anxiety, trauma, self-esteem, loss of a loved one, relationships and stress. I use an eclectic approach to make sure that treatment is catered to serve my client's specific needs.
Monica Z. Nowakowski
Clinical Social Work/Therapist, MSW, LCSW
Verified
1 Endorsed
Verified
1 Endorsed
I provide short-term therapy of 1 - 4 sessions. With compassion and humor I provide a safe place for adults to get help with personal situations such as relationship/work stress, break-ups, retirement, chronic/ life-threatening illness and disability, depression, anxiety, dementia, care-giving of people of all ages, and "coming out". Life transitions have a common thread - loss, grief, and opportunity. Even joyful experiences can be difficult. You may feel stuck, out-of-control or have worrisome regrets and anxiety. You may feel "at a loss", you can't just "shake it off", or feel "it's taking a toll" on you.
Vanessa C. Morrison, LMFT
Marriage & Family Therapist, LMFT
Verified
1 Endorsed
Verified
1 Endorsed
I work with individuals who want to overcome persistent behaviors, thoughts and emotions that inhibit their ability to live a life they love so that they have meaningful relationships, deeply fulfilling work and self-confidence. My approach is based on the belief that in order to benefit from therapy the therapeutic relationship must be grounded in direct communication, collaboration and compassion. You need someone to be real who will both challenge and care for you. My patients often reflect they are relieved to finally work with someone who engages in conversation and shares responsibility for the progress of each session.
See more therapy options for Berkeley
What type of Berkeley mental health professional is right for me?
While most types of therapy have a lot in common, they also fall into clusters that share core features, such as cognitive therapies or psychodynamic approaches. It is important to seek someone who practices evidence-based therapy, meaning one or more forms of treatment that have been scientifically evaluated and tested, and demonstrate consistent improvement for a majority of patients.
If you are unsure about choosing the right therapist, it might be useful to first learn more about therapy types and modalities.
If you are unsure about choosing the right therapist, it might be useful to first learn more about therapy types and modalities.
How to find a therapist in Berkeley?
When looking to find a therapist, it is certainly important to consider training and credentials. Studies also indicate that the therapeutic alliance, or the relationship the client develops with the therapist, is an important factor in their ability to work together to achieve the client’s goals.
What method of therapy is right for me?
When it comes to treatment methods, there's no 'right way.’ Each method of therapy can be beneficial for a variety of issues. Finding a psychologist or therapist who is a good fit for you is the most important step to discovering what type of therapy, or combination of therapeutic approaches, will meet your individual needs. Learn what to expect from different types of therapy and how they work.
How to use my insurance?
Understanding cost and insurance coverage is an important concern for many people. With some basic research and conversations with prospective therapists, you should be able to have a good understanding of the best way to afford therapy.