Teen Therapists in Berkeley, CA

My therapy style is down to earth, warm, inviting and active. I believe therapy is most effective when it is a collaborative process between the client and the therapist. We will work together to explore, reflect and identify areas in which insight and change are needed to achieve your goals. In sessions, I openly share my thoughts and my perspective as a guiding force but respect and believe that you are the leader in the room. I provide therapy as a transformative experience or a space to just let go, it can be whatever you need it to be, as long as the purpose of this space is for you to heal and find more joy in your life.

Do you feel overwhelmed and frustrated with your highly sensitive, smart, very intense child? Feeling worn out with your child's ongoing worries, difficulty managing emotions? Does your child suffer from perfectionism, self-doubt, and social issues? Do you also suffer from challenges? You don't have to manage this alone. I specialize in helping children, teens, and adults to understand themselves, to discover their path, and how to thrive. My goal is to help them improve their relationships, manage and channel their feelings, and realize their true potential.

Sometimes amazing things can grow under pressure. Living with stigma - related to a mind that works differently, a body that's unruly or "too much," or a sexuality that doesn't fit behind a white picket fence - asks us to be creative and fierce. The wisdom that can grow here is astounding. But the burden of stigma is heavy, and sometimes it grips us in painful positions. Whether you're feeling exhausted, sick of yourself, or just don't know quite how to relate to other people, therapy with me can help.

Are you experiencing low self esteem? Dealing with grief or loss? Is your child or teen struggling? Feeling anxious or depressed? Psychotherapy can help you form a better relationship with yourself, your family, and others. I work collaboratively with clients, establishing a warm, empathic environment that feels safe and free of judgement. I provide individual psychotherapy and family therapy across the lifespan, and have training and experience working with children, adolescents, parents, and individual adult clients. I offer telehealth (anywhere in CA) as well as outdoor therapy (in the East Bay).

It can be difficult as a parent watching your child or teen struggling with feelings and situations in his or her world. Finding the right therapist can be a tough decision. I help children, teens and families find their strengths and facilitate learning to use those abilities to navigate challenges, difficult times or situations, repair relationships and rediscover excitement and joy in their lives. Bringing together advanced degrees in both child and adolescent development and clinical psychology, our work together focuses on helping you, your child or teen , and your family find the path that is right for you.

Welcome to my practice. Are you looking for help, guidance or support as a parent, adolescent , adult, or couple? Do you feel misunderstood in your relationships? Overwhelmed with demands? Or stuck in relational or behavioral patterns? Therapy can open you to new perspectives. As your therapist, I can help you widen your view, find your competence and reconnect with yourself, so you feel up to life’s challenges. I will be a curious and empathic listener and try to put myself in your shoes.

Through therapy with your child, I will work in building resiliency, learning new coping skills, emotional regulation, and providing a safe space to process memories and current life experiences and traumas. Unlike adults who tend more to communicate verbally or from a logical perspective, children use creativity and imaginative play to express their inner thoughts and feelings, it is often the main way children relate and learn about themselves and their world. Through play therapy, I respond to your child with care, attunement, and skillfulness in helping them understand difficult emotions and make sense of confusing experiences.

I have been working or volunteering with adolescents and adults for the past 25 years. In my most recent position as group psychotherapist/treatment coordinator in an adolescent partial hospitalization program, I have provided individual, group, and family therapy for teens struggling with an array of mental health challenges. These include depression, anxiety, chronic suicidal ideation, self-harming behaviors, PTSD, family strain, and self-esteem issues. My work with adults has centered around many of the issues mentioned above, as well as life transitions, marital conflict, loss, and parenting.

You're here because you or your child is struggling. Maybe it's the tantrums, defiance, aggression, or even anxiety in your little one that has you worried. Or maybe your teenager is showing signs of depression, withdrawal, or delinquency. You might be feeling confused, powerless, and overwhelmed when you try to make things right with your kid. You would do anything for your child, but you're not sure how to best help them right now. You're ready for help.

I am a licensed clinical psychologist specializing in psychological testing with children and adolescents. I have been practicing in this area for over a decade and have trained with experts in child assessment. My evaluations assess the presence of attention challenges, learning struggles, and emotional difficulties. I conduct thorough, comprehensive assessments informed by the Therapeutic/Collaborative Assessment model. In this model, parents and children are team members in the process and we work together to answer the referral questions. At the completion of the process, adolescents receive a feedback letter explaining the testing findings in accessible language and children receive an individualized picture book.

We have been living through challenging times and in my work I have witnessed increased anxiety and depression in children, teens and adults of all ages. Family life and raising children is challenging in the best of times. For many, it is an important time for self-care and to increase our support systems for ourselves and our loved ones. I have over 20 years experience as a psychotherapist and I specialize in supporting school aged children, teens and families in addressing a wide range of mental health issues including anxiety, depression, behavioral issues, loss, family transitions, and peer/family relationships.

Navigating this thing called Life is truly a trip! My mission is to support you to have more effective communication and coping skills, develop an uncompromising and joyful sense of self, develop stronger life skills, increased healthy coping with life transitions and heal traumas so that you can be the person you need to be.

It’s so hard to watch your child struggle with feeling different, lonely, and left out. And for parents it can be emotionally painful and confusing. You feel frustrated and helpless and don’t know how to help your child. Maybe your child feels left out socially, or part of their identity is different from their peers’. Maybe you have an adolescent who feels anxious and overwhelmed by social changes and physical changes in their body. Or your child’s mental health struggles leave them feeling alienated. Whatever the cause, you want your child to feel they belong, and your child wants to feel seen, heard, and connected to others.