Family Therapy in Berkeley, CA
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Taryn M Thomas
Marriage & Family Therapist, MA, MFT
Verified
1 Endorsed
Verified
1 Endorsed
Why do therapy? Why embark on a relationship with someone you don't know, to talk about difficulties or challenges in your life? Sometimes, when we tell
family
or friends how we are feeling, they react personally or try to explain away our experiences rather than make room for them. I believe that a relationship with a therapist is one in which significant change can take place. The neutral environment of therapy provides space to explore our experiences without worrying about angering, hurting, or upsetting someone else.
Waitlist for new clients

Nalini Calamur
Marriage & Family Therapist, MA, LMFT
Verified
Verified
Call for a free consultation to see if I am the right person to support you or your
family
.
Are you feeling depressed, anxious, struggling with relationship conflict or substances? Sometimes, the very strategies we use to feel safe, to belong, to get approval, and to feel loved – to survive – no longer serve us. When we try to carry these strategies into adulthood, it can lead to high conflict, challenging behaviors, anxiety, depression, and substance use. For couples and families, I work from an Emotion Focused Therapy approach exploring clients' reactivity, triggers, and hurts that underlie conflict and helping them find other ways to respond that lead to more trust, intimacy and connectedness.

Wisdom of Mind and Body
Clinical Social Work/Therapist, LCSW
Verified
Verified
We all want the same things. To be understood, recognized, treated with kindness and respect. To feel like we belong. We share the same path to growth through self-effort in overcoming challenges in our life’s journey. Are you mastering the game of life? You are more powerful than your past or stories. Truth be told, “life is simply what you create it to mean.” Imagine yourself as the eagle that soars up into the sky with Wisdom as a compass. I can help you with self-esteem,
family
, career, trauma, grief, chronic illness, depression, anxiety, womens’ empowerment, life transitions, relationships, death/dying, and pet loss.

Camara Meri Rajabari
Marriage & Family Therapist, MA, LMFT
Verified
Verified
We explore past
family
, cultural and societal narratives that have influenced your behaviors, feelings, and beliefs.
Do you experience a constant and unyielding inner critic that points out every mistake and every flaw you have. Do you often feel like an imposter—not good enough and unqualified? Like you, my clients are people at the top of their class, leaders in their career, recognized creators, yet they feel unaccomplished and undeserving. They describe many moments feeling panicked and alone in their feelings. Their anxiety causes them to overextend themselves to get validation from others. They experience cycles of burnout and depression. They put their own needs last—every time. They find it hard to say no and practice healthy boundaries.

Tessa Vita Levine
Marriage & Family Therapist Associate, AMFT
Verified
1 Endorsed
Verified
1 Endorsed
If you are here, something is probably not-quite-right. Maybe you have realized that you are ready to do a big chunk of healing work that has been in the back of your mind and nervous system for a while. Maybe you are noticing that you are, in some ways, not being totally honest with yourself, or with your partner(s), or with your
family
. Maybe you have found that there are parts of you that you've never taken the time to get to know that are asking — loudly or quietly— for attention. Or maybe you just know that you need to carve out a time for yourself every week where you don't have to take care of anyone but yourself.

Relationship Therapy. Judye Hess
Psychologist, PhD
Verified
2 Endorsed
Verified
2 Endorsed
I have been trained in many different modalities which helps me select what is most needed for the particular individual, couple or
family
in my office.
Difficult times in relationships can often be gifts in that they open the door to a deeper exploration of ourselves and those closest to us. Seen in this light, therapy can be a step towards mutual evolution, rather than just a problem-solving endeavor.
I work well with couples and families,helping to create a safe , trusting atmosphere where people can get more in touch with their feelings and express them to others close to them.I also work with individuals who have relationship issues.

Sasha Wright
Clinical Social Work/Therapist, LCSW
Verified
1 Endorsed
Verified
1 Endorsed
I use somatic and mindfulness-led methods (trained in Hakomi, Internal
Family
Systems, Somatic Attachment Therapy) which combine mindfulness with talk to increase self awareness and help insights sink in on a deeper level - rewiring your brain so that you can engage yourself and the world in new ways.
We were born to connect with ourselves and others, to be alive in our bodies and awake in the world, and to anchor into a sense of purpose. Painful experiences and negative patterns can disconnect us from our innate ability to full-heartedly live life. When you are stuck, dissatisfied in relationship, challenged by life transition, constrained by depression or anxiety, unable to heal from trauma, or simply feeling called to step more fully into your best self, therapy can be a powerful ally. I offer tools you can use to reconnect with your own power, resilience, and wholeness.

Lucia Sekoff
Clinical Social Work/Therapist, LCSW
Verified
1 Endorsed
Verified
1 Endorsed
My training is in psychodynamic psychotherapy. However this is only short-hand for working with you in a deep and resonant way. I primarily work with adults and children but also treat dyads (parents and their children, friends, and couples). We will take into account the ways your past has shaped the present. While, at the same time concentrating on how you are living life now in relation to your
family
, your friends, your workplace, your community, and of course your innermost self.

Heidi Berrin Shonkoff
Clinical Social Work/Therapist, LCSW
Verified
1 Endorsed
Verified
1 Endorsed
I bring to my private practice 36 years of experience and training in couple dynamics, attachment, sexuality and
family
systems. When couples first contact me, they have often been struggling with strained, stuck and reactive relationship patterns for a long time. They have hurt one another by attempting various ineffective solutions such as fighting-to-win, resentful compliance, disengagement, dulled sexual desire, infidelities, freezing in hopelessness. These are all an attempt to manage the anxiety and discomfort often inherent in long-term relationship challenges. Naturally, there is discouragement and worry.

Jennifer Maghsoudi Golden Psy.d.
Psychologist, PsyD, MA
Verified
4 Endorsed
Verified
4 Endorsed
I work from a place of compassion and understanding of complex
family
dynamics as well as the importance of being an individual.
Healing our emotional wounds is the work of psychotherapy. When we are moving toward our goals we become filled with more presence, kindness, compassion, peace, and freedom. Letting go and grieving the shame and guilt we once accepted as our own creates the space to explore who we truly are and create positive self-esteem and real connection.

Jed Purses
Marriage & Family Therapist, MA, LMFT
Verified
Verified
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.

Alissa Greenberg
Psychologist, PhD, BCBA-D
Verified
Verified
For all of its rewards, parenting is also incredibly challenging. Do you find yourself thinking . . . I dread putting her to bed every night because I know it will be a struggle. I can't go to the grocery store because he always has a meltdown at checkout. We'll never to able to go out to eat as a
family
. Why does he only eat yellow foods?! You're not alone. Many parents struggle with how to address their child's challenging behaviors. My goal is to teach you how to use behavioral strategies to turn chaos into calm.

Scott Leiker
Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor, MEd, LPCC
Verified
Verified
I utilize many modalities, but especially the Emotionally Focused, Somatic Experiencing, and Internal
Family
Systems.
If you are struggling with finding meaning in your life, accessing basic joy and peace of mind, and wanting to build deep relationships with others, I want to help. My aim is to make sure you feel heard, and that we work on what you want to work on. I welcome you to address anxiety, addiction, trauma, depression, and pain in relationships in a way that will free you up to pursue your goals and realize your dreams and bring more love into your life.

Claire-Elizabeth DeSophia
Marriage & Family Therapist, MA, MFT
Verified
Verified
Working with individual adults and couples, I have 35 years experience supporting men and women who want to heal and grow. Stress, depression and anxiety often stem from relationship and workplace concerns. My couples counseling focuses on communication skills. To help heal childhood pain, I use varied modalities, including trauma work, EMDR , Adult Children (ACA) work, and parent/adult child conversations . Another specialty area is adults with addictions,
family
members with addicted loved ones, and codependency. I support the changes that come with each decade of life, along with retirement , aging and end-of-life issues.
Not accepting new clients

Jonathan Howard
Psychologist, PsyD, CPCC
Verified
Verified
With individuals, I primarily use the Internal
Family
Systems (IFS) model to help people explore and bring healing to their personal experiences.
I work with adult individuals and couples from the Attachment Theory and evidence-based modalities of Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy (EFT) and the Internal
Family
Systems (IFS) model. Couples can develop patterns of interacting that lead to frustrating arguments, immovable conflict and painful disconnection from each other. I help couples calm the fighting, move from stuck places, and shift those negative patterns into secure and loving connection. With couples, I work primarily from the evidence-based model of Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy (EFT)

Rae C Hipolito
Marriage & Family Therapist, MS, MFT
Verified
2 Endorsed
Verified
2 Endorsed
Create joy and inner calm in your life. My role is to guide you in coming back to your wholeness. I am passionate about helping you heal your wounded parts. This wounding may show up as depression, anxiety, or PTSD in adulthood. My approach is heart-based; it is a fusion of experiential, somatic/body-oriented (releasing emotional pain which is stored in our bodies), gestalt, cognitive behavioral, EMDR, hypnosis, and internal
family
systems approaches. I don't focus on analyzing nor intellectualizing your past. We visit the past to let go of any pain or heal trauma.

Lisa Thompson
Clinical Social Work/Therapist, LCSW, CST
Verified
Verified
Do you feel conflicted about your sexual fantasies and desires? Want to experience more ease and pleasure? If you’re looking for an empathic, trauma-informed sex therapist, you're in the right place. Maybe you're struggling to understand yourself and your relationships and are ready to heal old wounds. Empathic psychotherapy will help you feel more at peace and become more self-accepting. For partners, polycules, parents, and adult
family
members: Do you want to understand each other better and stop the repetitive cycles? Let’s get to the bottom of it and deepen your connection.

Caitlin Finnell
Marriage & Family Therapist, MA, MFT
Verified
7 Endorsed
Verified
7 Endorsed
Gender related issues,
family therapy
, children and youth, trauma, anxiety, depression, self esteem, ADD, emotional distress from learning and physical disabilities, adoption and foster youth, and self care.
While I work with a diversity of people, I specialize in working with LGBTQ individuals, couples and youth. As a Marriage and
Family
psychotherapist, I seek to help my clients find their way through the hardships that life can bring. I believe in the healing power of the therapeutic relationship as well as each individual having the power to heal themselves. I believe in a strength based, solution focused approach to therapy and work with my clients to not only overcome their current circumstances but to also develop tools and strategies that they can use moving forward in their lives.

Mary Owen
Marriage & Family Therapist, MA, LMFT
Verified
1 Endorsed
Verified
1 Endorsed
Experiential, body-based (somatic) modalities include meditation, embodied Focusing, mindful somatic inquiry, Gestalt,
family
sculpture, Sensorimotor, LOMI, Hakomi.
Hello, Thanks for looking at my profile. I have loved working creatively with individuals, couples, children and whole families for 40+ years. I primarily do in-depth work with individuals and couples. I explore whatever issues clients wish including relationship issues, life transitions, anxiety, depression, important personal and spiritual questions, etc. I work with persons with a strong inner critic and/or anyone who wants to feel worthy, that they belong; who want to live fuller, more satisfying lives deeply connected to others and their life purpose. I teach and guide meditation and mindfulness to those interested.

Willa Walter
Marriage & Family Therapist, LMFT
Verified
1 Endorsed
Verified
1 Endorsed
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.
See more therapy options for
Family Therapy
What do family therapists do?
A family therapist facilitates the process of understanding and improving how a family functions. The therapist will help family members develop empathy for one another. They’ll seek to understand existing patterns, misunderstandings, and conflicts that arise, in order to help the family arrive at a realistic, unified understanding and develop the coping skills they need to build stronger relationships.
How long does therapy for families take to work?
Therapy manifests differently in every family; a common time frame is 12 weekly sessions, but some families may see improvement after just a few weeks. Families should discuss their goals with the therapist at the beginning of the process and periodically revisit those goals to assess their progress together.
How can you encourage a family member to attend family therapy?
You can encourage family members to attend therapy by expressing with both love and concern the challenges you see and explaining how a therapist could help the family navigate those challenges together. An outside perspective can help everyone feel heard, get on the same page, and develop new skills. If family members are still hesitant, it may be helpful to emphasize that family therapy is short-term—it won’t last forever.
Is therapy for families effective?
Family therapy can significantly improve family dynamics and relationships. Research suggests that family therapy can help individuals understand their role in the family, communicate and solve problems together, reduce conflict and draw boundaries when necessary, and develop coping skills for stressors, major life changes, and mental or physical illnesses within the family.