Family Therapy in Berkeley, CA

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.