Internal Family Systems (IFS) Therapists in Berkeley, CA
Do you feel an ache or a heaviness that you can't quite name? Are you feeling strangely disoriented or unmoored? Do you feel isolated or disconnected from others? Are you feeling stuck or overwhelmed? Do you feel like a peeled grape in a sand storm? Maybe you don't have a language for what you're feeling. Or maybe you're not feeling much of anything at all. Life may be life-ing too hard right now. Maybe people won't stop being so damn people-y. You may be crossing some new threshold you never anticipated. Whatever is happening in your inner and outer worlds right now, life is making an invitation to you. Will you accept it?
Do you feel an ache or a heaviness that you can't quite name? Are you feeling strangely disoriented or unmoored? Do you feel isolated or disconnected from others? Are you feeling stuck or overwhelmed? Do you feel like a peeled grape in a sand storm? Maybe you don't have a language for what you're feeling. Or maybe you're not feeling much of anything at all. Life may be life-ing too hard right now. Maybe people won't stop being so damn people-y. You may be crossing some new threshold you never anticipated. Whatever is happening in your inner and outer worlds right now, life is making an invitation to you. Will you accept it?
Our mission is to provide quality online mental health and substance abuse services while breaking down the barriers of traditional, office based therapy. Traditional mental health and substance abuse treatment tends to focus on what makes you sick, what you are lacking but at The Mindful Lemon, our clinicians let you sit in the driver’s seat, focusing on your strengths and assets to help you become the best version of you! This can be via traditional talk therapy, medication management, mindfulness techniques, an emphasis on health, wellness and fitness or any combination of the above.
Our mission is to provide quality online mental health and substance abuse services while breaking down the barriers of traditional, office based therapy. Traditional mental health and substance abuse treatment tends to focus on what makes you sick, what you are lacking but at The Mindful Lemon, our clinicians let you sit in the driver’s seat, focusing on your strengths and assets to help you become the best version of you! This can be via traditional talk therapy, medication management, mindfulness techniques, an emphasis on health, wellness and fitness or any combination of the above.
My ideal clients are couples feeling disconnected, stuck in patterns of conflict, and attachment wounds. They seek a supportive container to heal and reconnect. Their goals are deeper intimacy, happiness, and self-empowerment.
Often, they feel overwhelmed by unresolved trauma or communication breakdowns, yearning for a safe space to rebuild trust. Through science-backed somatic practices, partners deepen their bond, cultivating emotional safety and mutual understanding. They’re driven by a desire to thrive, not just survive, in their partnership.
My ideal clients are couples feeling disconnected, stuck in patterns of conflict, and attachment wounds. They seek a supportive container to heal and reconnect. Their goals are deeper intimacy, happiness, and self-empowerment.
Often, they feel overwhelmed by unresolved trauma or communication breakdowns, yearning for a safe space to rebuild trust. Through science-backed somatic practices, partners deepen their bond, cultivating emotional safety and mutual understanding. They’re driven by a desire to thrive, not just survive, in their partnership.
Tender Heart Healing Arts provides warm, relationship-first psychotherapy focused on opening and healing the heart. Our framework respects the intelligence of problem-causing habits and behaviors while assisting our clients in transforming and integrating them in ways that promote increased holistic health, resourcing, and interpersonal connection, rather than mere functionality or productivity.
Tender Heart Healing Arts provides warm, relationship-first psychotherapy focused on opening and healing the heart. Our framework respects the intelligence of problem-causing habits and behaviors while assisting our clients in transforming and integrating them in ways that promote increased holistic health, resourcing, and interpersonal connection, rather than mere functionality or productivity.
I specialize in trauma healing through EMDR, IFS, DBT, EFT, and somatic therapy.
If you feel stuck in behaviors, symptoms, or relationships that aren’t serving you, or if it seems like something is always blocking you from moving forward, you’re not alone. You may know what you’ve been through, but still feel unsure how to truly heal from it. When time or talk therapy alone hasn’t helped, it might be time to go deeper.
I specialize in trauma healing through EMDR, IFS, DBT, EFT, and somatic therapy.
If you feel stuck in behaviors, symptoms, or relationships that aren’t serving you, or if it seems like something is always blocking you from moving forward, you’re not alone. You may know what you’ve been through, but still feel unsure how to truly heal from it. When time or talk therapy alone hasn’t helped, it might be time to go deeper.
Using somatic therapy, EMDR, and parts work ( IFS), we’ll uncover where you feel stuck.
This work isn’t easy. When we start looking beneath the surface of your symptoms, we often encounter the parts of you that have long felt unseen. My role is to hold steady presence through that process. I can help you reconnect with your body’s wisdom, integrate past wounds, and cultivate more aliveness and self-trust in your life.
Using somatic therapy, EMDR, and parts work ( IFS), we’ll uncover where you feel stuck.
This work isn’t easy. When we start looking beneath the surface of your symptoms, we often encounter the parts of you that have long felt unseen. My role is to hold steady presence through that process. I can help you reconnect with your body’s wisdom, integrate past wounds, and cultivate more aliveness and self-trust in your life.
You have been experiencing emotionally out-of-balance, blocked, stuck, or "off," or when you look at your future, you can't really see a way forward that interests you. You may relate to the idea of "being in limbo." Or else, you have experienced a loss so great it has seized your mental and emotional life and you feel there is no "space" to continue to carry out your daily responsibilities. Or else you are aware of an addictive or compulsive process, and to surmount this issue feels nearly impossible, so much that you don't even want to admit it is there.
You have been experiencing emotionally out-of-balance, blocked, stuck, or "off," or when you look at your future, you can't really see a way forward that interests you. You may relate to the idea of "being in limbo." Or else, you have experienced a loss so great it has seized your mental and emotional life and you feel there is no "space" to continue to carry out your daily responsibilities. Or else you are aware of an addictive or compulsive process, and to surmount this issue feels nearly impossible, so much that you don't even want to admit it is there.
I am trained and practice in Attachment Focused-EMDR, psychodynamic psychotherapy, emotional focus couple & family therapy (EFCT; EFFT), attachment-based therapy, Internal Family System ( IFS).
I am an experienced psychotherapist working with individuals, couples & families with two decades of clinical experiences. Identified as an Asian American and raising an immigrant family myself, I specialize in trauma, depression, anxiety, emotional regulation, parenting, life transitions, relationship issues, self esteem and immigration/identity. We work on developmental injury to complex trauma, grief and lost in various life stages, and struggles in different type of relationships which we ultimately are longing for a safe attachment with our partner, parents, children, and inner self.
I am trained and practice in Attachment Focused-EMDR, psychodynamic psychotherapy, emotional focus couple & family therapy (EFCT; EFFT), attachment-based therapy, Internal Family System ( IFS).
I am an experienced psychotherapist working with individuals, couples & families with two decades of clinical experiences. Identified as an Asian American and raising an immigrant family myself, I specialize in trauma, depression, anxiety, emotional regulation, parenting, life transitions, relationship issues, self esteem and immigration/identity. We work on developmental injury to complex trauma, grief and lost in various life stages, and struggles in different type of relationships which we ultimately are longing for a safe attachment with our partner, parents, children, and inner self.
Do you feel anxious and overwhelmed? Are you on an endless treadmill of conflicts, or under the grip of anger, depression or trauma from the past? I work with individuals and couples on emotional and relationship issues, helping them resolve issues from the past that are affecting their present. Perhaps I can help you resolve your issues also.
Do you feel anxious and overwhelmed? Are you on an endless treadmill of conflicts, or under the grip of anger, depression or trauma from the past? I work with individuals and couples on emotional and relationship issues, helping them resolve issues from the past that are affecting their present. Perhaps I can help you resolve your issues also.
Have you tried to stop looking at porn but can't? Have secrets sapped the trust and respect from your relationship? Do memories of past hurts intrude into the present? Infidelity, porn, or sex addiction -- and the shame that comes along with it -- can take away our voice. Let's talk and make sure you're heard. I have helped many individuals and couples develop healthy sexuality and rebuild trust. It would be my honor to walk alongside you.
Have you tried to stop looking at porn but can't? Have secrets sapped the trust and respect from your relationship? Do memories of past hurts intrude into the present? Infidelity, porn, or sex addiction -- and the shame that comes along with it -- can take away our voice. Let's talk and make sure you're heard. I have helped many individuals and couples develop healthy sexuality and rebuild trust. It would be my honor to walk alongside you.
I’m not beating around the bush here: things are pretty messed up right now. And when it feels like the world is on fire, of course you’re going to be freaking out. Maybe your life seemed fine until recently, and maybe you’ve been struggling longer than you can remember. Either way, I am here to help. I work with all ages, genders, sexualities, racial backgrounds, cultures, and subcultures. From work stress to identity crises, communication problems to childhood trauma, all issues need space to breathe, and a big part of that is finding a therapist you can be real with.
I’m not beating around the bush here: things are pretty messed up right now. And when it feels like the world is on fire, of course you’re going to be freaking out. Maybe your life seemed fine until recently, and maybe you’ve been struggling longer than you can remember. Either way, I am here to help. I work with all ages, genders, sexualities, racial backgrounds, cultures, and subcultures. From work stress to identity crises, communication problems to childhood trauma, all issues need space to breathe, and a big part of that is finding a therapist you can be real with.
I also have ample experience helping immigrants, children of immigrants, and BIPGM (Black, Indigenous, and People of the Global Majority) heal from institutional, generational, and familial trauma through my use of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), internal family systems ( IFS), and ketamine assisted psychotherapy (KAP).
Through a mixture of tools grounded in cognitive behavioral theory, attachment theory, and internal family system theory, I help clients move through symptoms related to anxiety, depression, and PTSD, amongst others. I offer in-home CPP sessions for families living in the SF Bay Area. I also offer individual psychotherapy and KAP sessions via telehealth.
I also have ample experience helping immigrants, children of immigrants, and BIPGM (Black, Indigenous, and People of the Global Majority) heal from institutional, generational, and familial trauma through my use of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), internal family systems ( IFS), and ketamine assisted psychotherapy (KAP).
Through a mixture of tools grounded in cognitive behavioral theory, attachment theory, and internal family system theory, I help clients move through symptoms related to anxiety, depression, and PTSD, amongst others. I offer in-home CPP sessions for families living in the SF Bay Area. I also offer individual psychotherapy and KAP sessions via telehealth.
Are you doing okay? If you’re looking for a therapist, maybe you are not. Are you feeling overwhelmed? Bombarded by information? Same here. Please do not isolate yourself although that is your first instinct. Human connection is key to healing. You are not alone. I understand how scary it is to feel like you have to move forward all by yourself in these hard times. Now, more than ever, I believe that human connection fosters one’s innate potential to open the door and see the possibilities that are waiting on the other side. I would be honored to walk side by side with you and bear witness to your courageous journey.
Are you doing okay? If you’re looking for a therapist, maybe you are not. Are you feeling overwhelmed? Bombarded by information? Same here. Please do not isolate yourself although that is your first instinct. Human connection is key to healing. You are not alone. I understand how scary it is to feel like you have to move forward all by yourself in these hard times. Now, more than ever, I believe that human connection fosters one’s innate potential to open the door and see the possibilities that are waiting on the other side. I would be honored to walk side by side with you and bear witness to your courageous journey.
Hello..my name is Sarah Ann Jimenez, LCSw, PhD...my style is very informal and relational. I believe that clients can be their own best friends and achieving a state of "loving self" is best embarked on through a trusting rapport with one other individual (therapist/confidant/mentor/ally/advocate) who is more invested in the client's success than in their own agenda/ego, to be correct. I use CBT, guided play therapy, narrative therapy, EMDR, and psychodynamic approaches with my clients. I utilize a feminist/racial trauma lens towards healing and empowerment.
Hello..my name is Sarah Ann Jimenez, LCSw, PhD...my style is very informal and relational. I believe that clients can be their own best friends and achieving a state of "loving self" is best embarked on through a trusting rapport with one other individual (therapist/confidant/mentor/ally/advocate) who is more invested in the client's success than in their own agenda/ego, to be correct. I use CBT, guided play therapy, narrative therapy, EMDR, and psychodynamic approaches with my clients. I utilize a feminist/racial trauma lens towards healing and empowerment.
I am trained in EMDR, IFS, Ketamine-Assisted and Sensorimotor Psychotherapies.
Welcome to your day. I see that you long for something different. No matter what brought you to this moment, I am here to sit beside you. From this place where we sit, side by side, my greatest calling is to tune into your deepest sense of knowing. I believe that each of us possesses tremendous Self and capacity for wisdom, and my role is to join you on the journey to discover, recover, and amplify your connection with yourself. I work in a relational way to help you cultivate a home within that feels safer, more steady, and welcoming to you.
I am trained in EMDR, IFS, Ketamine-Assisted and Sensorimotor Psychotherapies.
Welcome to your day. I see that you long for something different. No matter what brought you to this moment, I am here to sit beside you. From this place where we sit, side by side, my greatest calling is to tune into your deepest sense of knowing. I believe that each of us possesses tremendous Self and capacity for wisdom, and my role is to join you on the journey to discover, recover, and amplify your connection with yourself. I work in a relational way to help you cultivate a home within that feels safer, more steady, and welcoming to you.
I utilize versatile interventions such as IFS, CBT, DBT, Solution Focused Therapy, Narrative, and Inner Child Work.
Mental health challenges are due to the aftereffects of traumatic experiences. Trauma can place a strain on your family, work, relationships, and even cause issues with self-worth. I specialize in trauma therapy along with treating personality disorders, depression, anxiety, ADHD, and addiction. All these disorders can look different from person to person, and that is where our therapeutic journey of empowerment and self-exploration begins. I concentrate on creating a safe space of growth and self-discovery through unconditional positive regard, emotional regulation, and guided activities.
I utilize versatile interventions such as IFS, CBT, DBT, Solution Focused Therapy, Narrative, and Inner Child Work.
Mental health challenges are due to the aftereffects of traumatic experiences. Trauma can place a strain on your family, work, relationships, and even cause issues with self-worth. I specialize in trauma therapy along with treating personality disorders, depression, anxiety, ADHD, and addiction. All these disorders can look different from person to person, and that is where our therapeutic journey of empowerment and self-exploration begins. I concentrate on creating a safe space of growth and self-discovery through unconditional positive regard, emotional regulation, and guided activities.
There are many interventions we can integrate in sessions IFS, EMDR, Psychodynamic Therapy and ACT.
I work with people impacted by anxiety and trauma, with a focus on childhood trauma. Early experiences can shape patterns that once helped you feel safe, but may now feel exhausting or limiting. These can show up as people pleasing, perfectionism, difficulty trusting yourself or others, or feeling on edge. You may feel emotionally dysregulated or drained. Therapy can be a place to help lift the load from your shoulders. It can be a place to develop a deeper understanding of yourself, patterns, and relationships. Beyond developing a deeper understanding, we can explore meaningful steps for you to take, at your own pace.
There are many interventions we can integrate in sessions IFS, EMDR, Psychodynamic Therapy and ACT.
I work with people impacted by anxiety and trauma, with a focus on childhood trauma. Early experiences can shape patterns that once helped you feel safe, but may now feel exhausting or limiting. These can show up as people pleasing, perfectionism, difficulty trusting yourself or others, or feeling on edge. You may feel emotionally dysregulated or drained. Therapy can be a place to help lift the load from your shoulders. It can be a place to develop a deeper understanding of yourself, patterns, and relationships. Beyond developing a deeper understanding, we can explore meaningful steps for you to take, at your own pace.
Everyday I meet with individuals and couples who are in the process of confronting worry, depression, conflict and dissatisfaction to find greater joy, peace and meaning in their lives. If and when you decide to take a first step into therapy, I think you will find me to be an insightful, responsive and non-judgmental individual with an extensive therapeutic "tool kit." My approach is interactive and person-centered. Together we will engage in a process of deepening your understanding of the feelings and views motivating your actions, which can then lead to more effective and skillful ways of living.
Everyday I meet with individuals and couples who are in the process of confronting worry, depression, conflict and dissatisfaction to find greater joy, peace and meaning in their lives. If and when you decide to take a first step into therapy, I think you will find me to be an insightful, responsive and non-judgmental individual with an extensive therapeutic "tool kit." My approach is interactive and person-centered. Together we will engage in a process of deepening your understanding of the feelings and views motivating your actions, which can then lead to more effective and skillful ways of living.
Do you find yourself overthinking, people-pleasing, striving for perfection, and feeling like it’s never enough—even though you’re competent, capable, and often in positions of responsibility or leadership (whether formally or behind the scenes)? Do you look successful on the outside but struggle with anxiety and self-doubt? Many of my clients are women in demanding roles—such as tech, medicine, academia, entrepreneurship, or leadership—who are outwardly successful but inwardly exhausted or self-critical. Together, we’ll turn down the mental noise, build resilience, and cultivate greater clarity, confidence, and ease.
Do you find yourself overthinking, people-pleasing, striving for perfection, and feeling like it’s never enough—even though you’re competent, capable, and often in positions of responsibility or leadership (whether formally or behind the scenes)? Do you look successful on the outside but struggle with anxiety and self-doubt? Many of my clients are women in demanding roles—such as tech, medicine, academia, entrepreneurship, or leadership—who are outwardly successful but inwardly exhausted or self-critical. Together, we’ll turn down the mental noise, build resilience, and cultivate greater clarity, confidence, and ease.
My training and approaches include Family Systems, Internal Family Systems ( IFS), Trauma & Dissociative Disorders , EMDR, Sensorimotor Psychotherapy, Group Therapy, Energy approaches including EFT and Havening, SOMA Breathwork, Psychedelic- Assisted Psychotherapy Integration, and Quantum Healing Hypnosis Technique (QHHT)
I have been in private practice as a psychotherapist in Berkeley since 1994, working with adults individually and with couples and groups, on recovering from relationship and betrayal trauma. This trauma may manifest as recurring intrusive reminders of overwhelming and unresolved past experiences and as emotional / somatic distress in your present life. Or it may result from inadequate nurture and protection in childhood (attachment trauma). Often, both contribute to the need and desire for relief and a better life beyond trauma. Individualized trauma therapy addresses the need for a new relationship with your past.
My training and approaches include Family Systems, Internal Family Systems ( IFS), Trauma & Dissociative Disorders , EMDR, Sensorimotor Psychotherapy, Group Therapy, Energy approaches including EFT and Havening, SOMA Breathwork, Psychedelic- Assisted Psychotherapy Integration, and Quantum Healing Hypnosis Technique (QHHT)
I have been in private practice as a psychotherapist in Berkeley since 1994, working with adults individually and with couples and groups, on recovering from relationship and betrayal trauma. This trauma may manifest as recurring intrusive reminders of overwhelming and unresolved past experiences and as emotional / somatic distress in your present life. Or it may result from inadequate nurture and protection in childhood (attachment trauma). Often, both contribute to the need and desire for relief and a better life beyond trauma. Individualized trauma therapy addresses the need for a new relationship with your past.
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What is Internal Family Systems therapy?
Internal Family Systems (IFS) is a type of talk therapy that focuses on sub-personalities, or “families,” within a person, which may be made up of wounded parts and unpleasant emotions like anger and shame. These sub-personalities can come into conflict with each other and with an individual’s core Self, leaving the person feeling detached from positive traits such as the “8 C’s” of confidence, calmness, creativity, clarity, curiosity, courage, compassion, and connectedness. By healing a patient’s wounded parts, a therapist aims to restore balance and bring on positive change.
How does Internal Family Systems therapy work?
An IFS therapist will work with a patient to identify their particular sub-personalities, recognize the emotions powering them, and release them. By doing so, the patient should become more able to address any underlying problems their sub-personalities may have been trying to protect them from. Ultimately, a patient discovers ways to manage internal and external conflicts on their own, through techniques such as relaxation exercises, journaling, and making charts depicting the relationships between their core Self and their distinct parts.
Does Internal Family Systems therapy work?
IFS therapy has been shown to help people address conditions such as depression, anxiety, panic, fears and phobias, trauma, and substance use disorders. Some research has also found that it can help individuals deal with symptoms of physical health conditions like rheumatoid arthritis, such as pain, everyday functioning, depressive feelings, and low self-compassion. There are some conditions for which IFS treatment, specifically discussions of one’s “parts,” may be less appropriate, such as schizophrenia or other states that involve psychosis or paranoia.
How long does Internal Family Systems therapy take?
As with most forms of talk therapy, there is no set duration or end point for IFS therapy. After becoming comfortable with a therapist and the core concepts of IFS, some patients quickly make progress. While experiences vary, most will find that it is a relatively longer-term therapy, involving months and sometimes years of sessions.