Parenting Therapists in Berkeley, CA

My priority is to help you develop insight, confidence, and connection. With an approach that is respectful, warm, and direct, I will help you better understand yourself and your current circumstances. Together, we will examine intergenerational patterns, unconscious dynamics, and how you developed your innermost beliefs. With extensive training in treating trauma, I will help you better understand the ways difficult and even tragic experiences influence your relationships, parenting , and self-worth. My approach is rooted in attachment theory, child development, object relations, and trauma research.

I am a seasoned Psychologist with over 20+ years of community mental health, private practice and organizational experience. I have worked with hundreds of children, adults and families in a variety of mental health settings in the Bay Area including Seneca Family of Agencies and A Better Way, Inc. both prominent East Bay Child and Family organizations. I currently work as a part-time staff Psychologist with Kaiser Permanente’s Child and Family Department of Psychiatry, where I provide assessment and therapeutic services to children and families.

As an experienced Licensed MFT, I offer a full range of psychotherapy services for men, women, adolescents, couples, and families. I founded The Men's Center for Counseling and Psychotherapy in 1984 in order to focus upon the psychological and emotional lives of men and boys. I particularly enjoy helping folks struggling with cross-cultural issues. My practice also includes work with women, girls, and couples of all persuasions. As an interactive therapist, I join my clients as they explore complex, often contradictory, intrapsychic forces. I bring humor, warmth, empathy, common-sense, and a genuine curiosity to the therapeutic encounter.

If you are coping with anxiety, sadness, relationship conflict, stress, or parenting challenges I help you manage difficult feelings and reduce your suffering. If you and your partner can't talk without arguing, have lost trust, or lost the spark and want to connect we'll identify what's keeping you from being close and develop the secure connection you want. If you are having trouble getting pregnant or needing help from outside parties to create your family we'll work through any difficult feelings and explore your options for family building so you can make decisions that build your family and fit your values.

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.

We at the Bay Area Center for Children love helping families and children of all ages through difficult times. Whether your child is struggling with acting out behaviors such as defiance or hyperactivity, or internalizing problems like depression or anxiety, we can help.

Susan, a seasoned divorce and family therapist, co- parenting and family mediator, invites individuals facing challenges in co- parenting , divorce or building healthy dating relationships to join her online support groups. In these confidential and empathetic spaces, participants can share experiences, gain insights from Susan, and connect with their peers. Susan's groups cater to specific needs, offering expert-led sessions, personal coaching, strategies, and ongoing support to empower clients on their unique journeys.

I am the therapist for the working professional and their families. I am available to accept new clients. I provide Problem Solving Strategic Therapy and Solution-Focused Therapy, Somatic Psychotherapy, Career and work related Coaching and Leadership Development. I work with high functioning adults and adolescents, individuals and families; with students on performance and anxiety issues; with couples to improve communication and emotional connection/intimacy. Trying to conceive, Pregnancy, Postpartum and Parenting . I work in California for therapy; globally for coaching.

My therapeutic style is approachable, warm, curious, and, when necessary, challenging. I draw from my training in the lineage of Gestalt Therapy, working in the 'here and now' to find out how we can create growth and change. I also use tools from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy when appropriate to help develop awareness for effective change. We will work collaboratively to see how you can learn respond to your environment with greater freedom and choice, where you can see possibilities and turn them into actualities. I'm here to support you in becoming your best self.

You always knew you wanted to be a parent . It was easy to imagine the experiences you'd have with your kids- dinners discussing your day, cheering them on from the soccer field, holidays building memories... What you didn't plan for was the weight of your responsibilities. It's so hard to be present and tuned in when your mind is racing from one to-do list to the next. When you're so exhausted that you want to just lay on the couch. When the demands placed upon you feel insurmountable. All you want is to respond with patience, but you are irritated, stressed, and have no idea how to begin getting your life back to balanced.

A clinical and developmental psychologist with over 35 years experience, I work with adults, parents and children from birth through adolescence. Development is a continual balance of equilibrium and disequilibrium; a lifelong process as our bodies, brains, relationships and societal expectations change. The discomfort, vulnerability and negative emotions that arise from life's challenges are the source of growth and change. From infancy on, we all have an inner vitality into which therapy can allow us to tap. Therapy provides a safe protected space that nurtures exploration, reflection, growth and change.

When people are stuck at critical life crossroads they sometimes need a clear sounding board. I help clients think through important decisions and make choices that let them move forward. Much of my work has centered on relationship conflicts, life transitions, depression, anxiety, parenting , and assertiveness development. I ultimately assist clients in leading authentic lives of their choosing.

Conflicts in our relationships, parenting hurdles, stress, loneliness, grief, and old emotional wounds can block us from fully enjoying our lives and our loves. With warmth and humor, I actively guide and support clients to reach their therapeutic goals. As a certified Emotionally Focused Therapist I am highly skilled at assisting couples to identify the patten of communication that keeps them stuck, explore its roots, normalize it, and transform it so that each person can reach for the other in a new, more heartfelt way.

Are you worried about your child? Are they having trouble in school? Not making friends? Has being a parent become really stressful? Parenting is always a challenge and can be even harder if your child is having emotional or behavioral difficulties. My goals are to help children reach their maximum potential emotionally, socially, and behaviorally and help parents be empowered and have more effective parenting skills. I specialize in working with children who have emotional, behavioral and academic difficulties including ADHD, anxiety, depression, poor frustration tolerance, loss of a loved one, trauma, family conflict, and interpersonal relationship difficulties.

As our world re-opens, many people are experiencing anxiety, depression, and stress due to recent social isolation and the unpredictability of the future. It can be a highly stressful time for people re-entering the world and for parents and teens. I provide individual adult therapy, teen/young adult therapy, and parent coaching. I am knowledgeable with non-traditional family structures (single parent , multiple caregiver, polyamorous, & LGBT families), transgender adolescent/child issues, anxiety, and neurodiversity . I’ve also begun working with the emotional effects of long Covid and chronic fatigue.

At any age, there are developmental, transitional and often unexpected circumstances that challenge us in life. Be it aspects of parenting , the social or emotional challenges of being a child or teenager, or concerns about life transitions as an adult, my approach is safe and comfortable. I work from a place of patience, sincerity, humor and nonjudgement. I want the counseling experience for my clients to feel helpful, worthwhile and to be a journey to better understanding and personal growth.

Are you feeling heartbroken or utterly confused by a romantic relationship? Are you a parent who is endlessly stirred up by your child's behavior? I offer an opportunity to utilize heartbreak in service of growth and to begin to untangle the reality of your current relationships from the residue of your history. I challenge parents to advocate for their own needs while also strongly considering the needs of their children. I teach them how to facilitate the full expression of emotion in children. In light of a great deal of training and personal experience I bring a deep respect for the unknown and a willingness to land in mystery.

I strive to create an authentic connection with my clients so we can develop an effective partnership in which healing, trying on new ways of thinking, and exploring change can happen safely. I believe that the foundation of mutual trust, empathy, and curiosity that I create with my clients will help them build meaningful relationships with others, mend old wounds, and learn more about themselves and how they contribute to their struggles. Helping my clients see themselves through a new lens will help them achieve the growth and fulfillment they want in their lives. Please don't hesitate to call for help.

I work with individuals, couples, and families, on facilitating communication, conflict resolution, and often healing old wounds from childhood that cause difficulties in present relationships. I also work with children and their families on parenting issues. I work with couples having infertility issues and adoption.