Therapists in Berkeley, CA

We are all born whole, in lovingkind perfection. But life produces obstacles that sidetrack our becoming ourselves. Obstacles take any forms: trauma in the body, inauthentic identities, existential fears, beliefs indoctrinated but in conflict with one's essential values, or anxiety that something is wrong with oneself. The result can be alienation, grief, substance use issues, depression, anxiety, difficulty connecting, or incapacity to speak or create from the heart. Reconnecting with ones body, the natural world, and with an unconditional community are the foundations re-emerging into the Self you've always been.

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.

Though I work with everyone, and all are welcome, always, I specialize in working with adolescent teens and adult men. Emphasizing mindfulness, my work is particularly effective in dealing with patterns of substance use or other addictive tendencies, social anxiety, ADHD, and important life transitions. Rather than having my own agenda, I appreciate helping clients clarify and compassionately move toward their vision, find meaning through challenge, and gain deeper understanding of their own dilemmas. I also enjoy helping people learn to communicate authentically with their loved ones in ways that help change detrimental patterns.

It takes courage to accept and seek help and set out on your recovery journey. My focus in our work will be on meeting you where you are at and in creating a safe, non-judgmental space where we can collaborate and explore what can be helpful in addressing your needs, wants, and barriers to getting them met.

For 25 years, I have assisted people with a variety of addictions, from the exogenous abuse of drugs and alcohol, to the ones that stem from the chemicals already inside the brain, such as sex and love addiction, abandonment patterns, sexual compulsions, gambling, internet, and workaholism. Unlike most psychotherapists, I’m a Board Certified Addiction Specialist, well versed in both abstinence and harm reduction strategies. Unlike most addiction professionals, I am also psychotherapist who also treats the anxiety, depression, and other psychological issues that often manifest after being uncovered through recovery.

My approach as a relational and somatic therapist is to create a collaborative space to explore your relationship with yourself, others, and the world. We will unearth unconscious beliefs and patterns to help you live a more connected and fulfilling life. Our work together will, hopefully, help you relieve suffering, foster growth, and develop insight in all dimensions of your life.

I offer both short-term and long-term therapy with adults, young adults, and seniors. I have a good deal of experience with grief and loss, depression and anxiety, struggles unique to students (across a variety of ages), and issues particular to the creative process. I welcome individuals who desire adaptability in a therapist, deep empathy, and a collaborative attitude about what works.

Seasoned licensed psychologist with a cognitive behavioral brief psychotherapy theoretical orientation. I serve as a mirror to our community and specialize in trauma, stress management, chemical dependency, domestic violence and family systems. Bienvenidos a mi practica. Somos un cucharon para servir al pueblo. Sirvo como espejo para ayudarle encontrar tu destino.

We seek therapy because at some level we imagine that life could be better. We all suffer in different ways and suffering is universal, but it is precisely that suffering that leads us into a process of discovering how our deepest selves want to be expressed in the world and then to find the inner resources to live that out. In its truest sense, psychotherapy – which means “tending to the soul” – is not only concerned with alleviating symptoms, resolving issues, or adapting to life’s demands (though these are important), but ultimately with living lives that are more joyful, creative and free.

Initiating therapy can understandably feel overwhelming, that’s why I strive to provide a supportive, non-judgmental, and confidential space for clients to explore difficult parts of their lives. At some point many people find that their familiar patterns and habits of relating to others, coping with stress, and being in the world no longer serve them. Clients who see me often feel anxiety, distress in relationships, dissatisfaction at work or school, overwhelm with life transition, and have a wish for more connection and intimacy.

Having been in the field for over 30 years, I consider myself to be a seasoned generalist. I enjoy working with people presenting with a broad range of psychological concerns. Some of my areas of interest and specialty include Sexuality and Gender, Identity Development, Mindfulness, and Spirituality. My work is inclusive and queer-affirming. I enjoy working with relationship dynamics of all types, and my approach is interpersonal and depth oriented.

Hello! Thank you for checking out my site. Please call me if you really want to set yourself up to thrive! As a seasoned therapist, life coach and happiness expert, I can show you how to dramatically improve your coping with stress, re-pattern thinking and habits and take empowered and purpose driven action to achieve lasting peace and happiness. I also can help you to improve your existing relationship or find one that is right for you. I use a holistic approach that considers all the factors affecting your well-being and develops a clear pathway for your wellness.

I offer psychotherapy, personality testing with feedback, and individual treatment of addictions. My approach to therapy is flexible but especially inspired by psychodynamic, Jungian and existential thought. Collaborative assessment means that together you and I would look at the results of tests and interviews to help answer questions you have about yourself, to get to know you more quickly and to focus the therapy. This kind of assessment can be a brief therapeutic intervention in itself. I also have a specialization in working with addictions, with motivational interviewing.

I have always found the more relational and emotionally based this work is then the more rewarding and successful it is for clients and myself. I work with a wide range of clients. Their basic desire is to connect with themselves and others. Of late, it seems, many of my clients are couples; men ; adolescents; and mid-life and elderly of both sexes. Each are addressing important problems and/or transitional stages of life. Our work can be fearful and/or fearless, exciting and/or slow and always the challenge of facing not-knowing, making choices and exploring ourselves.

Jungian Analyst Steven Herrmann, Ph.D., MFT, Montclair, Oakland, California. Are you looking to find ways to make changes in order to live a more satisfying and meaningful life? Are you finding yourself in repetitive patterns that are no longer working for you? Then I may be of assistance to you. I bring an in-depth approach that builds on your strengths and aims to untangle the roots to what is causing problems. This may lead to a reduction in painful symptoms, an opening of vocational possibilities, a newly found sense of joy, and to the transformation of your personality. Please feel free to visit my website at stevenherrmann.com

I'm here to support teenage youth, parents/families, and adults in meeting their emotional, psychological and practical challenges. If you're a teen struggling with school problems, family difficulties or hoping to improve your mood, confidence and relationships, I can assist you in breaking down obstacles and achieving your goals. If you're a parent trying to manage and communicate with your "coming of age" depressed or rebellious adolescent, I provide counsel and safe opportunities to explore the conflicts and confusion that block resolutions.

The dominant culture tells us that speeding up and maximizing convenience will lead to happiness, yet many of us feel more isolated, confused, ashamed and less alive to possibility than ever. The right collaborative relationship with a therapist can offer a path away from fleeting illusions and toward the cultivation of true fulfillment and joy. We can’t alter the past but we can transform our relationship to it. Work begins w/ sharing feelings in a safe space so they become bearable, allowing us to see the dynamics giving rise to them and deepen insight about what needs to change.

Are you looking for an embodied, creative, collaborative, and deeply transformative approach to navigating your life's challenges? My clients are soulful individuals and couples who are serious about healing the root causes of pain and conflict. This journey means connecting with the deep wisdom of your psyche and becoming more courageous, vulnerable, empathic, and accountable in all areas of your life. Many of my clients describe themselves as people for whom talk therapy "hit a wall," and who are looking for a therapist who can help integrate the spiritual process of "waking up" with the emotional process of "growing up."

In this crazy world we all need someone that will underst. Someone who understands what it' like to be lost, confused, hurt, sad or not heard. I, too, have felt that way so I understand. Traumas are the things that haunt our families like ghosts. It is passed from generation to generation and reenacted like a shadow from the past that no one can catch. We barely know it’s there until we see its effects on the world around us. These ghost can be healed and when that happens they can become our family’s ancestors that spread wisdom and love to those around us. I hope that we can catch the ghost in our past and make them our ancestors.