Chronic Pain Therapists in El Cerrito, CA
Do you struggle with life transitions, worry, anxiety, stress, depression, late-life depression, fear, anger, trauma, chronic pain, wanting to stop drinking or using, but you can't stay stopped?
I believe that you can improve how you feel about life, and that personal growth is possible. Over the years, I have worked with foster children, within LGBT and community mental health clinics, with those struggling with depression, anxiety, chronic pain, brain injuries, chronic mental illness, homelessness, sobriety, and a variety of other addictions.
Do you struggle with life transitions, worry, anxiety, stress, depression, late-life depression, fear, anger, trauma, chronic pain, wanting to stop drinking or using, but you can't stay stopped?
I believe that you can improve how you feel about life, and that personal growth is possible. Over the years, I have worked with foster children, within LGBT and community mental health clinics, with those struggling with depression, anxiety, chronic pain, brain injuries, chronic mental illness, homelessness, sobriety, and a variety of other addictions.
I'm Jessica Balderas, a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. I am beyond passionate about helping people find their ultimate sense of fulfillment and become their best selves. I focus creating on a warm, non-judgmental, genuine vibe in hopes to create a space where clients can let their guard down, be themselves, and start their healing journey.I take a real-world, client-centered approach to therapy, combining elements of relational attachment theory, CBT, solution-focused therapy, and art therapy to create a truly unique and transformative experience.
I'm Jessica Balderas, a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. I am beyond passionate about helping people find their ultimate sense of fulfillment and become their best selves. I focus creating on a warm, non-judgmental, genuine vibe in hopes to create a space where clients can let their guard down, be themselves, and start their healing journey.I take a real-world, client-centered approach to therapy, combining elements of relational attachment theory, CBT, solution-focused therapy, and art therapy to create a truly unique and transformative experience.
My ideal clients are adults and couples who feel stuck in painful patterns and want more than coping—they want real change and deeper understanding. Many are carrying early attachment wounds, developmental trauma, or the effects of overwhelming life experiences that shape how they relate, regulate emotions, and feel safe with others. I work with individuals dealing with anxiety or disconnection, couples caught in cycles of conflict or distance, and individuals recovering from or living with the aftermath of psychosis or destabilizing altered states who are seeking steady, respectful support.
My ideal clients are adults and couples who feel stuck in painful patterns and want more than coping—they want real change and deeper understanding. Many are carrying early attachment wounds, developmental trauma, or the effects of overwhelming life experiences that shape how they relate, regulate emotions, and feel safe with others. I work with individuals dealing with anxiety or disconnection, couples caught in cycles of conflict or distance, and individuals recovering from or living with the aftermath of psychosis or destabilizing altered states who are seeking steady, respectful support.
Maybe you've spent so much of your life becoming who everyone else needed you to be that you've forgotten what it feels like to simply be yourself. You may look like you're holding it all together, yet something inside still feels disconnected, heavy, or missing.
Maybe you've spent so much of your life becoming who everyone else needed you to be that you've forgotten what it feels like to simply be yourself. You may look like you're holding it all together, yet something inside still feels disconnected, heavy, or missing.
Life can be challenging when we can't break the cycle of anxiety, self-criticism, worry, sadness or frustration, or when we simply feel an intolerable sense of overwhelm. And when we can't figure out how to move forward, working with a therapist is a great choice. With an attentive therapist you will likely feel less alone, and problems that used to feel insurmountable may begin to feel much more manageable. You might be surprised that when you and your therapist examine difficulties from new angles, you will grow and change in ways you never expected.
Life can be challenging when we can't break the cycle of anxiety, self-criticism, worry, sadness or frustration, or when we simply feel an intolerable sense of overwhelm. And when we can't figure out how to move forward, working with a therapist is a great choice. With an attentive therapist you will likely feel less alone, and problems that used to feel insurmountable may begin to feel much more manageable. You might be surprised that when you and your therapist examine difficulties from new angles, you will grow and change in ways you never expected.
I am a psychotherapist in private practice in the East Bay since 1996. I offer a non-judgmental therapeutic relationship where individuals, couples or families can find self acceptance, safety, access insight and intuition, and cultivate an attitude of kindness toward the self and others. Recovery from trauma, working on communication and relationships, overcoming addiction, spiritual self-development and healing, and coping with depression/stress from major life transitions are common themes. I have taught and supervised therapists in training at various local agencies. I also have a background in holistic and shamanic healing.
I am a psychotherapist in private practice in the East Bay since 1996. I offer a non-judgmental therapeutic relationship where individuals, couples or families can find self acceptance, safety, access insight and intuition, and cultivate an attitude of kindness toward the self and others. Recovery from trauma, working on communication and relationships, overcoming addiction, spiritual self-development and healing, and coping with depression/stress from major life transitions are common themes. I have taught and supervised therapists in training at various local agencies. I also have a background in holistic and shamanic healing.
Would you like to feel more present in life and more secure in relationships? I have helped many to move past difficult experiences to reconnect with the beauty of life. My treatment focus is helping people to effect change through making different life choices, and on therapy as a working partnership. Trained in both traditional and holistic understandings of mind-body-spirit, my experience includes private practice; crisis work; directorships at mental health agencies; supervision of student therapists; and consultation for providers and organizations. I also integrate spiritual and energy healing perspectives when appropriate.
Would you like to feel more present in life and more secure in relationships? I have helped many to move past difficult experiences to reconnect with the beauty of life. My treatment focus is helping people to effect change through making different life choices, and on therapy as a working partnership. Trained in both traditional and holistic understandings of mind-body-spirit, my experience includes private practice; crisis work; directorships at mental health agencies; supervision of student therapists; and consultation for providers and organizations. I also integrate spiritual and energy healing perspectives when appropriate.
I specialize in working with anxiety, depression, complex trauma, chronic illness and relationship challenges.
Are you feeling stuck, anxious, or disconnected, from yourself, your relationships or your life? Or you've done therapy before, gained real insight, and still feel like something deeper hasn't moved. Together, we go beneath the surface, into the patterns that live not just in your mind, but in your body and nervous system, often rooted in early relational experiences. We slow things down and track your internal world in real time: physical sensations, emotional responses, the protective strategies your system built in order to survive. Those strategies helped you once. They may be limiting you now.
I specialize in working with anxiety, depression, complex trauma, chronic illness and relationship challenges.
Are you feeling stuck, anxious, or disconnected, from yourself, your relationships or your life? Or you've done therapy before, gained real insight, and still feel like something deeper hasn't moved. Together, we go beneath the surface, into the patterns that live not just in your mind, but in your body and nervous system, often rooted in early relational experiences. We slow things down and track your internal world in real time: physical sensations, emotional responses, the protective strategies your system built in order to survive. Those strategies helped you once. They may be limiting you now.
Whether you or your child struggle with depression, anxiety, phobias, trauma, grief, life transitions, addiction or other conditions, I would be honored to accompany you or your loved ones on your healing journey. Our work will focus on creating the safety and acceptance that allows for change. Because our lives are shaped by the culture in which we live, we can also consider the social forces that may have shaped you, including racial, gender, and class biases.
Whether you or your child struggle with depression, anxiety, phobias, trauma, grief, life transitions, addiction or other conditions, I would be honored to accompany you or your loved ones on your healing journey. Our work will focus on creating the safety and acceptance that allows for change. Because our lives are shaped by the culture in which we live, we can also consider the social forces that may have shaped you, including racial, gender, and class biases.
The problems you might be facing may have to do with love and loss, difficulty with friendships and/or work relations, career decisions, trauma or abuse, physical illness or disabilities.
I focus a good deal on problematic feelings and experiences both in the here and now, how they will show up in our relationship, as well as how they originated in your earlier life. When I work with someone the goal is for genuine change.
The problems you might be facing may have to do with love and loss, difficulty with friendships and/or work relations, career decisions, trauma or abuse, physical illness or disabilities.
I focus a good deal on problematic feelings and experiences both in the here and now, how they will show up in our relationship, as well as how they originated in your earlier life. When I work with someone the goal is for genuine change.
Rev. Stonesinger Kathryn Buys
Marriage & Family Therapist, MFT, ACSP
1 Endorsed
El Cerrito, CA 94530
You may not consider yourself “spiritual” or "creative & you might just want the pain to go away.
If you are a woman ready for more happiness, more peace, & a greater sense of choice, I am here to guide you on your way. Your depression, anxiety, or relationship challenges may be signals that something greater is around the corner. If they persist, though, it’s a good time to find someone who can re-orient you so that you’re on the path of a joyful life, a life of intention, a life where empowerment and “yes!” are within reach. I work with women who feel even just a slight spark of knowing that this path might be available. We may start with mindfulness & how to cope with the effects of trauma and depression so you can thrive.
You may not consider yourself “spiritual” or "creative & you might just want the pain to go away.
If you are a woman ready for more happiness, more peace, & a greater sense of choice, I am here to guide you on your way. Your depression, anxiety, or relationship challenges may be signals that something greater is around the corner. If they persist, though, it’s a good time to find someone who can re-orient you so that you’re on the path of a joyful life, a life of intention, a life where empowerment and “yes!” are within reach. I work with women who feel even just a slight spark of knowing that this path might be available. We may start with mindfulness & how to cope with the effects of trauma and depression so you can thrive.
While I address many personal and situational challenges, my approach is especially effective for ADHD, procrastination, work-related lack of clarity, relationship dissatisfaction and existential anxiety. Rooted in positive psychology and meditation, my work includes 1. virtual sessions focused on creative self-observation, and 2. Somatic manual work for bodily relaxation and awareness when appropriate. I work with people who want to learn what it means to be one with their experience. I sometimes pick up where other psychotherapists may have left off: I aim to teach you FlOW states amid your everyday life.
While I address many personal and situational challenges, my approach is especially effective for ADHD, procrastination, work-related lack of clarity, relationship dissatisfaction and existential anxiety. Rooted in positive psychology and meditation, my work includes 1. virtual sessions focused on creative self-observation, and 2. Somatic manual work for bodily relaxation and awareness when appropriate. I work with people who want to learn what it means to be one with their experience. I sometimes pick up where other psychotherapists may have left off: I aim to teach you FlOW states amid your everyday life.
I see clients for most presenting problems, although I specialize in anxiety, relationship issues, depression, stress, spirituality, and chronic pain/ illness (I published a book entitled, Living Well with a Hidden Disability, on coping with invisible health conditions
Therapy Without the Angst! Therapy doesn't have to take years and be intensely painful. I help clients to develop the skills to feel better soon. I'll teach you to calm your anxious mind, feel more confident, and find meaning in life challenges. As a licensed psychotherapist for over 30 years, I've culled the best of many different techniques, for instance: CBT helps change unproductive thinking and behavior; insight therapy offers awareness; and DBT helps to regulate intense emotions and reactions. I offer not just therapeutic techniques but good-old common sense!
I see clients for most presenting problems, although I specialize in anxiety, relationship issues, depression, stress, spirituality, and chronic pain/ illness (I published a book entitled, Living Well with a Hidden Disability, on coping with invisible health conditions
Therapy Without the Angst! Therapy doesn't have to take years and be intensely painful. I help clients to develop the skills to feel better soon. I'll teach you to calm your anxious mind, feel more confident, and find meaning in life challenges. As a licensed psychotherapist for over 30 years, I've culled the best of many different techniques, for instance: CBT helps change unproductive thinking and behavior; insight therapy offers awareness; and DBT helps to regulate intense emotions and reactions. I offer not just therapeutic techniques but good-old common sense!
I have a particular focus on: Discovery and conflict related to identity or sexuality; Existential and socio-political burdens; Aging, illness, disability and health anxiety; Inhibitions related to desire and creativity; coping with and making meaning of mental health diagnoses.
It's easy to become numb or defeated in a world that is much too painful. Therapy does not make us feel better all the time but it makes us better at feeling. It's worth it. Because when we are responsive to our inner lives, we are able to act on our desires and to live meaningfully with intractable problems.
I welcome your messiness and darkness while being equally curious about your distinctiveness and creativity. The relationship we develop can be a space of self-observation and experimentation. The purpose is to find a greater sense of connection with ourselves, with others and, finally, with aliveness itself.
I have a particular focus on: Discovery and conflict related to identity or sexuality; Existential and socio-political burdens; Aging, illness, disability and health anxiety; Inhibitions related to desire and creativity; coping with and making meaning of mental health diagnoses.
It's easy to become numb or defeated in a world that is much too painful. Therapy does not make us feel better all the time but it makes us better at feeling. It's worth it. Because when we are responsive to our inner lives, we are able to act on our desires and to live meaningfully with intractable problems.
I welcome your messiness and darkness while being equally curious about your distinctiveness and creativity. The relationship we develop can be a space of self-observation and experimentation. The purpose is to find a greater sense of connection with ourselves, with others and, finally, with aliveness itself.
I enjoy working with people in transition, whether it be students heading off to college, twenty-somethings learning to live as adults in the world, people entering new relationships or professions, separating or divorcing from partners, or those in later stages of life who are letting go of their identities and seek new ways of being.
Areas of specialty: Depression, grief, life transitions, breakups, navigating college, anxiety, addiction, 12-step recovery, codependency, trauma, athletic performance, being a caregiver, and the existential anxieties brought on by living in a time of social, political and environmental crisis.
I enjoy working with people in transition, whether it be students heading off to college, twenty-somethings learning to live as adults in the world, people entering new relationships or professions, separating or divorcing from partners, or those in later stages of life who are letting go of their identities and seek new ways of being.
Areas of specialty: Depression, grief, life transitions, breakups, navigating college, anxiety, addiction, 12-step recovery, codependency, trauma, athletic performance, being a caregiver, and the existential anxieties brought on by living in a time of social, political and environmental crisis.
You may be suffering from inexplicable sadness or anxiety, or problems focusing. You might feel blocked in achieving your creative or work goals and want to figure out what is getting in your way. You might be having health problems and need help sorting out how what is truly out of your control or what might be stress related. I have specialized training in psychodynamic psychotherapy which allows me to listen with special attention to unconscious processes. I am also a graduate of the Psychoanalytic Couples Psychotherapy Group and help many couples navigate difficult patches in their relationships.
You may be suffering from inexplicable sadness or anxiety, or problems focusing. You might feel blocked in achieving your creative or work goals and want to figure out what is getting in your way. You might be having health problems and need help sorting out how what is truly out of your control or what might be stress related. I have specialized training in psychodynamic psychotherapy which allows me to listen with special attention to unconscious processes. I am also a graduate of the Psychoanalytic Couples Psychotherapy Group and help many couples navigate difficult patches in their relationships.
Ruby (she/her/hers) is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW 101630) who brings a decade of experience supporting youth, young adults, caregivers, families, and individuals navigate loss and attachment ruptures, anxiety, depression, ADHD, trauma, family conflict, life stressors, and the life cycle. Ruby approaches her sessions with warmth, humility, and a strengths-based lens, valuing collaboration, authenticity, and creativity.
Ruby (she/her/hers) is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW 101630) who brings a decade of experience supporting youth, young adults, caregivers, families, and individuals navigate loss and attachment ruptures, anxiety, depression, ADHD, trauma, family conflict, life stressors, and the life cycle. Ruby approaches her sessions with warmth, humility, and a strengths-based lens, valuing collaboration, authenticity, and creativity.
I use an integrative model with trainings in DBT, CBT, MBRP, Substance Abuse, Hypnotherapy, Psychosynthesis, Mindfulness, Pain Management, Art and Somatic awareness.
Sometimes life feels too challenging and we need support to help sift through what is slowing us down from achieving a full, meaningful life. I will offer you a respectful, safe, collaborative environment in which to explore and move through difficult emotions, behaviors and reactions. You are the expert of your own life and my role is to guide you towards remembering and recognizing your innate capacity and offer tools and resources to support your process. My experience of 25 years in working across the lifespan with teens, adults, elders, couples and families informs the care I offer.
I use an integrative model with trainings in DBT, CBT, MBRP, Substance Abuse, Hypnotherapy, Psychosynthesis, Mindfulness, Pain Management, Art and Somatic awareness.
Sometimes life feels too challenging and we need support to help sift through what is slowing us down from achieving a full, meaningful life. I will offer you a respectful, safe, collaborative environment in which to explore and move through difficult emotions, behaviors and reactions. You are the expert of your own life and my role is to guide you towards remembering and recognizing your innate capacity and offer tools and resources to support your process. My experience of 25 years in working across the lifespan with teens, adults, elders, couples and families informs the care I offer.
Welcome! I specialize in relationships, work and parenting. I’m warm, creative, supportive & smart. I like to help people in life transitions. These are hard times. If you’re feeling alone, overwhelmed, upset or worried about the future, let me help. We collaborate to address the hard things in your life, discover your unique abilities & strengths & create a path toward your dreams and goals. I am a licensed psychotherapist with 30 + years’ experience working with people from age 2 to 100. I create space where you can feel comfortable expressing feelings & exploring difficult issues. We transform you’re goals into do-able steps.
Welcome! I specialize in relationships, work and parenting. I’m warm, creative, supportive & smart. I like to help people in life transitions. These are hard times. If you’re feeling alone, overwhelmed, upset or worried about the future, let me help. We collaborate to address the hard things in your life, discover your unique abilities & strengths & create a path toward your dreams and goals. I am a licensed psychotherapist with 30 + years’ experience working with people from age 2 to 100. I create space where you can feel comfortable expressing feelings & exploring difficult issues. We transform you’re goals into do-able steps.
As a therapist for over thirty years, the focus of my work is helping people to create and sustain healthy relationships, and to learn how to thrive in their lives. I listen carefully to the nuances of what you say and don't say, and help you to become more aware of your unconscious beliefs and the energy that you hold in your body that may be an obstacle to your creating the life and relationships that you yearn for. Together, we take the journey of understanding and resolving what is in your way, so that you can discover new pathways to live your life with more joy, ease and connection.
As a therapist for over thirty years, the focus of my work is helping people to create and sustain healthy relationships, and to learn how to thrive in their lives. I listen carefully to the nuances of what you say and don't say, and help you to become more aware of your unconscious beliefs and the energy that you hold in your body that may be an obstacle to your creating the life and relationships that you yearn for. Together, we take the journey of understanding and resolving what is in your way, so that you can discover new pathways to live your life with more joy, ease and connection.
See more therapy options for El Cerrito
Nearby Chronic Pain Therapists Searches for El Cerrito
- Albany
- Belvedere Tiburon
- Berkeley
- Emeryville
- Hercules
- Kensington
- Oakland
- Orinda
- Piedmont
- Pinole
- Richmond
- Tiburon
Chronic Pain Therapists
How does chronic pain therapy work?
Engaging with a psychotherapist to help treat chronic pain does not mean that one’s pain is all in their head. Therapy for chronic-pain patients has been shown to benefit both the mind and the body, targeting physical symptoms and increasing daily functioning. In other words, for many, addressing their emotional health through therapy affects their physical health. A therapist can help a client challenge unhelpful thoughts about pain and develop new ways to respond to it, such as distraction or calming breathing techniques. Studies have found that therapy can be as effective as surgery for certain cases of chronic pain and many doctors recommend trying psychotherapy in advance of considering invasive surgery.
What are the most effective treatment options for chronic pain?
Stress, anxiety, depression, catastrophizing, ruminating, lack of activity, and social withdrawal all make chronic pain worse. Addressing these issues, research shows, can help people gain control over their pain symptoms. Therapeutic approaches such as cognitive behavioral therapy, biofeedback, and mindfulness-based stress reduction, along with greater pain-management education, have been found to help people reduce fear and disability.
Are there new treatments for chronic pain?
Many cases of chronic pain, particularly those involving back pain, remain medically unexplained. But there is evidence that changes in the brain or nervous system are caused by previous physical ailments such as tissue damage; in such cases, the brain may continue to send out pain signals despite the physical cause having healed. To aid patients under these circumstances, a recently developed treatment known as pain reprocessing therapy (PRT) is designed to help the brain “unlearn” this response. A PRT practitioner helps individuals to reduce the “threat value” of their ongoing pain signals until they can reappraise them as less threatening and fear-inducing. They also help an individual to develop new emotional regulation skills.
How long does therapy for chronic pain take?
There is no set timeline for recovery from chronic pain, especially as there may be a range of physical and psychological causes for any individual’s discomfort, but most patients should expect to see a therapist for a number of weeks or months, typically spanning at least 12 sessions. Studies of pain reprocessing therapy found that many individuals’ experience of pain lessened in eight sessions over four weeks.