Therapists in Dimond District, Oakland, CA

My goal is to help clients achieve success while going through struggles and life challenges. I have experience treating children, adolescents, couples and families who are affected by domestic violence, drugs and alcohol abuse. I also work with individuals who have anxiety, depression and mood disorders. I use Cognitive Behavioral Therapy as my primary form of treatment. I offer support and various techniques to help clients cope or change behaviors that will benefit them moving forward.

As Psychology Today's "Ask Our Therapist" columnist and executive director/psychologist for our Ask Our Therapist online service, every day I learn about and respond to the very diverse and meaningful struggles that people share.

You don't have to struggle with day-to-day life difficulties alone. Are you facing personal growth blocks, depression, anxiety, self-esteem, grief/ loss, life transitions, family challenges, health or injury problems, work stress, or other types of emotional pains? My clients are diverse and I take the time to get to know your unique needs and goals. My approach is warm, sincere, and direct. You can expect a safe space to express yourself, relief from overwhelming thoughts and emotions, learn tools and get the right support to aid in healing. We can work together to help you regain balance in your life and feel empowered.

Your being on this site reflects your hope that at a time of vulnerability your can find someone who will assist and accompany you through your pain. I believe that everyone, no matter if they are dealing with depression, anxiety, or have been through intense abuse and/or neglect have within them a deeper part of themselves that is untouched and whole. Together we alleviate shame, fear and aloneness so that you can go beyond your defenses, explore your inner life and have new experiences that allow for your ability to tap into your healing and adaptive aspects of yourself.

The goal of our therapeutic work together is for you to feel better in an ongoing way and to gain the tools you need to address the stressors that bring you to therapy. When you feel more settled within yourself you gain more clarity and direction in your decisions and actions. With a holistic approach and a deep understanding of the process of healing and growth, I offer skilled support and insight. We work together to connect to your inner compass, allowing you to access your resilience so you can meet the small and big challenges in your life and support your loved ones and community.

Evening and weekend appointments are available! If you are looking for help to rediscover, remember, and grow into the person you wish to be and need support and help to get there, I would feel privileged to be on that journey with you. I focus on honoring your knowledge and experiences in the hope of creating an empowering environment where you benefit from the freedom to discover your strengths, resiliencies, and courage. I consider the many ways you have come to know and understand yourself and your relationships to others, taking into account your culture, history, and identity.

I work collaboratively with adults, children and families across the lifespan to co-create a therapeutic relationship that helps them to recognize behavior and thinking that no longer works and to discover new options for living. Using a relational, non-judgmental and compassionate approach, I help people who are navigating difficult life transitions, struggling with relationships, working through grief and loss and adjusting to living with physical or mental illnesses, including addictions. I utilize sand tray therapy and expressive arts in my work with both children and adults.

Axis Mundi would like to present Rish Sanghvi. Rish is a Marriage and Family Therapist Trainee, supervised by Elysha Martinez, LMFT 93493. The supervisor works with Rish to help develop clinical skills and ensure that they provide quality care to you.) I believe in your wholeness, and your ability to heal what needs to be healed. My aim is to help you make contact with and fully accept the disowned, hidden, or feared parts of yourself. Along the way, we will uncover meaningful insights, and alchemize your experiences to create clarity of action, emotional release, or equanimity, guided by your inner intelligence.

I am passionate about supporting people in addressing a range of different challenges that may be impacting their lives. I believe that people are inherently resilient, and that building a strong therapeutic relationship can help you access both existing strengths and build new ones. While I may be an expert in a particular therapeutic model, you are an expert in your experience, and our ability to work together using evidence-based practices will help you reach your goals. I will take an active approach in your care by collaboratively building rapport and tailoring your care to meet your unique needs.

People often come to me after trying a lot of different approaches to improve their mental health. Creative people. Queers. Folks with complex cultural identities. Sensitive souls. People who feel like outsiders at their core. People who feel stuck in ways that are difficult to articulate. Using various therapeutic modalities, including mindfulness, Esalen-trained Gestalt therapy, transpersonal therapy, and somatically informed attachment relational work I help them find ways to feel better and engage with their lives in newer, deeper ways. I assist them in finding a softer place to land and a sense of trust within themselves.

I help people to live the life they dream of living.

Sometimes it is difficult to know how to move through the waves of life’s challenges. Anxiety, self-esteem issues, grief and loss, perfectionism, and relationship concerns can all disconnect us from staying present to ourselves and grounded in the knowledge that we are not alone. Being open to support is a brave and powerful starting place. Whatever your life experience or transition, I look forward to being your ally as we work to deepen your self-knowledge, self-trust, and self-compassion.

When individuals, couples, families or children make the difficult decision to come to therapy they are usually feeling stuck and often scared. Each of us has our own strength and wisdom which we don't see when we are troubled. My goal is for us to work together to rediscover those qualities. I use a cattail plant as a symbol of how I see therapy. Why? Cattails are found stuck in a marsh and often regarded as weeds. But when looked at carefully they are graceful and strong. Let me help you find your strength and grace.

The single most consistent predictor of success in therapy is the relationship between therapist and client. I prioritize creating a trusting relationship. My approach is collaborative, relational, and interactive. I balance listening deeply with gently challenging clients to make meaningful change. I am not a therapist who sits back silently. I also do not presume that any given technique or my own experience hold all the answers in our journey together. Rather, I draw on evidence-based, relational practices, more than a decade of clinical practice, and your lived experience, cultural and personal practices, beliefs, and values.

I'm particularly interested in providing psychoeducation, support and family psychotherapy with the parents, siblings, adult children and close family friends of adults who experience psychiatric and/or substance abuse symptoms. They have often neglected their own needs in the wake of the intense focus they have placed on their troubled loved ones, and they may be overwhelmed and confused by the symptoms, medications, diagnoses, systems of care and treatment options available. We can start with three to five sessions to review symptoms, medications, and the general understandings that the family has already gained.

Making the choice to seek therapy can be both a challenging and rewarding endeavor. Combating systemic, institutional, and individual racism in everyday life can be exhausting, isolating, frustrating, and stressful. Professional environments often act as silos of misunderstanding, micro-aggression, and veiled discrimination. Family and spousal disputes, community violence, financial struggle, personal trauma, as well as growing up and raising children in the context of white supremacy structures can be taxing. It is crucial that you have support and guidance from a therapist who can relate to the issues that you are struggling with.

Relationships are as important to us as food and water. They can strengthen us, like a vitamin, or weaken us, like the flu. You are only as good in relationships as the relationships you have been in. As your therapist I can assist you in many ways. I can help you learn more about yourself, increase both self-compassion and compassion for others, and heal past trauma. Together, we can explore how to feel more connected to yourself, your values, and people you care about.

As someone navigating the world between cultures, ethnicities, and labels, you have been given the gift of insight, adaptability, and attunement. You can see what others don't, and are highly sensitive to what goes unspoken or unacknowledged. The gift of being adaptable in any environment can be a major strength, and it also presents a challenge.  ​When we are highly skilled at anticipating, understanding, and accommodating the feelings and needs of others, it is easy to lose sight of what is most important for our own physical, mental, and emotional well being.

Through counseling, I support individuals, couples and families to identify patterns in behavior and communication. Our work together will be collaborative and strengths-based. It will encourage shifts in the family to promote healthy expression of emotions and communication to improve relationships. I use a directive style of communication and an active and integrative approach. I encourage parents, caregivers and other family members to be involved in the therapeutic process.