Family Therapy in Grand Lake, Oakland, CA

Finding the right therapist can be hard. Maybe you're facing difficult experiences of grief and loss, serious illness, or family conflict. Maybe you're wrestling with depression or anxiety. Or maybe you just have a general sense that your life has lost meaning and direction. Whatever brings you in, I'll offer a warm-hearted and positive space for us to learn together about your particular situation, and about the possibilities for healing and transformation that can be found within it. Having someone to talk to makes a real difference.

I work with individuals, couples, parents, families and children to develop a therapeutic relationship based on their needs and goals. Through this process, clients get to know themselves better in a safe and supportive environment. I consider therapy a collaborative process that offers unique opportunities to manifest your ideal self through honesty and trust. I draw from the varied types of training and experience I have to find what works best for you and I create a safe space so you can explore the emotions that arise from difficult and painful experiences. I support couples and families in developing empathy, trust, and healthy

Axis Mundi would like to present Inga Chegai. Inga is Marriage and Family Therapist & PCC Associate supervised by Elysha Martinez LMFT93493. I work with trauma, depression, anxiety, abandonment issues, loss of purpose, identity, parts of self, insecurities, anger, PTSD, addiction, patterns in relationship. Most patterns in our responses to events, people and our behaviors are learned. How to unlearn learned behaviors if this is all you know? Why just understanding the problem will not change trauma? How can we use a challenge as a way to see what we need to work on? I can help to find answers to those questions.

I care deeply about supporting clients on their evolving journey towards healing and returning to the truth of who they really are, and I will always honor your autonomy and unique life experiences as essential to your unfolding. Coming from a first-gen immigrant family , I know that our lives can often be impacted by layers of familial/cultural/systemic pressures, intergenerational trauma, and childhood wounding. I hold compassionate space to explore these aspects of experience through a holistic and trauma-informed lens. As an integrative therapist, I use a variety of approaches depending on your preferences.

I am seeking clients who are open to discovering what makes them unique through a creative and imaginative process; Clients whose goals may range from deeper self knowledge, to decreasing experiences with anxiety and depression, to understanding how trauma plays itself out in their relationships, to being able to resource themselves, etc; Clients interested in exploring their strengths as well as their more scary parts. I believe that pain and suffering are normal emotions and healing happens in connection with others; others who can hold and stay with the difficulty and provide curiosity and support.

We all struggle with emotional upheaval during times of stress and transition. Excessive worry, sadness, shame and hopelessness impact our daily lives and those who love us. Couples and families are challenged with the loss of connection and attachment that leads family conflict and a lack of mutually gratifying relationships. By defining our values and our goals we can learn to clarify what is important in our lives and how to enjoy life despite the many challenges we face.

Whether your issues are individual (related to mood, identity, self-growth, etc.) or relational (romantic, family , friendships, work, etc.), I believe that change is possible and strive to offer a supportive, caring, and affirming space for you to explore, heal, thrive, and grow. Together, we'll work in ways that are in-depth and practical, move through challenges, and tap into the strengths that are already within you. It’s important to me that I offer an environment that is free of judgment and oppression, and in which you are fully seen.

I work with people who face challenges that often arise but are not exclusive to the second half of life such as: the trauma of illness & death, caring for aging parents, loss of satisfaction or sense of meaning in relationships and work, loss of a job, and/or loneliness. I also work with folks suffering from love addiction or love avoidance. These challenges can often be baffling and carry symptoms such as depression, fear and anxiety. The rational mind may understand what is going on but somehow the emotional and physical body can't always take solace in rational solutions.

I enjoy in working with; self esteem & worth, trauma healing & recovery, body image & body positivity, disordered eating & relationship to body, belonging as our birthright, transforming deep shame into liberation, body & sex shame, relationships and boundaries, anxiety, stress & hyper-vigilance, nervous system imbalances, life transitions & identity, honoring grief, loss & death, life threatening illness, cancer, auto-immune disease, rites of passage, aging, adolescence, menopause, women's empowerment, highly sensitive people & empaths, people pleasers, intergenerational trauma & ancestral healing, mothering & the mother wound.

Adults/Teens/Families. Bring your anxiety or depression, issues with identity, life purpose and meaning, your trauma, your grief. I draw on 15+ years of experience as a case manager, special educator, and wilderness first responder.

I believe my job is to create a sense of safety in which we can think about the things you might have trouble thinking about. There may be parts of your history that are difficult and frightening to contemplate on your own. Together, we can help you begin to understand yourself, trust yourself, soften toward yourself, validate what is true for you, and eventually accept all the parts of you. I’ll want to understand your current difficulties in the context of your personal and family history, and will listen with curiosity and warmth to understand the way in which your history may be affecting your current situation.

Feeling anxious, overwhelmed, frustrated, or stuck? I can help you find ways to cope with uncomfortable feelings so that you can feel more balance in your daily life and more fulfilling relationships and experiences. Many of us rely on friends and family to help us work through problems, but sometimes our friends or family are part of the problem itself. Or maybe we just don't feel comfortable talking about certain issues with them. Oftentimes we withdraw from our support systems and end up feeling more and more alone.

Experience compassion and open-heartedness in everyday life and freedom from patterns of the past. I see individuals, couples and families with issues of integrating trauma, communication/knowing your truth, healing sexuality/deep connection, infidelity, addiction and family concerns. I help clients find a fuller, more alive life, in partnership with the people and family , chosen or from birth, around them.

We are a group of Marriage and Family Therapists with locations in San Francisco and Oakland. We offer individual, family , and in-class therapy, social skills groups, and consultation and trainings. Whether you are a child, parent, or teacher, we want to empower you to connect deeply with yourself and to help you create meaningful and satisfying relationships. Through the tools of play therapy, hand in hand parenting coaching, and relational psychotherapy we help children and adults reflect, build stronger bonds, and find the inner resources to create the family life you are longing for.

Life can be hard... And we don’t have to do it alone. I work with couples and individuals ranging in issues of anxiety, depression, grief/loss, self esteem, relationships, and parenting. My own painful experiences, and the work I have done to heal, have afforded me the ability to be present and sit with people in their own pain. I have a natural inclination to seek out deep connection with people which informs my work with clients. This can help my clients to deepen connections with others, outside of the room. I work with couples to strengthen connection, deepen intimacy, and find their voice within the partnership.

Are you struggling with behaviors that you know are not good for you? Are you worried and depressed about your life and your relationships? Let me help you sort out your thoughts and feelings and help you get back on track. I also love seeing couples and families. You may bring significant others to your therapy if you wish, to help focus you in your relationship goals.

The clients I work best with are battling with the effects of relational trauma, which can be especially difficult because most of us don’t even know what relational trauma is. You might think you had a happy childhood, but now as an adult you find yourself struggling in relationships of all kinds. You don’t know how to set boundaries. You feel selfish when you put yourself first. You feel guilty giving people negative feedback The bottom line is on a deep level you feel that it’s wrong to be your true self if it will inconvenience someone else.