Therapists in Upper Dimond, Oakland, CA

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Different seasons of life reveal different needs, hopes, and concerns in each of us. What worked for us as children or young adults may not fit as well in a different season, yet many of us find it hard to make the internal shifts to find something that fits better. We can get stuck, internally or externally, and experience stress and discontent as a result. I love working with clients to help them "unstick" and move into their present and future with tools that are a better fit for who they are and want to be. You DO have what you need to move forward into a more joyous, contented life - with just a little support and guidance.

Are you dealing with daily anxiety, sadness, stress, trauma or difficult life transitions? Want peace in your life, but can't seem to attain it? Day to day we can be confronted with new challenges, stressors, and mental exhaustion. It is common to experience a range of emotional challenges individually or within your relationships during various phases of your life. Sometimes you just need a safe place to release and restore. I am committed to providing you a safe, supportive and confidential environment for your restoration and healing.

The last few years have been especially difficult and if you are feeling stressed, anxious, run down or depressed you are definitely not alone; and there is help. I support folks in navigating anxiety, depression, trauma, attachment wounds, grief and loss, relationship issues and life transitions in order to find more balance and peace in their lives. I combine warmth, authenticity, compassion and cultural responsiveness to cultivate a space where you can feel safe to process difficult emotions, learn new skills, and increase your sense of balance between mind, body and spirit.

Hi there, I'm Manoj Kumar! I am a licensed marriage and family therapist who works with adults and young adults on a range of issues including anxiety, depression, cultural stress, relationship issues, trauma, and PTSD. I employ techniques from CBT, DBT, Mindfulness, Psychodynamic therapy, Existential therapy, and Solution-focused therapy modalities. I help my clients overcome their stress and anxiety so they can be more productive and enjoy their life. I believe that evidence-based therapeutic practices are very useful in dealing with symptoms of mental illnesses which cause stress and discomfort.

The people that find the best success in working with me are: looking for insight into their behaviors & choices in life, who want to get to the root of the “why” & make changes from there; have lost someone or experienced a life transition & want an empathic, realistic, relational way of working with grief; want to unpack childhood trauma & unhealed wounds to prevent their pain from emotionally hurting others in relationship; navigate the world as a Highly Sensitive Person or with neurodivergence; are interested in the process of long term, insight focused therapy for the betterment of their relationships to self & others.

I have created a unique approach to helping people change. My goal is to honor and respect your individuality and to empower you to access your internal resources and infinite potential for growth and healing. I use hypnosis, guided imagery, dream work, somatic awareness and meditation as well as psychodynamic, cognitive and behavioral approaches. I will make you a tape and teach you to use hypnosis to overcome anxiety and depression, stop smoking, change unwanted habits, control pain, improve performance, enhance self-esteem and deepen spirituality.

Have you tried to stop looking at porn but can't? Have secrets sapped the trust and respect from your relationship? Do memories of past hurts intrude into the present? Infidelity, porn, or sex addiction -- and the shame that comes along with it -- can take away our voice. Let's talk and make sure you're heard. I have helped many individuals and couples develop healthy sexuality and rebuild trust. It would be my honor to walk alongside you.