Therapists in Oakland, CA

I specialize in working with ADHD, HSP, and ASD. Being in our bodies- and being in our world- can be very difficult. This is especially true when when you're a highly sensitive person. My typical client often hears "you're being too much" while also dreading the feeling of not "being enough". I'm here to take a deep dive into what's making you feel like "too much" and highlight the ways you are "just enough for the right people". Typically, my client's goals are to live more comfortably in their sensitive skin, find liberation from shame, and better manage depression and anxiety.

I am the founder of a group practice, California Integrative Counseling Center, located in downtown San Francisco. Our team specializes in treating individuals with ADHD, Autism Spectrum Disorder, mood disorders, career challenges, relationship issues, and those going through life transitions. We provide individual therapy, group therapy for Adults with ADHD, couples therapy, teen therapy, and family therapy.

I have been privileged to have experienced a very diverse clientele. Currently I am accepting clients who are LGBTQ+, neurodivergent, those who are working on trauma or traumatic pasts, 'outside the box' or deep thinkers, and/or those who have lived diverse/alternative lives. When contacting me, please say what about this profile you were interested in, and why you think we might be a good match.

When we are exposed to trauma at an early age, it can seriously impact how we feel about ourselves and our relationships with others. Trauma can also profoundly affect whether we feel this is a safe world and can contribute to depression, anxiety, and relational/familial issues. My practice is from a strengths-based, trauma-informed perspective with a non-judgmental framework. I aim to understand clients’ internal responses and to provide more options for emotional regulation and problem-solving.

My approach balances compassion with being direct. My clients experience care, acceptance and belonging, while also feeling challenged the right amount to grow, change and decrease suffering. I offer empathy while actively engaging my clients by setting weekly treatment goals, building coping tools/resources, and providing skills/knowledge to build self-awareness and integration. We are deeply influenced by our cultural identity and heritage. I am committed to the values of respecting and celebrating diversity, and supporting social/political policies of equal rights and opportunities.

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.

Using a holistic and collaborative approach to therapy, I work with clients to identify their goals and develop a personalized treatment plan incorporating various techniques, including mindfulness, cognitive-behavioral, and solution-focused therapy. All sessions are provided virtually. I aim to assist you in reaching your personal and professional goals by managing your anxiety and depression to be your best self.

“And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.” - Anais Nin. Creativity, liberation, and transformation — getting your power back — these are core tenants in my practice. My approach merges reflective space to spark insight with concrete tools and strategies to drive change. I draw from existential philosophy, the arts, and culture, as well as research and theory to match unique needs with individualized treatments that resonate.

My approach to counseling begins with careful listening to understand your unique situation and personal goals. I will listen without judging you or rushing to a quick fix that might not be applicable for your specific situation. Many of my clients enter counseling feeling alone or overwhelmed by feelings of sadness, anxiety, anger, or stress. They may feel stuck in painful relationships that aren't working, or stuck with intense feelings of hopelessness, helplessness, dread, or inner pain. My treatment approach is gentle, educational, and experiential.

I value helping to foster a secure space and use an integrative approach to help clients feel empowered to reach their personal goals. Intersectionality has been paramount on my own personal healing journey and I have had the opportunity to work with clients who benefit from the same lens.

As an Integrative Psychotherapist, I base my approach from the relational work of Psychodynamic Therapy and integrate forms of Attachment Therapy, Narrative Therapy, CBT, DBT, Mindfulness Practices, Parts Work, Addiction and Trauma work - all based in Social Justice. I fully believe that every individual has the power and strength they need to actualize the changes they want, and can shift the old and new narratives of established stories and patterns of their daily lives.

Are you feeling alone, unheard, or stuck? Are you experiencing anxiety, fatigue, and excessive worrying that impact your relationships and career? I’m glad you’re taking the time to notice these changes and to invest in yourself to become a better version of yourself. In sessions, I utilize Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to help identify ways to incorporate positive changes for your negative thought patterns. Thus, you will learn to become better equipped in maintaining your personal or professional goals. I am committed to helping my clients decrease anxiety and manage healthy relationships.

Life can feel crazy, we can feel crazy ourselves, but you don't have to navigate it alone. I have particular experience with complex trauma, depression, anxiety, neurodivergence, and religious trauma. After all, I've been there myself. Everyone's journey is different, yet I know from experience how hard, disorienting, and difficult it can be. Still, I believe life can be different when we work together instead of carrying our burdens and pain alone. That's why I'm an online therapist practicing through the auspices of Grateful Heart Holistic Therapy Center, a nonprofit organization providing affordable counseling.

We all want the same things. To be understood, recognized, treated with kindness and respect. To feel like we belong. We share the same path to growth through self-effort in overcoming challenges in our life’s journey. Are you mastering the game of life? You are more powerful than your past or stories. Truth be told, “life is simply what you create it to mean.” Imagine yourself as the eagle that soars up into the sky with Wisdom as a compass. I can help you with self-esteem, family, career, trauma, grief, chronic illness, depression, anxiety, womens’ empowerment, life transitions, relationships, death/dying, and pet loss.

My therapeutic intention is to cultivate a safe and supportive space for clients to connect with themselves and express their deepest truths in order to foster personal growth, healing, and self awareness. Together, we will sort through difficult emotions, major life changes, past trauma, negative belief patterns, work stress, relationship challenges, grief and loss, and any other issue that is leaving you feeling stuck, distressed, or not like yourself. We will explore the roots of what is going on, implement tools to promote balance and resilience, process unresolved trauma, and learn how to be more loving to yourself and others.

Sunday Scaries got you down? Experiencing gaslighting, bullying, or microaggressions at work? Feel like you’re failing or don’t belong? Feel it in your body? (Aches, pains, changes in eating or sleeping?) Changes in mood or outlook? (Feeling helpless, overwhelmed, numb, moody, anxious, or irritable?) Difficulty focusing or remembering? Too tired and beat down to look for a new job? Maybe you’re using food, alcohol, drugs, or shopping to feel better. You could be distancing yourself from the people in your life or having trouble getting along with them. Maybe you’re sick of hearing yourself tell them how much you hate your job.

The pace and complexity of life these days is making it harder and harder to connect to how we are really feeling, and to understand why we are feeling that way. It feels like, too often, we are urged to ignore or push away key parts of ourselves in order to be or do what seems to be required of us. In response to this, the therapy I provide is an opportunity to slow down, to get clear about what we each need in order to feel okay (or to even just remember the ways that we actually already are okay, in the midst of it all), and to move into steadier and healthier versions of ourselves.

Things seem fine from the outside, you are successful in some areas of your life, but deep down you feel there is something missing. You feel anxious, depressed or empty, and there is a constant feeling of not fitting in. You notice frustrating patterns you continue to get stuck in and feel dissatisfied with where you are. In therapy you can talk freely and safely about how you feel. Through our work together you will understand your experience in relation to your personal history and everyday life, learn to manage difficult feelings and get the tools to address your needs. This will lead to long-lasting meaningful change.

You may feel lost, but you are not alone. We all experience suffering as a part of the human condition, yet sometimes our symptoms of stress, despair, worry, or self-criticism stand in the way of living the life that we want. If you find yourself troubled by a particular life problem or psychological condition, or generally lacking a sense of vitality and purpose, working with a clinician can help you reconnect with yourself and your strengths. Therapy often helps us to make useful connections between our actions, our thinking, our emotional reality, and patterns in relationships that we have developed over years.