Art Therapy in Oakland, CA

Healing is a gift that emerges from seeds cultivated by struggle, broken borders, and bold dreams. I am a queer mental health practitioner in the Bay Area. My daily practice as a mental health clinician is guided and shaped by culturally relevant services imbued with an Indigenous approach to healing and medicine. My work is focused on trauma-trauma-informed care and recovery services for children, youth, adults, and families impacted by (im)migration, displacement, and other forms of oppression. We individualize and collaborate with the creation of your treatment plan of care tailored to the needs of each person. English & Spanish

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.

Children and teens are more aware of their own internal states and the world around them than ever before, while the family unit takes on more stress. This combination can create anxiety, depression, acting out behaviors, confusion, and educational struggles for many. Through a strength-based perspective I focus on communication, relationships, boundaries, and self-care. I work with youth (and families) to explore their patterns of interactions with others and encourage self-awareness and growth in these areas. Developing a relationship with a child or teen takes time and care, both of which I have done for nearly twenty years.

Through the experience of the expressive arts, I center the expansion of the imaginative realm in the therapy space through the use of art -making, writing, movement, somatic awareness, mindfulness and creative play. In my practices, I prioritize holistic embodiment— nurture of the Mind, Body, and Spirit— as well as empowering my clients to grab hold of their deepest desires through a lens of justice, creativity, imagination, and radical vulnerability. As a deeply relational therapist, I feel passionately about supporting clients in connecting to their stories and empowering them on the journey of stepping fully into their truth.

My clients are most often dealing with communication concerns, issues of intimacy and complications related to life changes. When traumatic events impact their daily lives, they may seek assistance. Occasionally couples and families experiencing stress in their relationships may need an objective listener and guide to help them figure out how to reestablish balance. With the many demands of life and work, we work together to find pleasure in their families and for parents to reinstate parental authority within the family structure.

I believe every person and family is unique and there are many ways to raise a healthy child. I want to honor the strengths within you and your family and offer the tools and support to help your child and family thrive. Through a trauma-informed lens, I work extensively with youth, parents, and families on life transitions, healthy communication, and processing/ healing from grief or abuse.

Life is challenging. We all benefit from receiving support as we navigate transitions, relationships, and the constancy of change. I have 20 years' experience supporting people who span a diverse range of ages and cultural backgrounds. My approach integrates body and sensory awareness with relaxation practices. I offer information about how neurobiological processes impact functioning and experience. The therapeutic relationship is collaborative and dynamic as we observe and shift unhelpful patterns of thought and behavior. Some people choose to make art as part of most meetings; others prefer to mostly talk.

My framework as a psychotherapist is inspired by black feminist sci-fi writer, Octavia E. Butler who saw the possibility of many more worlds than just our own. I believe that transformative internal healing is critical to envisioning and building these worlds without the presence of imperialism, white supremacy, capitalism and cishet-patriarchy. The tools I use to support the exploration of individual, interpersonal and intergenerational trauma are shaped by abolition that rejects punitive and scarcity mindsets and disability justice which strives to value every body.

Are you feeling overwhelmed and need a space to nourish yourself? Or are you looking to process a loss or life transition? You might be seeking a new approach to exploring emotions and personal growth. As a trauma-informed art therapist, I offer a space where intuition and logic intersect using artmaking as a tool for exploration and expansion. Whether you're hoping to increase self-esteem, sort through relationship challenges, process challenging emotions related to trauma, process grief, or promote mindfulness, we will work together to identify your goals and find the right balance of artmaking and talk therapy for you.

I am a queer artist, activist and therapist. I believe deeply in healing, and my practice as a therapist is one way I use my own healing journey to inform and create space for others to explore theirs. I seek to center my work on empowering and supporting people in the LGBTQIA+ community navigating all the emotional work it takes to exist in an oppressive culture - anxiety, depression, relationships, sex, gender, substance use, family, housing, employment, etc. Whether directly or indirectly through my practice, I also work to uplift and center the empowerment of queer, trans*, Black, indigenous and people of color (QTBIPOC).

Therapy is a space you carve out with me to reconnect - with yourself, your goals, your life’s meaning, your passion, your creativity, your spiritual path. We all struggle with difficult things at times; they pull us away from who we want to be, or the path we intend to walk in life. I believe relationships are the most important healers we have in our lives – starting with your relationship with yourself! Extending to all your other important and beloved relationships - with family, friends, community, planet, and spirit. No matter where you are, your journey to self-empowerment and joy begins Right Here. I will be there with you.

Are you looking for a new creative way to deal with difficulties in life and get in touch with your best self? Do you feel like you’ve tried everything with your teen, but they struggle to benefit from traditional talk therapy? As art therapists, we incorporate talk therapy with art making to help our clients unlock their creative potential, look at problems with fresh eyes, and develop new coping skills for dealing with difficult emotions. If you or your child is feeling blocked by past trauma, stuck in destructive patterns, or overwhelmed by depression or anxiety, then I encourage you to reach out. You are not alone.

What I believe: Relationships are unique and come in countless shapes and sizes over time. Right now, relationships are already happening and changing in your life every day. Love is available in ourselves when we choose it, and choosing love in ourselves brings more love into our relationships. Yes, all relationships shift and change, and at the same time, love can regenerate again and again in the most mysterious moments and forms if we stay open and curious.

I collaborate with clients to support management and reduction of anxiety, depression, trauma and other symptoms. I help people find their identity, what it means to them, and how to mute the constant noise that interferes with self-realization and actualization. If open, I incorporate art therapy , as it is the bridge to talk therapy that allows in depth processing of unconscious and subconscious thoughts and emotions. I work with all ages; young children, adolescents, transitional ages (18-21) young adults, adults, elders, families and couples.

Are you finding yourself struggling to adapt to a change or transition in your life? You may be finding yourself overthinking, anxious, overwhelmed and/or feeling stuck. You may be having trouble sleeping, feeling sad, hopeless, insecure or tired of that negative voice in your head that seems to hold you back. You want to feel more confident, calm, clear and positive about the future. You want things to be different, get on a new path, but you aren't sure how to get there.