Couples Counseling Therapists in Oakland, CA

Life was hard enough and now this? Again!? I am here for individuals and couples feeling overwhelmed and struggling to navigate their personal, professional, academic, and romantic lives. Using a combination of psychodynamic talk therapy, evidence based practices (EBP) and mindfulness, we can learn management skills for symptoms of anxiety and depression, approach current issues, and explore underlying causes. Psychotherapy is a collaborative endeavor, requiring dedication on the part of both therapist and client — both of us will make necessary and different contributions to the process.

My experience comes from 31 years of helping children, adults, couples and families in both Community Mental Health and Private Practice. My approach is eclectic and tailored to each individual's needs to facilitate healing and growth. Through my years of experience I have witnessed over and over again people coming into therapy with great pain, discomfort and despair but with time, (sometimes within a very short time) their symptoms diminish and a whole new person emerges. Crisis times can be extremely painful and distressful but they can also be opportunities for growth and healing through therapy.

Do you want to find some balance and peace of mind? I can help you through this challenging time in your life. I offer therapy that focuses on the here and now. Whether you are an individual needing a safe place to manage unmanageable feelings or a couple seeking to change difficult relationship patterns, I have the skills to help you through this. Together we will work to create more harmony in your life through acceptance of what's out of your control and commitment to change the things you can. I work with individuals, couples and adolescents.

My approach is grounded in Cognitive-Behavioral and Attachment Theories. I also incorporate the practices of Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction and ACT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy). I aspire to meet clients where they are, and help each individual to work on his or her expressed goals. I enjoy taking this journey with clients to navigate some of their most difficult and challenging moments in life, to help prevent troubled kids or young adults from more serious trouble, and to help all clients who seek my support turn their life's biggest challenges into opportunities for growth and lasting change.

I help people unwind places of stuckness or struggle in life, through working with ways the past may be influencing the present and impeding your capacity to thrive. My intention is to meet you where you are at: whether you have a need related to a specific challenge such as anxiety or depression, are facing a time of stress or transition, or are ready to devote time to intentional change in your life. I work with both individuals and couples .

My approach is warm, engaged and focused in the present moment. I support individuals, couples and families to improve communication skills, self-esteem and relationship capacities. I make use of techniques that deepen the mind-body connection to help individuals heal from symptoms of stress, trauma and loss. I use an integrative approach that is rooted in Somatic, Humanistic-Existential and Transpersonal psychologies.

For many people, it can be a difficult decision to come to therapy. Often when people make that decision they are feeling overwhelmed and tired. In our work together we will help you untangle what feels difficult and disruptive in your life. I am dedicated to helping you understand where problematic patterns begin so that you can live a fuller life with more freedom. In my work with adults and couples , I take a collaborative, warm, and active approach. My therapy training has mainly been rooted in psychoanalytic/psychodynamic therapy and I will work with you to ensure we are addressing what you feel is most pertinent.

I am a somatic therapist who focuses on relational, attachment and childhood trauma issues. I work with individuals and couples to address relationship ambivalence, anxiety, major life transition, depression, stuckness, poor communication and conflict, among other issues. I help with building awareness of one's thoughts, feelings and physical sensations to develop greater insight and uncover new choices.

Are you looking to transform your life? Are you tired of being caught in self-destructive patterns? Are you hoping for real change? If so, I am interested in collaborating with you to create the life you want. I am dedicated to helping you achieve your therapeutic goals quickly and fully. In my practice, I see people accomplish profound change on a daily basis. My style is straightforward coupled with compassion. In individual or couples therapy, I work diligently to help you overcome barriers to contentment in intimacy, relationships, work and family life.

Often when an individual or couple is seeking out a therapist they're in the midst of a significant transition or challenge that can feel overwhelming. Paradoxically, I believe this is often the time in which the greatest change is possible. By exploring issues through a multi-layered approach, we will identify the deeper truths and lessons these challenges are presenting. By lending tools and feedback, I assist my clients in having a different relationship with their challenges; thus moving away from constriction into conscious growth and empowerment.

My focus is on helping people to break free from painful, unwanted patterns in their lives, and to find greater confidence, connection, and joy. Couples work is a primary focus of my practice, and I work with couples at all stages of relationship. I help partners interrupt destructive fights, build effective communication skills, and create greater intimacy.

I am a safe and devoted ally, helping people understand themselves better, heal, and grow. I use warmth, curiosity, and humor to help remove blocks to feeling happy and connected: to yourself, to others, and to your life. In my work with couples , I help each partner feel safe, heard, and respected enough to uncover and put words to the vulnerable feelings that underly fighting and alienation.

I utilize the first session to really understand who my client is including the intersectionality of their race, gender, spiritual beliefs, community, sexuality, and past trauma. Therapy is unique to each client-therapist relationship. My goal as your therapist is to help facilitate the change, healing, and forward movement that you may seek. My hope is that through our work together, you will learn how to validate yourself, believe in yourself, and focus on progress, not perfection.

Dr. Vernita Marsh & Associates is a holistic and psychotherapy practice. You will find our practice to be a warm and inviting atmosphere. Our staff is well trained and effective proven strategies. We incorporate a multi ethnic as well as mind, body, and spiritual perspectives in addressing your concerns. We are committed to supporting you to recognize your dreams and living your life to the fullest. If you're feeling stuck or trapped in any way, we have expertise in assessing and helping you to identify what's contributing to you being stuck and offering coping strategies to help you becoming free.

Do you find yourself stuck in painful ways of relating to yourself or others? I can work with you to recognize these patterns, understand why they developed, and loosen their grip on your life today. Through the therapy relationship, we can develop a trusting environment to explore your thoughts and feelings, personal history, and relationships. In this way, we can create enough distance from these painful experiences and ways of relating to allow for greater freedom and satisfaction in your relationships, work, and creative life.

My clients want fulfilling and connected relationships, ones in which their needs are responded to with compassion and care. When disconnection or conflict threatens a relationship, we naturally fight, freeze, or withdraw in an attempt to protect ourselves. Despite our best intentions, we find ourselves more disconnected, hurt, and confused. I understand this cycle. I am here to help couples and individuals at all stages of relationship: early stages to prevent future problems, during or after a life transition, and those needing help to resolve perpetual conflict and increase security in relationship.

I work primarily with relationships; your relationship to yourself, to others, to your future, and to your past. With over 30 years in practice, I use a collaborative style with my clients. Self esteem, depression, anxiety, parenting issues, infertility, life transitions, adult children of alcoholics, and recovery from addictions and trauma are areas of my expertise. I specialize in helping couples improve communication and intimacy while creating more secure relationships. I see adults and adolescents and supervise psychologists in training. I often see people who are stuck in negative patterns and are struggling to change.

Do you have trouble slowing down even when you don't have to be on? Is anxiety wreaking havoc on your relationships and your health? Does it feel like an alarm system is constantly going off in your mind and body? I get what that feels like and I am glad you are looking for help. So many people try to tough it out alone. Reaching out is smart, brave and the first step to getting your life back. Reach out for a free 15 minute consultation and start your journey to a safer, calmer, more peaceful center.

I work with individuals and couples who’ve had chaotic experiences, are experiencing pain and/or find themselves ready to heal and move forward. Often, I work with trauma. Trauma shows up in many ways - it could be a feeling a distance from your life, perpetual anxiety, moments of ‘trigger’ where you can’t control your behavior, or coping mechanisms that are hurting more than helping. Trauma informed care means slow, safe, intentional work. We can heal your nervous system, taking it out of fight/flight and into it’s "window of tolerance" where you can not just survive, but thrive.

Are you stuck somewhere? Did you hit a wall? Do you want to heal an old wound? Break a habit? Obtain more access to yourself? Explore repeating patterns? Come as you are. Do you want to adjust to the changes in your life? Absorb a loss? Overcome a challenge? Be more present in the moment? Explore your role as a parent? Redefine yourself in a relationship? Come as you are. Together we can move through pain and achieve a deeper understanding of your relationship with yourself, ease conflicts, cope with challenges, and open room for more joy in your life.