Family Therapy in Oakland, CA

I am currently accepting new patients as of 03/15/2023. Hi! I'm Hayley. I'm here to help you create a purposeful, balanced, and fulfilling life. My approach is gentle and body-centered. I guide individuals through difficult transitions toward living without limiting beliefs, doubts, and insecurities. We often mistake our limiting beliefs as truths about ourselves. Once we learn to meet ourselves with love and kindness, we start to heal. I'm here to guide you through your obstacles to clarity and inner freedom. In our work together, I will help you to create balance, overcome suffering and find a deeper sense of meaning in your life.

When life gets too busy, sometimes we just need to take a timeout and focus inwards on ourselves. Seeking out a therapist for yourself is a great place to start. Taking the time for yourself to start therapy will allow you the space to breath, talk about what you are experiencing and find ways to live a balanced and positive life. When there are so many competing needs, it is easy to lose ourselves. I work mostly with woman experiencing life transitions such as parenting, blended family structures, relationship changes and professional transitions. Whether these are big or small changes, a therapist can provide tools and support.

I have a strong passion for helping individuals feel empowered and strive to live their best lives by finding meaning and purpose within themselves. Let’s face it, life can be difficult, but those difficult experiences do not have to define you as a person. By creating a safe and healing space my goal is to tap into your own personal power and natural strengths to focus on what is most important to you and your wellness.

I believe in the healing power of bearing witness to and participating in my clients' self-exploration. Whether we are exploring feelings, systems of oppression and their effects on us, patterns in relationships, or family of origin issues, the strength and compassion of an empathic partner in this journey can lead to a deeper understanding of oneself and a relief in symptoms. I bring empathy and mindful curiosity to our work together.

Despite your successes, you feel unhappy, worried, overwhelmed, lonely and unfulfilled in your life. You may be seeking more satisfying relationships with family , friends and intimate partners. Perhaps your life is being touched by major changes and this time, you aren’t able to hold all the pieces by yourself. Or perhaps you need support with addressing the complexities and emotional strain associated with being a child of immigrant parents or navigating the world as a person of color. You may have found short-term strategies helpful in the past but are looking for more long term change and satisfaction.

Life is a series of peaks and valleys, and the low points can feel really overwhelming. It's in those moments that we most need support, but that's also when we're most prone to isolating and bottling up. Relationship issues, low self-esteem, anxiety, and workplace stress can all be urgent matters, yet we often hesitate admitting we need help.

You may be feeling unhappy, lonely, or unmotivated. Perhaps a relationship is in crisis or an important part of your life is changing. Therapy practiced well by the right professional is an effective way to sort out a wide range of problems. My goal is to create a space where we can talk and think together about the particular difficulties you are experiencing and how to find a way through. I have learned to listen carefully and will approach our conversations with an attitude of curiosity and acceptance. Although getting started is often a big step, you’re likely to find it a valuable opportunity to reflect and move forward.

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.

I prioritize making the therapeutic environment active and flexible, creating space for all the overlapping spheres of the human experience. Between relationships, career, family , and the rest of the world, our lives and struggles are intertwined, making it sometimes hard to understand where one challenge starts or ends. By exploring the history and interconnectedness of our challenges and strengths, we can develop new understanding and identify strategies that feel nuanced, meaningful, and empowering. I maintain a client-centered approach allowing the client to work in a framework and pace that feels best for them.

I believe in healing ourselves and each other as the first step toward healing our planet. My intention as a therapist is to guide people toward empowerment and healing in order to live their fullest and most joyful lives possible. I believe that we all have this capacity within us, and therapy can help us to move through our past trauma, oppressive social conditioning, anxieties and other stresses to be our best selves.

I believe the key to change lies in cultivating a safe, strong therapeutic relationship. Through a developmental lens, I aim to understand each person’s history and how their unique story informs current challenges. I feel passionate about working with clients from diverse backgrounds and utilize a culturally-informed approach when understanding life experiences and associated thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. In conjunction with this psychodynamic, relationally-driven approach, I help clients identify a clear presenting concern, develop goals, and integrate the appropriate evidence-based practice tailored to their specific needs.

Bilingual, Culturally Sensitive, Trauma-informed, Relational Psychotherapy. I believe that engaging in therapy is an act of courage because change is by definition radical. An important goal of therapy is to connect to your authentic/creative self as a way to make meaning in times of suffering. Together we will explore your personal, family , cultural, and political history to understand the ways in which your experiences shape how you feel in the world. Whether you are struggling with life transitions, finding/keeping good relationships, or trying to integrate different identities, our work can help you find some sense of cohesion.

I know the journey of life is not an easy one and sometimes we need some help to get through unexpected struggles and get in the way of living a happy and healthy life. I am dedicated to the holistic healing of the mind, body, and soul. Many people describe me as warm, understanding, and down to earth. I pride myself on integrity, commitment, and passion for the work I do as a therapist.

People are often hesitant to try therapy because they feel it won't work or believe they should be able to handle difficult things on their own. If you're willing to try personal trainers, babysitters, house cleaners, and other services to better your life, doesn't your emotional happiness or the happiness of your family deserve the same focus? I believe that it absolutely does.

I’m a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist . I work with adults, teens, and children (ages 3+). I provide in-person services in Oakland, CA and offer teletherapy throughout the state of California. My aim is to help people heal through their connection to others, their creativity, and their inner stores of resilience.

I am a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist with experience working with individuals, couples, families, and groups. I work with those struggling with depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, substance use, and relational issues. I use a variety of approaches to build understanding of your inner dialogue, your values, and how to create more fulfillment in your life. While working with couples, I support building trust through assertion practice, role playing, shifting toward appreciation, and improving communication techniques especially when in conflict.