Men's Issues Therapists in Oakland, CA

I have many years of experience in dealing with anxiety, depression, loss, life transitions, addictions of all types, and relationship and identity issues. I think my strength is that I approach people on a very human level, with respect, caring and humor. I feel "we are all in the same boat" (including me) and that we all need someone to take us seriously, listen carefully and know how hard it is to be vulnerable to a 'stranger'. I will do my very best to help you create the life you want. I have lost a child, so I have a special sensitivity to grieving parents and their challenges.

Throughout our lives, we all have experienced feelings of depression, anxiety, and anger. These emotions leave you feeling insecure, shameful, lonely, unworthy and stuck in unhealthy patterns of behavior. Trauma can have negative emotional and physical effects and can lead to family/relationship issues. I specialize in solution-focused brief therapy, motivational interviewing, mindfulness and CBT. These approaches allow me to work with the client to decrease symptoms of anxiety and depression and other health/behavioral issues.

Hello, my name is Shawn Polivoi, a therapist licensed in California as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) residing in Northern California. My approach to therapy is to meet people where they are at with the goal of helping them where they want to be. I have expertise and comfort working with all age groups, most recently having worked with adults and the elder population. I am experienced in working with people struggling with anxiety, depression, and trauma.

I am offering in person and telehealth appointments for individuals and couples. My practice focuses on the experiences of people of color, adult children of immigrants, young adults ages 18-25 and people working in social justice, helping and healing professions (including healthcare workers, teachers, social workers and therapists). I support individuals and couples who are seeking relief from symptoms of anxiety, depression, race based stress, trauma, generational trauma, grief, burnout and vicarious trauma.

I am a licensed marriage and family therapist and registered MFT Supervisor, specializing in depression, anxiety, and trauma. I offer Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy. I use a Somatic and Mindfulness based therapy approach to help clients discover what beliefs they are holding that may be narrowing their experience in the world. Together we will use our connection and relationship to support your longings, grow your passions, and heal old wounds. Going inward we clean out that which is old and no longer serving us, and moving outward to connect and create with people and pursuits which can support and nourish our True Self.

Learn how to feel more connected to yourself, others and the world around you. Therapy provides all the elements of intimacy: honest communication, vulnerability and trust. Good therapy is challenging yet warm, providing both structure and empathy for your unique experience. We are a collective of therapists with a wide range of specialties. Our intake professionals will help connect you with the right therapist for your needs. We make appointments easy, offering evenings and weekends and flexibility for creative professionals who can't make the same time each week.

As a life coach with a doctorate in depth psychology, I work in a psychologically savvy way, without losing the dynamism of coaching. I facilitate ‘lucid living’ in my clients – an ability to act, think, and feel in agreement with one’s truest self. Whatever issue you are addressing, I assume that something in you knows the right approach to it, although discovering this may require the help of others. I also assume that no-one wants to merely make the dysfunctional functional: We all desire exceptional levels of vitality, creativity, and resilience.

Life guarantees each of us joy and despair. And yet, our highly individualistic culture seems to over promote self sufficiency. I've found that life transitions, relational and professional challenges are considerably more manageable with consistent support. Through reflection, collaborative brainstorming and guidance in noticing response patterns, clients in my care become more aware. This growing self awareness uncovers outdated beliefs, surfaces issues that need tending and, most importantly, gives folks more agency around their daily life choices. I enjoy this discovery process with individuals, couples and parent/child teams.

I am a Black man. I see the world from the perspective of a former linebacker. I have navigated systemically oppressive institutions and speak the language of the survivors of them. I am a husband, a father, a brother, and a son. I am a clinician, an educator, an athlete, and a coach. I want to use my experience and knowledge to support you to define and achieve success for yourself.

Are you looking to heal from trauma, grief, depression, anxiety, experiences with abuse and family violence? Or years of navigating systemic oppression? Are you motivated to develop into your most joyful and resilient self? Let me help you metabolize pain into triumph. I’ve been helping individuals, families and groups transcend trauma, abuse and grief for over 10 years in California and Hawai’i. I have a liberatory and integrative approach that is authentic, collaborative, warm, creative and joyful.

Are you experiencing difficulties concentrating? Do you ever feel that your mood is so low you can’t get out of bed? Do you struggle with anxiety or obsessive thoughts? Are you finding yourself wrestling with existential thoughts? Maybe you’re experiencing a combination of issues that just don’t let you feel like yourself? Whatever you’re experiencing, I’m here to help. Through our work together, we can identify your core issues and make a plan to address them using an individually-tailored and holistic approach to achieve your goals. Let’s embark on this journey of healing together!

Feeling overwhelmed? Disempowered? Lost? How we respond to life's challenges is often determined by the tools and perspectives we have at our disposal. Sometimes, particularly when we find ourselves stuck and feeling low, it is helpful to call on the support of a mental health therapist to empower us with the insights and coping skills necessary to navigate through those challenges. In my work, I support teens, young adults, and adults — all experiencing a broad range of mental health concerns — seeking to unpack, make sense of, and find meaningful ways to address the underlying issues contributing to their current struggles.

When you are in a relationship with a narcissist, you don't know what's real anymore. Somewhere along the way you have gotten lost in the cycle of toxicity and you are unsure of how to get out. You feel powerless and you try to explain to others what's going on, but they don't understand. You have a hard time explaining the manipulation, gaslighting, love bombing, and trauma bonding. You have a hard time hiding how you really feel behind your smile. You have lost yourself in your relationship, and what's worse - you don't feel happy or connected to anyone. You long for a safe place to unload your heavy burdens.

I work to build a warm, empathic relationship with my clients to create an environment where we can think together about the issues that bring you to therapy and how best to resolve them. I am informed by psychodynamic theory and utilize this rich tradition to explore unconscious defenses, maladaptive patterns and underlying schemas that can cause a person to repeat problematic behaviors despite their best efforts to change. I also draw from Cognitive Behavioral and Mindfullness practices to support clients with acquiring the tools they need to make those changes.

Are you going through a major change such as empty nest, relationship struggles, parenting, fertility challenges, balancing home and work life, loss of a loved one or job or dealing with illness? Has your comfort zone been pulled out from under you? These changes can feel like a wave knocked you down. You have come to the right place if you want compassionate, yet straightforward support. Working together, we will focus on your goals, find solutions and help to get you feeling on track, healthy and equipped with new coping tools.

People turn to therapy when they are in too much emotional pain, stuck in intractable situations with intimate partners or at work, or acting in ways that are self-destructive or harmful to others. When other solutions have not worked, therapy offers a chance to address and change outmoded ways of being. The therapeutic relationship is key to this work. It offers the possibility of exploring new ways of relating to ourselves and others that can lead to a richer and more fulfilling life. The therapist must provide a place of safety and be a partner in this process.

There is a common thread I see in many of the clients I work with. We are fighting to be good, to be honest, to be successful and yet we feel lost. Maybe you have done everything you thought you needed to do to be happy and you are still suffering. Maybe you feel you have to constantly perform in order to be accepted. Or maybe you wonder… if anyone saw the real you, all of you, would they stick around? We all yearn to belong. We all want to be free to be who we are. Often times the stories we have learned to tell ourselves keep us trapped in ways of being that are restrictive and exhausting.

Welcome! I’m Acacia Hasina Chidi, I am known to help inspire change in individual’s lives and relationships. Experience has demonstrated to me that change is possible and necessary. If you are ready to initiate change, I’d like to work with you through the process of therapy which can allow you to grow, and realize aspects of yourself you may not be aware of, or that you are aware of, but have been unable to manage. Years of experience working with individuals, couples, families, and specialized groups have enabled me tools and techniques that help people achieve a deeper understanding of relational patterns needing repair.

I find it effective to combine behavioral solutions with depth work. Since the unconscious ripples into all aspects of life, I have found that relational therapy addressing unconscious motives can help with most psychological difficulties. In addition to working with individuals, couples & families, I am adjunct faculty at the California Institute of Integral Studies where I teach in the Masters in Counseling Psychology Department and Psychological Services Clinic.