Teletherapy for Oakland, CA

I provide therapy in a comfortable and welcoming space to help develop insight, stability and hope for the future. Whether, you are dealing with a challenging situation, a sudden life transition, a recent crisis or past trauma, it can be worked through in a safe and patient environment. I have over 30 years of experience in working with children, individuals and families. I am an EMDR trained therapist and licensed in the States of California and Nevada. You may be new to therapy, but it can be life changing!

Mental health challenges are due to the aftereffects of traumatic experiences. Trauma can place a strain on your family, work, relationships, and even cause issues with self-worth. I specialize in trauma therapy along with treating personality disorders, depression, anxiety, ADHD, and addiction. All these disorders can look different from person to person, and that is where our therapeutic journey of empowerment and self-exploration begins. I concentrate on creating a safe space of growth and self-discovery through unconditional positive regard, emotional regulation, and guided activities.

Are you struggling to process depression, anxiety, relationship/family issues, and trauma? These emotional ruptures can cause major disruptions in our lives. The work to process these types of life events is multifaceted, and I can help you identify your feelings and potential relational patterns, build tolerance and acceptance around challenging ones, and set meaningful goals. In order to do so, I utilize various therapeutic approaches consisting of ACT, CBT, and Problem Solving Therapy and somatic interventions.

I specialize in working with individuals, couples, and families struggling with overcontrol/excessive self-control. This can show up as rumination, hyper-perfectionism, rigidity, difficulty relaxing, and emotional loneliness (even with loved ones around). These challenges can intersect with substance abuse, suicidal ideation or attempts, and/or self-harm. Often, an overcontrolled coping style is central to conditions such as chronic anxiety/depression, eating disorders, and personality disorders like obsessive-compulsive and avoidant personalities. This way of coping may exacerbate or perpetuate trauma and grief symptoms as well.

Are you experiencing challenges dealing with anxiety, depression, relationship/family issues, and trauma/PTSD? Due to these symptoms, we can be in too much emotional pain and feel too stuck to reframe our perceptions or to find solutions to our problems. Childhood or recent trauma can cause emotional distress that can be difficult to process. I am here to support you in working through unresolved trauma and guide you toward healing. Therefore, you can feel empowered, rejuvenated, and enthusiastic about life again.

Mike Lubofsky, Licensed Therapist and Attorney • My ideal client is highly intelligent, intellectually curious, and sincerely open to change. My work as a therapist is a deep calling, and the challenging exploration of psychological and existential issues with clients often leads to profound emotionally corrective experiences with clients. Many clients, including lawyers, have "checked all the boxes" and have hit walls of frustration and dissatisfaction. I have navigated those profound challenges and my life's work is to help others find their authentic paths.

I believe that we all have more potential than we know, and no matter where we might currently find ourselves or where we have been in the past, we each have the capacity for psychological and emotional growth. I have a special interest and passion providing therapy to couples, and individuals struggling with transition, and experiencing feelings of disconnection, isolation, and grief. In my more than 20 years of working in mental health, most of my work has been centered around supporting people in healing attachment wounds, trauma (complex, historical, intergenerational), and all symptoms that manifest as a result.

I help you overcome your struggles in all your relationships and deepen your relationship with yourself. I guide people working with issues including relationship struggles, depression, trauma, anxiety, addiction, sexuality, loss and cultural disconnections. Using advanced modern therapy techniques, I can help support you with a wide array of problems. Couples and individuals have great success in finding more contentment in their lives by experiencing ways together to alleviate their suffering. Anger, sadness, fear and confusion will diminish and feelings of lightness, joy, peace of mind, stability and self-love will grow.

I came to this field when I began my recovery 17 years ago, feeling that my lived experience would be greatly beneficial for others struggling to find new ways of being. I believe we all want to be our best selves, and have the capacity for real change. It is my honor to support and facilitate that process, working in genuine collaboration with my clients, and to offer unconditional respect and compassion through the transformation. We can work together on priorities you identify, in a way that suits you. ***I offer a free initial 30 minute session***

We all carry wounds that run deeper than we’d like to admit. Sometimes these wounds continue to affect us in the present, even if we hope we’ve put the past firmly behind us. Maybe you’re struggling with people-pleasing patterns, self-judgment, or perfectionism. Perhaps it’s hard to identify how you feel or what you really need. Or maybe you just have a nagging sense that something isn’t quite right. I help clients address anxiety, codependency, trauma, and more in order to reclaim their lives and build the future they want. As a queer therapist, I also specialize in working with LGBTQIA+ individuals.

For over 11 years I have been developing a specialization working with adults to repair phase-of-life injuries, traumas, and persistent interpersonal and occupational troubles. I bring an open mind rooted in existential philosophy; I incorporate narrative methods to assist my clients in re-narrating experiences into useful, meaningful and life transformative stories. I have a useful background teaching in secondary schools in California for 12 years prior to becoming a therapist.

I do free consultations with clients and instant online scheduling because getting help shouldn't wait for a call back. I am here for you, to walk along side you or your family through the toughest moments. We will laugh together, cry together, and heal together. Most importantly, we will grow together.

I am passionate about supporting people in addressing a range of different challenges that may be impacting their lives. I believe that people are inherently resilient, and that building a strong therapeutic relationship can help you access both existing strengths and build new ones. While I may be an expert in a particular therapeutic model, you are an expert in your experience, and our ability to work together using evidence-based practices will help you reach your goals. I will take an active approach in your care by collaboratively building rapport and tailoring your care to meet your unique needs.

Sometimes, things happen in life that cause us significant pain, whether this stems from early life experiences, life transitions, mental illness, interpersonal difficulties or unexpected crisis. Navigating through these experiences in a therapeutic setting can make the difference between tolerating the pain (or even resorting to methods of easing the pain that create more problems) and coming through it more resilient with the ability to live a life with meaning.

You are thoughtful, hardworking, successful by most measures, ambitious, and driven, yet aren't feeling fully satisfied in your life. Maybe you struggle with anxiety, perfectionism, and/or burnout in your life and wonder if you could feel more fulfilled and have more ease. You would like to be able to get your needs met more effectively in your relationships but sometimes struggle with how to make this happen. You are seeking a safe and reflective space in which to partner with a therapist to examine and work through the areas where you feel stuck order to affect change both internally and externally and know yourself more fully.

Do you want to recover the parts of you that feel stuck? Are you longing to find a place of inner calm and contentment? Looking to to free yourself up to live more authentically? Everyone has an authentic self that is calling them home. Sometimes, this self gets buried or forgotten, leading to symptoms like anxiety, a lack of purpose, unfulfilling relationships, or substance use and addiction.

Seeking help can be scary and exciting, and it takes a lot of bravery and courage to take the initial step. You may be feeling like you are depressed and anxious due to your trauma. I aim to meet you where you are mentally and emotionally and help you grow, learn skills, and adapt to new changes. We can work together to identify your goals and needs and address the emotional and behavioral challenges you experience.

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.

Do you find yourself shut down or suppress your feelings? Do you struggle in relationships due to your trauma? Are you unsure of where you belong? I work with people of all identities to process unresolved feelings due to trauma. I strive to provide you a safe and non-judgmental space, in order for you to develop coping mechanisms for trauma symptoms (anxiety, depression, addiction, etc.) and to explore aspects of yourself. I can help you LET GO of past HURTS and develop tools to find RELIEF.