Therapists in Oakland, CA

Life can sometimes be incredibly challenging and painful for all of us. I specialize in supporting folks figure out the root of their difficulty and find the clarity and strength to move beyond their hardship. Whether you are carrying the impact of complex trauma or are lost with how to address your issues, I am here to sit with you and help figure out how to no longer be defined by these difficulties.

Choosing a therapist is a significant decision, and one in which it is crucial to trust your feelings. I am a very engaging, warm and thoughtful person. My approach is eclectic and interactive, and is adapted to the unique needs of each individual or couple. Humor, respectful listening, honest dialogue and collaboration are all important aspects of my work. My priority is to provide a safe connection as a foundation for growth, enhanced self-esteem, and well-being. Habitual patterns causing impasses, lack of passion, anxiety and depression, can shift once underlying needs and feelings are legitimized and given voice.

I strive to be somewhat directive, engaging, and informative. I see my therapy style as being a catalyst for change, but the patient/client is doing the hard work to bring about desired changes in their life.

Anxiety is a normal part of life and serves an important function of keeping us safe. When your body is anxious in response to a real threat then it is healthy anxiety. It becomes problematic when you find your anxiety is taking away your choices in life. When your body is creating more anxiety than the situation calls for. For instance, you want to meet new people but your afraid to “put yourself out there”. You want to have your opinion considered at work but are too nervous to speak up in meetings. You may struggle to make a phone call or leave your house because interactions with people are overwhelming.

Hanna is a trauma-informed therapist who uses a collaborative and sensitive approach to help individuals shift unhelpful patterns, explore ambivalence, and improve their relationships with themselves and others. Hanna is a culturally responsive, LGBTQIA+ affirming therapist with a background in community counseling. She has experience working with individuals struggling with mood disorders, complex trauma, grief and loss, adjusting to life changes, relationship issues, and more. Hanna brings warmth, honesty, and humor into the therapy space.

I came to this field when I began my recovery 15 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***

What would it be like to be understood? No really?! The journey truly starts when we first seek to understand ourselves. Through personalized, identity affirming intervention and an unconditional judge-free zone, I implement healthy relationship building with each one of my clients first. As a result, trust can be established and influences you to be empowered yet vulnerable, ultimately leading to healthy behavior modification and a deeper awareness of how to thrive even through adversity.

I am a licensed clinical psychologist with many years of experience working with children, adolescents, and their families, as well as adults. My interventions are heavily rooted in behavioral therapy and evidence-based practices including feminist and attachment theories. However, I tend to conceptualize clinical presentations from a multicultural and social justice perspective. While I employ empirically validated treatments to ignite change, I am also of the belief that there is no single story to any individual. Consequently, it is important to understand the social, cultural, political, and spiritual context of each individual.

I am a licensed marriage and family therapist specializing in child and adolescent development with over 15 years of experience working with children, teens and families. I have extensive training in child development and have been employed in outpatient and inpatient facilities, have served as the lead mental health clinician in multidisciplinary teams working with children struggling with feeding issues, and have run social skills groups in addition to providing individual and family treatment. I have a substantial amount of experience with teens suffering from anxiety and depression.

Online sessions available now. The research-based techniques I use work! All that’s required is that you show up, engage, and practice. These are the key to addressing depression, anxiety, relationship problems, and Covid-19 (coronavirus) fears, to name a few. I bring a dynamic, engaged style and years of experience to my work. Other clients are entrepreneurs faced with the complexities and demands of Silicon Valley start-ups, as well as professionals in medicine, law, education, psychology, entertainment, and business.

I have over 10 years of experience working with clients from various backgrounds, including children, teens, adults, the elderly, parents, couples, families, and LGBTQIA+ clients. I genuinely care for my clients and show them empathy, acceptance and validation with a sense of humor. I am patient and will also challenge my clients to step outside of their comfort zones with the goals of incremental progress and improved quality of life. I focus on the entire person: physical, mental, social and spiritual.

There are so many reasons to enter therapy and I consider myself privileged to have the opportunity to hear your story and earn your trust. I specialize in supporting clients who are struggling with life transitions, perfectionism, people-pleasing, self-judgment, and relationship issues. I also work well with clients who feel stuck using coping strategies that no longer feel good and are ready to explore a new direction.

Hello . . . My name is Tracy Valerio and I've been a licensed therapist in California for 20+ years. My experience ranges from working with individuals, couples, children, and families across many diverse backgrounds, including racial, socioeconomic, geographic, and academic/professional backgrounds. My focus more recently has been helping those with anxiety and/or depression as it is affecting their personal and professional relationships with others, parenting support, relationship struggles, and support when living with a disability or having a family member with a disability.

I view therapy as one of the different and many ways we can attend to and take care of ourselves. My approach to therapy begins by getting to know the individual from the start and then building a plan together. I think people are the experts of their stories and the challenges they face and can rarely be understood without considering the environment they are in or have come from. With this knowledge and framework, I aim to get to know people and their strengths while identifying their unique needs and goals. I incorporate approaches from Cognitive Behavioral, Solution-Focused, Mindfulness, and Family Systems.

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.

Do you ever struggle with feeling like you’re not enough? Do you feel like you have to prove yourself? Do you feel stuck and triggered by childhood trauma? The symptoms of trauma include anxiety, depression, high conflict relationships, occupational impairment, addiction, and much more. I believe therapy can help you develop a more self-awareness and actionable plan to alleviate these symptoms. I specialized in working with people who are willing to explore past, present, and future challenges and to find tools for personal growth.

Dr. Spivey is the Director of a small group practice located in the heart of the medical district in Oakland, CA. He offers more than 35 years of experience working with anxiety, depression, PTSD, and OCD within adults and adolescents. He takes a holistic approach by integrating concerns of health, diet, and exercise. Dr. Spivey also works with those suffering from occupational diseases, including job stress, feeling stale on the job, burnout, and job unhappiness. Other areas of endeavors include personality reshaping, motivation, and marital enhancement.

I strongly believe that the most healing aspect of therapy is directly related to the safe connection with the therapist. Trainings inform the therapy but only feeling safe and seen will provide the ground for deep exploration and emergence of the new... almost like a birthing process. Client based, my style is warm, compassionate, nonetheless, assertive. Experience and various trainings keep supporting the importance of breath, grounded presence and mindfulness in any therapeutic setting and healing/life process. Therefore, those are central to my work. My sessions combines several psychotherapy approaches together with various somatic practices such as bioenergetics, movement, mindfulness & trauma work.

Therapy provides a special opportunity to slow down and focus on what's most important to you, with skillful guidance and support. I create a nonjudgmental environment for you to explore the difficulties, heartaches, old wounds, stuck places, or joys and celebrations of your life. This process involves listening to the wisdom of your body and emotions as well as your mind. Collaborating with you, I will support you to develop a more intimate relationship with yourself and your many facets, to expand your capacity to satisfyingly connect with others, and to illuminate and transform what blocks you from living your best life.