Therapists in Oakland, CA

Carl Jung said, "I would rather be whole than good." Very often we put pressure on ourselves to "be" a certain way, so much that life can start to feel like acting versus living. This pressure tends to place stress on individuals and can often lead to anxiety, depression, and stress. I believe that therapy can be a tool to take off the masks we have learned to put on and begin to live from our whole self; finding freedom and our creativity. I believe that through compassion for all the parts of ourself we step closer to freedom.

I work with couples, individuals, and teens who are looking for a supportive space to talk about the complexities of life. I believe the key to healing is strengthening the relationship we have with ourselves, and to live from a place of authenticity, we must first understand the systems and experiences that have shaped us. Therapy provides a space for a variety of forms of self-exploration. Together we can find the path that aligns best with your unique healing journey.

As humans, we are brilliantly complex, wired for connection, attachment, and survival. Our experience of joy and suffering are innately human and are connected to our physical and emotional wellness--inseparable realms. In somatic psychotherapy we hold space for the body to have a language of its own, honoring what it has to say, so that we may more clearly see what is beneath the surface. As a somatic psychotherapist, I am a collaborator, guide and mirror, supporting you in increasing your own sense of exploration of conscious and unconscious patterns of behaviors, beliefs, body signals and cues.

Working with individual adults and couples, I have 35 years experience supporting men and women who want to heal and grow. Stress, depression and anxiety often stem from relationship and workplace concerns. My couples counseling focuses on communication skills. To help heal childhood pain, I use varied modalities, including trauma work, Adult Children (ACA) work, and parent/adult child conversations . Another specialty area is adults with addictions, family members with addicted loved ones, and codependency. I support the changes that come with each decade of life, along with retirement , aging and end-of-life issues.

Imagine; you are able to shift harsh self criticism, insecurity, people pleasing, perfectionism, impostor syndrome, codependency, & feeling “stuck” in one or more areas of life. You can finally experience self love and acceptance, fulfilling intimacy, great health, & the ability to enjoy your achievements. You unapologetically set limits &boundaries that are in support of your needs & desires, & let yourself rise into a life where you actually have everything you want because you know in your bones just how worthy you are.

With compassion, presence and warmth, I am here to be your partner and guide on your growth journey. I partner with you to heal emotional trauma and gain self-acceptance through my specialized mind-body approach. I support you through healing limiting beliefs about yourself, developing excellent boundaries, and connecting with your inner-wisdom. You are unique and so is your therapy process, so we tailor our work together to your specific needs and goals. I serve empaths and highly sensitive people, supporting you in coming home to who you really are. Internal Family Systems. Somatic. LGBTQ+. Check out my TEDx talk via my website!

I help intuitive, empathic, & spiritually attuned individuals/couples, LGBTQIA+ and/or BIPOC who often identify as non-monogamous &/or non-heteronormative. I specialize in inner conflict, relational conflict, relational trauma, sexual trauma, spiritual trauma, childhood trauma, anxiety, anger, grief, guilt, shame, & codependency. I hold an emotionally safe space to allow you to feel witnessed, understood, & supported as you process your thoughts & feelings to obtain clarity, increased self-mastery, new skills, & the ability to resolve obstacles to pursuing your heart's desires.

The clients I work best with are battling with the effects of relational trauma, which can be especially difficult because most of us don’t even know what relational trauma is. You might think you had a happy childhood, but now as an adult you find yourself struggling in relationships of all kinds. You don’t know how to set boundaries. You feel selfish when you put yourself first. You feel guilty giving people negative feedback The bottom line is on a deep level you feel that it’s wrong to be your true self if it will inconvenience someone else.

For the past 35 years, I have supported people navigating anxiety, depression, addictions and overwhelm to rediscover their aliveness, and the gifts that can come from even the most difficult experiences. As a highly interactive and warm person, I focus on the quality of our therapeutic relationship, as I believe it is pivotal to the healing process. Deeply intuitive and strength based by nature, I help you recognize your innate wisdom to creatively reshape your life. In the supportive environment of therapy, you are invited to unfold at your very own pace while facing challenges and perceived limitations.

I specialize in working with adult children of dysfunctional families of origin. I help folks who didn't receive emotional and psychological attunement from their parents as children, due to parental narcissism, trauma, substance abuse, and/ or mental illness, or due to abandonment, neglect, excessive criticism, and/ or abuse. I offer support with anxiety, finding one's voice, self-esteem, social anxiety, sensitivity, and life meaning, purpose, and transitions. I offer support in cultivating authentic connection and in healing struggles in relationships around assertiveness, boundaries, enmeshment, co-dependence, and isolation.

You feel stuck in your relationships. Feeling stuck with too many things you are navigating . You are out of touch with your needs and desires or how to communicate them effectively. You hate the fighting but don't know how to slow down. That's why I'm here to help. I support you build inner resources so that you can be unfazed by judgements and challenges, centered in your self-love and clarity, have ease in giving and receiving, communicating and decision-making. I am especially skilled in helping multicultural, marginalized identities, neurodivergent, poly/CNM couples with communication, trauma and intimacy.

Hello all, I am an African-American marriage and family therapist who provides services in the Bay Area & So. Cal. I specialize in somatic therapy modalities that work well with individuals or couples who have experienced any trauma whether acute or developmental. I also work with client's experiencing grief, depression, and relational issues. My clients' find me easy to talk to and non-judgmental, this coupled with my life experience, creates a safe environment for healing to happen.

EATING - Perhaps you tried many things, and you still don’t feel at home with your body or food. Though you are strong in many ways, you may even feel you have failed in this area. You didn’t fail! The information you were given failed you. I am both a fully-recovered bulimic and a scholar on the non-diet mentality. Come learn a new way of relating to your body and food - for good. Check out my podcast episode on Conquering Your Inner Critic (with Vicky Aldana), available on Amazon Music.

I am truly passionate about my work and believe it is important to find the right match. My goal is to meet everyone where they are at in their readiness and insights, and I work with a wide range of clients from various backgrounds. I have over a decade of experience in working with others, and will bring a comprehensive and eclectic approach to our time together.

I am devoted to guiding those that are called to improve their lives, whether it is to become the first in their family to be a college graduate, to rise to the challenge of becoming a professional in their field of choice, or to overcome years of negative self esteem. My clients want to find positive connection with themselves, their partners, their families, and communities. My clients have often experienced traumatic events but I have taught them about and shared tools which give them control over how those events affect them, finding peace and strength out of difficult experiences. I offer counsel to adults, couples, & kids.

At our cores, we are relational beings who thrive when we feel connected to ourselves, to each other, and to the world around us. When we endure painful experiences or simply learn to abandon our wants and needs in exchange for belonging and acceptance as children, we can become out of touch with our true nature, but therapy is often a process of leading us back (and forward). I often work with: deep thinkers and/or feelers, creatives/artists/performers, neurodivergents, therapists, and those who generally enjoy exploring their inner world for the purpose of increasing awareness, self-discovery, healing, and growth.

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.

I have worked both personally and professionally, with children, teens, families, adults, and those with terminal illnesses. I have facilitated group work focused around Dreams and community-integration, and have a specialization in Ketamine-Assisted Therapy as an adjunct to psychotherapy. While I work with a variety of demographics and backgrounds, I’ve found my work most focused around those suffering from eating disorders, addictions, women’s issues, terminal illness, grief and spiritual emergence. Those whose realities feel tenuous, who want to take back control of their life. Who they are, and who they hope to be.

Your body is always communicating information to you, and your emotions are the messenger. Maybe it's the consistent feeling of overwhelm, or the throws of depression. Maybe you are experiencing physical pain as a result of emotional pain. Whatever it is, I believe in the wisdom of your body and I want to help you become an expert at your own body language so that you can have more autonomy over your life.