Therapists in Oakland, CA

If previous attempts at stopping substance use have failed or if you want to learn to manage your use rather than abstain, call us for a free phone consultation. We approach addiction as a biopsychosocial phenomenon and can help you understand the biological, emotional, and behavioral factors of your drug use using evidence-based interventions. Our therapeutic style is compassionate and non-judgmental but we will also be direct and challenge you to deeply examine your choices. We strive to create a safe, confidential environment where you feel comfortable exploring your choices.

Your mental health is very important. Whether you are struggling with a new problem or one that has been on-going, an emotional problem or a bio-chemical one, or even relationship challenges, getting support can make a world of difference. Establishing a safe environment to talk and building a trusting relationship is essential in building a therapeutic relationship. I provide a warm and caring environment for you to trust and share intimate thoughts and feelings, including at times, conflicting thoughts, anxious feelings, depressed mood, traumatic events, etc.

Hi! My name is Michael Southerland, and I am a Licensed Marriage and Family therapist working in the Los Angeles, CA area. This means I focus primarily on relationships, be it individuals having difficulty with rough spots in life, couples, children, and families. I am comfortable working with almost any problem. However, my specialties include depression, anxiety, substance abuse and addiction, codependency, ADHD, and especially LGBT + engender identity. Don't hesitate to reach out to me and ask me if I have experience in working with clients like you. I'm looking forward to hearing.

Our work together begins with a recognition that it takes courage to enter therapy and that it is an investment of time as well as resources. Embarking on this process is an important step towards living a fuller, more meaningful life. Whether you are struggling to make sense of your past, present and/or future, I hope to help guide you in gaining greater self-awareness and to achieve your goals. I am a licensed psychologist, and clinical supervisor with an integrative approach that combines the latest evidence-based research and depth-oriented relational psychoanalytic theory.

We are now in a communal health crisis together. It exacerbates feelings of anxiety and depression that we may have, and can make us spin as we try to adjust to Pandemic reality. Many of my clients are parents, people with career questions, immigrants, social justice workers. Many are either coping with a current situational issue that is confusing, overwhelming, or painful, or with a longer term pattern that they would like to change. I work in an engaged manner, hoping to build trust and a collaborative relationship that will allow you to look at old patterns and create new emotional and behavioral options, especially now.

I welcome you to journey inward with the support of another person by your side. In our work together, I hope to make space for all parts of your experience to come forward, especially ones that have seemed unacceptable or unwelcome in society. My approach to psychotherapy is holistic. It is descriptive rather than prescriptive, and focused on the whole person and their environment.

Are you struggling with how childhood experiences, losses or trauma continues to influence your life? Are you discouraged at repeating difficult situations or find it hard to get out from under depression or anxiety? I'm glad to see how we can put our minds together to understand your dilemmas and see things differently. Change is possible no matter what your age or your life circumstances when you feel seen, accepted and appreciated for who you are and where you've been.

As a complex trauma therapist, I specialize in a variety of modalities including: brainspotting, accelerated resolution therapy (ART), somatic experiencing, mindfulness meditation, and expressive arts. I work with teens and adults who have experienced childhood trauma.

As a transnationally raised queer immigrant clinician, and east coast transplant to California, I know what it's like to be a newcomer, an outsider, and someone struggling to feel "between worlds." I love working with anyone who is wanting to explore the stories we tell ourselves - and how they shape our sense of power, selfhood and connection to the world.

At some point in their lives, most people deal with emotional, mental, and relationship challenges. Maybe you are feeling down or empty. Perhaps you feel constantly stressed and anxious. You might be having difficulties with family, partners, friends, or colleagues. Or maybe you feel out of touch with your work, your passions, or even yourself. You are not alone. Therapy can help you work through challenging life experiences, both past and present, to help you feel better and to accomplish your goals. I believe that we heal through our relationships with others, and I want to provide this kind of healing relationship for you.

I am well trained as a licensed Clinical Psychologist with more than 20 years of experience providing individual therapy to children, adolescents and adults. I strive to create a genuine relationship with my clients to allow for collaborative exploration of the areas in their lives that interfere with personal fulfillment. My approach also involves listening actively, building trust, being curious, providing empathy, and making direct comments to help my clients develop greater awareness about themselves and the patterns in their lives that cause emotional distress or relationship difficulties. This allows my clients to grow and to live more meaningful lives.

No one comes to a therapist because they need a lecture. You're here because you need a partner on your personal journey to healing. Good therapy is an invitation into a dialogue, not a monologue where someone "thera-splains" yourself to you. It's my passion to help my clients with self-esteem, depression, anxiety, parenting and finding enjoyment in daily life. Working together, we can help you re-write personal narratives, identify and tackle goals, process trauma, change destructive patterns and master tools to navigate life's challenges with grace.

Everybody has a story to tell, and I want to hear yours. I work with adults & teens struggling with a range of issues (anxiety, depression, trauma, neuroatypical related challenges, disordered eating, body image issues, substance use, and burnout/perfectionism). Whether you are experiencing a challenge or you are interested in finding more balance in your life, I am here to support you. My clients often to come from a variety of marginalized communities: LGBTQIA+, BIPOC, Latinx/e, bi/multi-racial/cultural, Fat, neurodivergent, kinky, poly/ENM, people who use alcohol/drugs, performers/creatives, black sheep, brujx and witchy folk.

I work with Individuals and Couples developing better skills for communication, coping with stress and life transitions, and relationship building skills. I offer deeply attentive and compassionate Therapy that doesn't shy away from hard conversations and is culturally responsive. I am active in your sessions, asking thoughtful questions, observing strengths and progress, and checking in. I use an eclectic mix of Attachment Theory, Somatic Therapies, Gottman, and RLT. I help people reconnect with their inner knowing to become their best selves. I work with lots of LGBTQ Clients in Couples, who work in Security, and who are teens.

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 have been a therapist for over 25 years.  I work with individual, however, I specialize with couples and families. Issues are a part of life, however, they don’t have to run our life. Being proactive rather than reactive is an important aspect in empowering ourselves to look at things that feel so scary.  Our fears can magnify the reality of a situation to where we feel like we are about to climb Mt. Everest rather than going up a hill.

It can be vulnerable to start therapy; it takes courage. I believe it can be very rewarding and is one of the most powerful paths of transformation. Being in therapy is an opportunity to look at your life, and to learn new ways of relating to yourself, to others, and to your circumstances. This process can ease the pain of whatever difficulty you may be going through. It is an opportunity to not have to be alone with your pain, but to have the support and guidance of someone who is familiar with the terrain of the human psyche.

You’re fumbling, feeling clunky, ashamed, lost in transition, and searching for answers. You’ve been told you’re too much, too scattered, and too picky, when in reality, you may very well know what you want and it seems others just can’t meet you there. Together we will explore and unfold acceptance and awareness around ALL of your parts, especially the most intense ones. What you’re searching for is out there, let’s take these next steps on your journey

The pace and complexity of life these days is making it harder and harder to connect to how we are really feeling, and to understand why we are feeling that way. It feels like, too often, we are urged to ignore or push away key parts of ourselves in order to be or do what seems to be required of us. In response to this, the therapy I provide is an opportunity to slow down, to get clear about what we each need in order to feel okay (or to even just remember the ways that we actually already are okay, in the midst of it all), and to move into steadier and healthier versions of ourselves.