Therapists in Berkeley, CA

Sometimes life brings us challenges that are difficult to negotiate on our own. My clinical approach can help you find new ways of experiencing yourself and approaching life's challenges. I have over 25 years of clinical experience working with individuals and couples. My approach is gentle and effective and includes psychodynamic, somatic, cognitive-behavioral and mindfulness therapy practices. I am a trauma-informed therapist with specialized training in attachment trauma, complex trauma and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as well as anxiety and stress reduction.

I feel the theraputic experience is a rich and exciting way for someone to reach their full potential. We all have feelings at times that "something is missing". These are real feelings and will be explored through our relationship. I believe everyone is unique. I don't have a "cookie cutter" approach to treating people. We will get to know each other and deal with the issues together. I work from a psychodynamic viewpoint.I feel everything that you have gone through as a child, young adult, and adult is connected. Our job will be to put the puzzle together.

I specialize in helping individuals and couples transform obsessive thoughts, harmful/addictive behaviors (especially sex addiction and/or porn addiction), and unhealthy patterns into a serene, fulfilling life with repaired, satisfying relationships. Therapy can actually be fun! Especially as one establishes more fulfilling ways of being with oneself and others, and learns to hear, trust and act upon one's own inner guidance. Changing old, limiting patterns takes courage, and having a therapist with the right blend of compassion, insight and humor can be a valuable ally on the road to transformation.

You may find yourself needing more support due to a relationship struggle or life transition. Maybe you, like many others, are coming out of the COVID years feeling a little lost or uncertain. Maybe you have a big decision to make. My role is to support your process of self-discovery and healing. As a deep listener attuned to you, I will assist you in cultivating your resilience to navigate your life at any stage. Your goals will focus and guide our work toward greater awareness and change. My life experience, training, and openness will support you on your journey toward greater emotional well-being.

I am drawn to support clients heal the anxiety, guilt and shame from trauma. This may include trauma related to abuse, bullying, accidents, harassment, religious impositions, discrimination, and more. My clients often want to feel less anxiety, better manage their triggers, enjoy sexual intercourse with their partner(s), and redefine themselves from the trauma they experienced. Grounding techniques, challenging learned beliefs, asserting needs, and living more for self, are common themes in my practice and essential for post-traumatic growth. Integrating identities (e.g. race, ethnicity, sexuality, etc.) is common in my practice.

I am a licensed psychotherapist providing holistic counseling to individuals and couples. In my practice I help people understand themselves better through a lens of curiosity, kindness and compassion. Through this exploration you will learn to access your inner strength and resources, helping you to live a richer and more fully expressed life. I create a safe and non judgmental space for you to do this important work.

As a psychologist, I provide a bridge between traditional psychotherapy and alternative modalities, in a highly individualized approach.Hypnotherapy integrated with psychotherapy can effectively reduce stress and anxiety, while resolving issues of relationships, career, health, or self-development. Hypnosis is a natural way to empower you to "change your brain." Release negative beliefs, shift self-defeating habits to life enhancing ones, discover your "source self" and utilize creative inner resources that you may not even be aware you have.

With a background including a Stanford B.A./ UC Berkeley J.D., a previous career as an innovation leader and startup founder, and journeys through heartbreak and illness, I bring eclectic personal experience to therapy practice. I combine formal training in psychodynamic therapy, dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), EFT couples therapy, mind-body/ somatic work, meditation, and yoga therapy to provide an integrative, holistic approach to healing and personal growth. My work is informed by modern, evidence-based methods of psychotherapy as well as spiritual wisdom and practices from Buddhism, Hinduism, and Judaism.

While I work with a diversity of people, I specialize in working with LGBTQ individuals, couples and youth. As a Marriage and Family psychotherapist, I seek to help my clients find their way through the hardships that life can bring. I believe in the healing power of the therapeutic relationship as well as each individual having the power to heal themselves. I believe in a strength based, solution focused approach to therapy and work with my clients to not only overcome their current circumstances but to also develop tools and strategies that they can use moving forward in their lives.

Sometimes amazing things can grow under pressure. Living with stigma - related to a mind that works differently, a body that's unruly or "too much," or a sexuality that doesn't fit behind a white picket fence - asks us to be creative and fierce. The wisdom that can grow here is astounding. But the burden of stigma is heavy, and sometimes it grips us in painful positions. Whether you're feeling exhausted, sick of yourself, or just don't know quite how to relate to other people, therapy with me can help.

Are you struggling with relationships? Are you having the same fight with your partner over and over? Have you lost the emotional connection you used to have? Intimate relationships touch our deepest relational wounds. That's why we can be overwhelmed with the pain they bring and often, at points, feel like giving up. We can heal those wounds and help each other in that process. The kind of couples therapy/marriage counseling and individual therapy that I provide combines deep experiential work with teaching, coaching and practicing many specific relational skills that will set you up for success in all your relationships.

Are you feeling stuck, blocked, or living less fully than you would like? Maybe you would like to feel more embodied, alive, and confident. Whether it is fear, trauma, or stories we tell about ourselves and others, there are many obstacles that prevent us from thriving. I am here to support you on your journey toward wholeness.

Telehealth/online counseling available for residents of Massachusetts, California, and Hawaii. Reactions to life changes and negative self talk can leave us feeling disempowered. Finding a therapist that will work well for you is the first step towards discovering skills to improve your overall quality of life. Through a supportive, holistic approach I empower individuals with the ability to decrease the impact of anxiety or depression. I am compassionate, straight-forward, and encourage collaboration. A somatic approach to Internal Family Systems, IFS, facilitates deep healing and change.

It is only human to let the trials and tribulations of life weigh us down, and pull us away from our personal growth. We can feel stuck in old patterns and it is hard to see a way out. Therapy allows us to see our struggles from a new perspective, and find new paths towards positive change, and create a more harmonious interaction with our world. I work with couples and individuals on a variety of mental health issues including depression, anxiety, trauma, grief, relationship issues and more.

Difficult times in relationships can often be gifts in that they open the door to a deeper exploration of ourselves and those closest to us. Seen in this light, therapy can be a step towards mutual evolution, rather than just a problem-solving endeavor. I work well with couples and families,helping to create a safe , trusting atmosphere where people can get more in touch with their feelings and express them to others close to them.I also work with individuals who have relationship issues.

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.

All life is a relationship. From our very first moments and onward, what happens in relationship teaches us about how to be in the world. We continually form certain core beliefs, ways of thinking, patterns of tension, and ways of moving our body that can be both healthy and limiting. Trauma, abuse, neglect, and other wounding contribute to how we form our relationship with the world and with ourselves. All of our past experiences have an impact on our present experience. Our day to day life can then be full of a sense of meaninglessness, emotional and physical pain, chronic anxiety, mistrust, or general unease.

I am a leading authority on healing shame. I co-created the Healing Shame – Lyon/Rubin method and am the Co-Director of the Center for Healing Shame, a continuing education provider that offers workshops to therapists and other helping professionals. In my private practice, I developed therapy techniques integrating somatic and expressive processes to work with the all-pervasive shame and trauma that underlie toxic family dynamics, depression and eating disorders. I integrate Emotionally Focused Therapy and AEDP with Drama Therapy, Hakomi, Focusing and Expressive Arts. I work with the imposter syndrome and voracious inner critics.

I offer both short and long-term therapy with adolescents, adults and seniors. I am experienced with anxiety, grief, depression, identity exploration, relationship issues and trauma. I strive to create a comfortable, accepting and encouraging space, and I believe that the quality of the relationship between therapist and client is essential to the work.