Therapists in Oakland, CA

I am passionate about working with those who struggle with relationships and boundary setting, and clients who struggle with balancing differing sets of expectations due to cultural, physical, or mental factors. I also work with couples from differing backgrounds to deepen mutual understanding and couples struggling through a difficult phase in their relationship looking to increase communication and understanding. I work well with people from diverse cultural backgrounds, immigrant and first and second generation individuals and families, mixed race or multicultural individuals, and those who are struggling with chronic illness.

My experience comes from 31 years of helping children, adults, couples and families in both Community Mental Health and Private Practice. My approach is eclectic and tailored to each individual's needs to facilitate healing and growth. Through my years of experience I have witnessed over and over again people coming into therapy with great pain, discomfort and despair but with time, (sometimes within a very short time) their symptoms diminish and a whole new person emerges. Crisis times can be extremely painful and distressful but they can also be opportunities for growth and healing through therapy.

Bilingual, Culturally Sensitive, Trauma-informed, Relational Psychotherapy. I believe that engaging in therapy is an act of courage because change is by definition radical. An important goal of therapy is to connect to your authentic/creative self as a way to make meaning in times of suffering. Together we will explore your personal, family, cultural, and political history to understand the ways in which your experiences shape how you feel in the world. Whether you are struggling with life transitions, finding/keeping good relationships, or trying to integrate different identities, our work can help you find some sense of cohesion.

I work with clients from diverse communities who seek support for challenges related to racial and ethnic identity, major life transitions, and existential concerns. I also provide psychedelic integration support that is culturally sensitive, based in reciprocity and acknowledgment of indigenous cultures, and trauma-informed. Forgiveness, compassion, and patience for ourselves and our own unique healing processes are key to embracing our inherent strengths and finding self empowerment. These are valuable tools I hope to help you cultivate.

I provide culturally sensitive, empirically validated psychotherapy services to individuals, couples and families, ranging from adolescents to seniors. I am committed to the therapeutic process as a collaborative journey and consider it a great privilege to be entrusted with my clients' most deeply-held thoughts and feelings. I am actively engaged with those who are grappling with issues of anxiety, depression, bereavement, relationship problems, life transitions, trauma, interpersonal difficulties and creative blocks, addressing my client's concerns in a humanistic and holistic manner that transcends preoccupation with pathology to work toward a life of deep meaning, creativity and interpersonal fulfillment.

I founded Be Love Community Counseling to provide safe, healing space for people that have been oppressed, marginalized or have an identity outside of the "dominant culture." Historic trauma and past hurts may show up as depression, anxiety, anger management issues, low self-esteem, underachievement, oppositional behaviors etc. You may think that something is wrong with you while what you're experiencing may actually be a result of something that has happened to you or your ancestors. Therapy is empowering as you may increase awareness about what is keeping you from freedom to live the life you desire.

I am motivated to work with adults experiencing anxiety, stress, depression, grief; feelings of being overwhelmed, sadness, frustration and loneliness. I work with clients who just feel stuck. I meet my clients where they are to collaborate on their wellness needs to meet their goals. I believe that we all have the capacity to become the best versions of ourselves within our families, relationships and community.

As a licensed psychotherapist and certified hypnotherapist with over 20 + years of experience empowering women, my life’s purpose is to provide women a sanctuary. Whether easing anxiety, depression, grief, working through trauma or grappling with life’s hardest questions - I bring an open heart, deep compassion and proven therapy tools to ignite positive change. Having faced struggles myself, I have profound understanding for the issues my clients face on their journeys toward healing. My goal is to help women live their best lives.

I work with queer and trans people, and welcome clients who do not fit those identities. I am particularly interested in working with—but not limited to—relationship dynamics, gender and sexuality exploration, anxiety, depression, trauma, grief, sensitivity, neurodivergence, inner child work, fat justice / liberation, and connecting to self-expression. I invite clients who are sitting with the questions of… How can I live fully as myself? What's happening in my relationship to self? To others? To the world? I value supporting you in your authentic expression beyond constructs and rules, and I work very experientially.

Raising young children can elicit a range of intense and often conflicting emotions—delight, love, fear, and anger, to name a few. The process of becoming a parent can also evoke memories and feelings related to our own childhoods, which can serve as a reminder of patterns we would like to either emulate or avoid. In the midst of this phase of life transition, it can be easy to lose our footing—dilemmas start to emerge and conflicts in our relationships with partners or other family members increase. We often wonder if we are doing a good job raising our kids, while we try not to lose sight of our own needs and desires.

I specialize working with trans, queer, bisexual, lesbian, questioning, and gay people of color (Black, Indigenous, Asian, Pacific Islander, Latino/a/x/e, Multiracial/Biracial), providing gender- and queer-affirming care. I can provide letters of support for gender-affirming surgery. I work well with folks who are self-aware but sometimes "to a fault." You find feelings hard but really want to work on "feel the feelings!" You are willing to take risks and be real when something is hard. You want a change but feel stuck, and are down to try both new and old things. You want to be a better person/friend/partner/coworker/child/etc.

Life isn't always easy. Whether you're dealing with an existing challenge, a current stressful situation, or you're turning a page to start a new chapter of your life, I believe we all can benefit from someone helping us to manage these changes and transitions. My therapeutic goal is to help you better manage your life's challenges and to provide you with tools and strategies to achieve your personal goals.

Do you find yourself struggling with anxiety, depression, grief, self-esteem, identity, and difficult life transitions? Do you find yourself feeling stuck and can’t seem to focus or move forward? There are many ways to get unstuck, and this is the work I love to do to help you heal, grow and live a more fulfilling life. I use an integrative approach including attachment-based work, DBT, CBT, IFS, and mindfulness, bringing in each as needed. Above all, I strive to hold space and empathy for your life experience.

I understand therapy to be a healing process rooted in our relationship; a therapeutic relationship built on authenticity, curiosity, empathy, deep attunement, and one without judgment. My initial goal is to help you become fully aware of your distress and understand it, and work with you to relieve it in the process. I believe that you have the innate ability to heal yourself and your relationships. So in the long-term, my goal is to help you access this innate ability.

The people who choose to work with me often want something more than traditional talk therapy. People come to me who are experiencing challenges in relationships with themselves and others. This includes struggling in the relationship to being in your own body. I combined talk therapy with a number of mindfulness and somatic based modalities to meet you where you are and explore together what healing can look like. I work with individuals and couples or other relationship configurations. I also offer psychedelic integration integration therapy.

My name is Jenna Smith and I am a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist based out of San Diego, California. I have experience working with adolescents and young adults and specialize in anger management, depression, anxiety, stress management, and post-traumatic stress disorder. I use Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Solution-Focused Therapy, and Emotionally-Focused Individual Therapy to support my clients in understanding their thoughts, emotions, and attachment wounds in order to heal and grow.

The toll of trauma, stress, anxiety, & depression builds over time, things that once seemed manageable turn into a life that's not our own, because we're stuck in survival mode. It's exhausting. As a therapist, my goal is to collaborate with you to safely navigate your inner landscape and put pieces together so you can uncover your unique abilities and create a mental health toolkit that will carry you through a lifetime. I am here to support you in working through unresolved feelings and conflicts and guide you toward healing. Therefore, you can feel empowered, rejuvenated, and enthusiastic about life again.

Feeling overwhelmed, burnt out, or stuck? Feel unseen or undervalued? Going through a big transition or feel like you need something to change? Let's unpack this together. We'll delve into what's holding you back, challenge societal expectations, and rewrite your story authentically. In sessions, I offer autonomy and acceptance, creating a safe space for deep exploration. My aim is to walk beside you as you discover yourself, heal, and flourish. It's time to find balance and joy in your life.

Are you seeking a better relationship with yourself or with others? Are you wanting to heal from the effects of having been raised by emotionally immature or unavailable parents? Need support with identifying and experiencing your feelings? Are you striving to live a more purposeful and meaningful life? I will provide a sensitive, genuine supportive presence where you can feel truly acknowledged with acceptance and without judgment. I will be an active participant in our working alliance to help move you towards experiencing the positive changes you seek and meeting your goals.