Culturally Sensitive Therapists in Walnut Creek, CA

Michelle Hider, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT), specializes in working with adolescents and adults who present with addiction, anxiety, mood disturbances, PTS, and self-injurous behaviors. She's a trained Somatic Experiencing, EMDR, Hakomi, IFS, and breathwork therapist who integrates strength-based, existential, and culturally sensitive modalities to help people heal and thrive. She supports goals clients identify and believes connection, loving presence, and community are an integral part of healing and recovery. Her main focus is to meet clients where they are by supporting changes they are ready to make.

I am a licensed clinical psychologist, assistant professor, and scientist. In my private practice, I see teens, adults, couples, and families. I take a holistic, trauma-informed, culturally-sensitive, and evidence-based approach to psychotherapy. I also provide life coaching and executive consultation. After learning about your history, stressors, and sociocultural background, I will work closely with you to meet your goals, however big or small they may seem.

When people enter a time in their life or a situation where they may feel down, worried, overwhelmed, or without many options, I believe therapy can shed light on new paths. Using Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), I help people gain a sense of control by teaching them effective ways to communicate, regulate their emotions, and improve interpersonal relationships to bring about needed change. I work collaboratively with my clients and their families so they can improve their quality of life and thrive.

I am a strength-based therapist with a warm, nonjudgmental and direct approach. Championing evidence based practices such as ACT, cognitive behavioral and interpersonal therapy, I utilize these modalities to help you evaluate and work through maladaptive thought patterns and behaviors that are keeping you "stuck" in your present situation. I will work collaboratively with you to create a culturally sensitive and uniquely tailored treatment plan. Holding a strong belief that therapeutic relationship is a privilege, I approach all my clients with curiosity, compassion and empathy.

Do you wish for greater success, self-acceptance, love and connection? Do you desire to live your life more authentically? Difficult life histories and current obstacles hinder us from becoming who we want to be. With my help, past events and unfruitful ways of being can be processed and transformed so that they no longer impact your present or future. Modalities such as EMDR, psychodynamic therapy, emotionally focused therapy and sensorimotor psychotherapy will help you discover and embody a new way of being. I am fiercely committed to helping you clear your path forward to embrace greater ease, integrity, belonging, and love.

Are you feeling lonely, sad, frustrated, unhappy? Experiencing difficulty with relationships, personal or in the work place? Have you recently experienced a loss of a loved one or a relationship and are having difficulty navigating the emotional impact? Maybe you are feeling stuck in how to manage a life change or just stuck in your own mind? Struggling with connecting with others and communicating your needs? Possibly having difficulty in recognizing the person looking back at you in the mirror or not liking what you see?

I have been a therapist for 16 years and a Faculty for 3 years. I am biracial, Latina, a woman of color, and an immigrant from South America. I have worked with trauma survivors from different backgrounds, ages, races, incomes, languages, LGBTQ, war victims, the homeless, people with schizophrenia, bipolar, refugees, and individuals of several other countries and belief systems.

Are you noticing behavioral/emotional changes with your child? Is your child having difficulty regulating their emotions? Does your child need support with navigating life transitions (e.g. new addition to the family, loss, move to a new area)? Are you concerned about your child's coping skills? Do you feel that your child needs support with building/improving existing coping tools?

Telling your story to someone who will listen and offer warm, nonjudgmental support and guidance can be the beginning of your healing journey and ongoing well being. I will work with you to address various life challenges whether it is due to conflicts in a relationship, past trauma, loss and grief, family of origin issues, illness, care giving for a loved one or other stress you are experiencing. I am a compassionate clinician with over 30 years of experience counseling adults of all ages in medical, social service and mental health settings. I am familiar with relevant community resources you can utilize along with your therapy.

Everyone deserves a life full of confidence, connection, and fulfillment. However, most of us experience times when we feel stuck, overwhelmed, anxious, or depressed. I support teens and adults by creating a safe space to explore who they are, look deeper into what they want out of life, identify patterns, help build resilience, and develop healthy ways of coping with life’s challenges. I also work collaboratively with parents to provide guidance and practical tools to empower families to create a positive, nurturing, and connected family environment.

If you are looking for change, support and a companion on your journey to self-discovery and growth, I would be honored to facilitate that for you. If you are reading this, chances are, you or someone you love is in pain. Pain can be expressed in many different ways: isolation, destructive/difficult relationships, drug use, overworking, overeating, over exercising, overcommitting, restricting food, negative self talk, self criticism, self harm,etc. I seek to empower you to change what you have identified as a problem, but I also seek to remind you of your strengths.

Hey there, if you are reading this, there is a chance that things in your life have gotten rough. Maybe you are having relationship problems, work or school is overwhelming, or maybe you are unhappy. I can help. I specialize in working with individuals who are living with immense life stressors. I help clients achieve their goals by dissolving obstacles, discovering patterns, and gaining insights while developing new skills to cope with life challenges. I work best with patients who are highly anxious but also appreciate a sense of humor. I can also provide services in Cantonese.

Welcoming safe, supportive haven for all those living "outside the boxes”. Experience with youth, adults, elders in supporting the unique therapeutic healing journey of LGBTQIA+, artists, performers, empaths, healers, alternative families (donor/adoption/foster/blended culture), and non mainstream relationships. I bring genuine compassion and endurance for your process to find, embrace, and honor all the dimensions of your authentic expression, identity, culture, sexuality, spirituality, and life path.

I know that the search for a therapist can be incredibly challenging, especially when things are feeling most difficult or confusing. I specialize in providing family therapy, couples therapy, and individual therapy with teens and adults, and am often trusted to support people with the most vulnerable aspects of their lives. If it feels like I may be a good fit for you and your family, I am ready to facilitate a process with you that honors your needs and wishes while finding the best path forward.

Is your child is struggling with mental health? Is it effecting them in school (low grades, missing assignments, poor test performance)? Are you are scared about your child's future? Are you sad to see your child struggling with their mental health? As a parent you want your child to be happy and experience success. We believe every child deserves to feel a sense of wellbeing and reach their potential. And we are here to help.

Couples/Relationship Counseling. LGBTQ, Poly, & Kink friendly. Clients that like my style seek therapy mostly for anxiety or depression that comes from the feeling that life lacks purpose, feels stuck, or stale; especially during times of heartache, misunderstanding, break-ups, or even death. Many useful moments, crucial moments, can arise at the end of something - unresolved past hurts, spiritual dilemmas, a sudden urgency and passion for figuring out "why we're here" - understanding them and integrating them is what I offer. Closing the old stuff up well means new, exciting beginnings are possible...often in the same relationship!

My specialty is utilizing expressive arts in the therapy space, which can include a variety of art forms, such as visual arts (drawing, painting, collaging), poetry, lyric writing, music, and movement. The arts provide an outlet for freedom of expression, shed light into one’s experience and bring confidence to our presences. Whether clients prefer talk-therapy or other creative avenues to support their process, I am committed to meeting my clients wherever they are on their therapeutic journey, while remaining curious, creative, collaborative, culturally humble, and strengths-based.

Are you experiencing burnout in your relationships? Do you feel overwhelmed with life's challenges? Let me help you. My therapeutic approach helps you to be more aware of your fears, resentments, anger, anxiety, negative thoughts, and undesirable habits. On the next step, I will assist you to overcome all these challenges. On every level, this process improves your relationships with family, partner, co-workers, friends, and more importantly with your own sense of self. During the course of therapy, I commit myself in providing a confidential, empathic, and collaborative approach to build an effective relationship with you.

It's all about relationships, starting with your relationship to yourself, your family of origin, your partner, children, friends. And then there's the relationship to your problems: things like depression, anxiety, ADHD, post-partum and parenting stress, body-image problems. How do you work with the set of challenges that life hands you? I work with clients to understand themselves and their own story, and then apply that understanding, in the form of coping and problem-solving skills, to their relationships, to get through life's pain and into a life worth living.