Therapists in Oakland, CA

Lauren Chester (she/they) is a registered and board-certified art therapist (ATR-BC) who is passionate about cultivating environments where people can practice sharing their whole selves. Lauren believes in the process of art as a conduit for communication and expression and is passionate about the use of art to encourage meaningful conversations. Lauren’s practice of Art Therapy has been heavily influenced by the Disability Justice and Healing Justice movements and is non-hierarchical, co-creative, and gender-affirming.

Clients often come to me when they’re having trouble balancing multiple identities or areas of their lives. You might feel overwhelmed, overworked, or confused about why you don't feel better. Maybe you’re struggling to manage relationships, feeling like you can't relax, or not being accepted as queer, trans, or non-monogamous by family or community. You might feel stuck in your head, and aren’t sure which way to turn to feel better. I have a passion for working with people who like using their big brains to solve big problems, live in liminal spaces, and who might be struggling to connect with others in the ways that they'd like.

What I believe: Relationships are unique and come in countless shapes and sizes over time. Right now, relationships are already happening and changing in your life every day. Love is available in ourselves when we choose it, and choosing love in ourselves brings more love into our relationships. Yes, all relationships shift and change, and at the same time, love can regenerate again and again in the most mysterious moments and forms if we stay open and curious.

I believe that therapy is a sacred space in which the client-therapist relationship can be reparative. I offer tools around self-regulation, body scan meditations, and other techniques to soothe the nervous system. If you are dealing with PTSD or past traumas I provide a safe place for you to unpack your feelings and memories, while learning to soothe and empower yourself. Two important factors in healing trauma are learning self-soothing while uncovering a narrative (of what happened) that makes sense to you.

I specialize in working with individuals, couples, and families. If you've encountered tough experiences, difficulties in work and relationships, traumas, or addiction, I am available to help. I've done extensive work at the crossroads of trauma and mental health, and specialize in helping clients move from crisis into stabilization. I use modalities such as attachment focused EMDR, IFS, DBT skills, somatic interventions and insight oriented talk therapy. I am here to partner with you so that we can work together to help you feel better. Getting you to a place where you can live the life you want to is my primary goal!

I believe people are trying their best through good and hard times. Especially during the hard times, we find ways to make it through. I work with people to figure out what their survival strategies are, which ones they want to keep or change. Sometimes, these strategies require us to code-switch, mask, or deny parts of ourselves. I enjoy helping people find out more about themselves, their values, and what ways to care for themselves. I work with them to build a therapy experience for rest, healing, and discovery. Together my clients and I build more places and experiences where they just get to be.

I am a psychotherapist practicing HIPPA-compliant telehealth for clients located in California. My work with individuals, families, and groups is aimed at surfacing truth in ways that catalyze healing and transformation. I specialize in supporting emergence grounded in lineage, that is, where and who you come from, and that supports your legacy, or what it is you are here to do. I care particularly about the impact and transformations of oppressions you may endure and wish to offer myself in service to the ways in which you would like to shift.

Are you looking for a consistent touchstone in your week or every other week that offers support in what you're navigating in your life? If you are looking to build your toolbox and develop your sense of empowerment to navigate this world, then we can work on that together. I work with clients seeking a combination of talk therapy and mindfulness practices to develop their intuition and a compassionate relationship with their inner world, and who are seeking to build more peace in their nervous systems, relationships, and environments. If you’d like to take a step, contact me today for a consultation.

Hi there, I’m glad you’re here. I know that looking for a therapist can be hard, especially when you’re hurting or feeling low. I may be able to help. You might feel lonely, anxious, or full of guilt…or you might not know what you feel. You may be confused about the choices you make in life, or you may feel frustrated with the unjust world you live in. Many critical thought patterns, painful feelings, and unwanted behaviors started out as survival strategies to protect us during difficult life experiences. These strategies helped us cope in the past, but can lead to conflict and suffering in the present.

Hi, I'm Alex. I am a white, queer, trans non-binary person. I use they/them pronouns. And I care deeply about justice, collective liberation, mutual aid, and human evolution. I dedicate myself and my work to deconstructing the harmful and misappropriated messages of our white supremacist, capitalist, cis-hetero-patriarchal mainstream culture, while supporting the organic and authentic self-expression that lives beyond toxic constructs. I aim to offer and support an experience of re-humanization.

*ACCEPTING CALIFORNIA, ILLINOIS, AND MISSOURI CLIENTS* Come be seen & be known in a relational space with me, so that you can finally arrive home in yourself. Are you curious if you have experienced trauma, or if trauma may still be affecting you? Have you worked with many healers & still feel stuck in certain places? Have you experienced a spiritual awakening & need to integrate the experience(s)? If you answered 'yes' to any of these questions, then you may be in the right place. Trauma can express itself in PTSD & Complex PTSD symptoms, various types of depression & anxiety, & many other symptoms. Lets get to the root.

I am a trauma-informed, sex positive psychotherapist offering Telehealth sessions to couples and individuals in California. My practice is affirming and supportive for gender, sexuality, and relationship diversity (GSRD) from early adulthood to later life. With a nurturing and non-judgmental approach, I empower people to explore their desires, overcome obstacles, and create fulfilling relationships. I aim to provide a grounded and warm space for folks to explore the parts of themselves that are challenging to sit with alone. I am kink affirming, queer affirming, and non-monogamy affirming!

You have the power to harness your unique experiences and strengths to truly thrive, and I can show you how. Hi, my name is Celine, and I will support your in-depth self learning to embrace the joy of your individuality. Taking a strengths-based and trauma-informed approach, I will meet you in your stage of healing to empower you to integrate and understand your formative life experiences. If you feel that your lifestyle or mental health is not matching who you would like to become, I can guide you there. Together, we will make a plan to help you imagine and achieve your most Authentic Self and live a fulfilling life.

Offering CA-based Telehealth ideal for BIPOC: Black, Indigenous, &/or People of Color, including white-passing & mixed-race BIPOC. Also welcoming Families & Partnerships with 1 or more BIPOC in regular attendance. I offer Xychotherapy: psychotherapy that recognizes therapeutic experiences existed long before psychotherapy was invented, and incorporates psychotherapy into global therapeutic wisdoms and practices.

I specialize in working with ADHD, HSP, and ASD. Being in our bodies- and being in our world- can be very difficult. This is especially true when when you're a highly sensitive person. My typical client often hears "you're being too much" while also dreading the feeling of not "being enough". I'm here to take a deep dive into what's making you feel like "too much" and highlight the ways you are "just enough for the right people". Typically, my client's goals are to live more comfortably in their sensitive skin, find liberation from shame, and better manage depression and anxiety.

We often seek out therapy in the harder moments of life. These moments leave us feeling broken or stuck and can emerge as a result of anything from challenging personal relationships and life transitions to systemic oppression. I view my work as a therapist as an opportunity to enter these places with my clients—finding beauty in the shadows and guiding you back to remembering your inherent wholeness.

As a queer transgender, nonbinary individual with a non-traditional spiritual practice and collaborative approach to my therapy, I know that finding the right therapist is important. Whether in rural situations or in a big city—the therapy room is a space where a client doesn't have to explain or educate a therapist about sexuality, open relationships, polyamory, BDSM, body size, disability, chronic health issues, experiences of oppression, or racism. You are valid. I hold that everyone is an expert of their own life. I am not an expert when it comes to your life.

I am a licensed clinical social worker who has had the privilege of serving a diverse clientele across multiple systems and settings in a therapeutic environment. Part of what makes my approach different as a therapist is my emphasis on intersectionality and treating the whole person to work toward healing and recovery. I assist my clients in validating, processing, and identifying how their identity and experiences shape their mental health journey.

As a sex therapist, I specialize in topics surrounding BDSM and kink, sex work, polyamory, gender identity and queer issues. Whether you're inspired to explore new aspects of your gender or sexual identity, seeking to reignite intimacy, rekindle passion, entertain untapped desires, or reconnect with your deep felt sense of self, all of you is welcome in my office. We often find ourselves longing to seek more congruence in our lives, to weave together all the pieces of ourselves to step into our wisdom and grow our self expression. Learning to deepen the intimacy with yourself and others is the first step along a lifelong journey.