Therapists in Berkeley, CA

My name is Alex and I'm excited about the potential of working with you in developing a sense of integration and resiliency in your life. Are you feeling stuck? Dissatisfied in your relationships and/or work? Disconnected from a sense of deeper purpose? Feel that there is the potential for greater richness and joy in life, but it is just out of reach? Rooted in a compassionate curiosity and from a holistic lens, we can unpack the how's and why's of your patterns; gaining insight into your emotions and experiences, and work towards greater self-awareness and well-being.

I work with individuals and couples to help reduce struggles and find ways to live more fulfilling, gratifying lives. Our relationship is the context in which we work to find where you're stuck, what's getting in your way, and ways to do things differently. My specialty areas include grief and loss, adoption, ADHD, race/class issues, work/life balance, LGBTQ issues, and divorce. I help people manage anxiety and mood problems. I help couples with concerns related to parenting, managing conflict, and addressing needs and expectations. I see communication as the grease that keeps relationships running smoothly, and I help facilitate good communication.

I have worked as a Licensed Therapist for the past 23 years providing trauma informed, culturally sensitive care to individuals and families in the Bay Area. I have worked extensively with individuals who have suffered abuse & neglect. As well as knowledgeable treatment for adoptive children & parents around parenting & attachment issues. I have earned the distinction of expert witness in California courts. I have the experience to provide the support and tools needed to heal & get your life back on track. These can be stressful times, remember you don't need to do this alone; support is here for you & your family. No fee first call

I recognize that seeking therapy means that you or a loved one have determined a need for connection beyond that of friends and family. Knowing how difficult and intimidating this outreach can be, as a psychologist I strive to establish a safe space where clients can speak freely and be listened to intently. The work we do together is about creating an alliance that allows you to delve into painful memories and face feelings that can be frightening or uncomfortable. We do this work in collaboration, so I can hear your stories, and create a meaningful relationship.

We were born to connect with ourselves and others, to be alive in our bodies and awake in the world, and to anchor into a sense of purpose. Painful experiences and negative patterns can disconnect us from our innate ability to full-heartedly live life. When you are stuck, dissatisfied in relationship, challenged by life transition, constrained by depression or anxiety, unable to heal from trauma, or simply feeling called to step more fully into your best self, therapy can be a powerful ally. I offer tools you can use to reconnect with your own power, resilience, and wholeness.

I offer neurodiversity-affirming, client-focused care to neurodivergent children, adolescents and adults. My clients tend to have several of these qualities: They are highly intelligent and verbal. They often feel like they don’t fit in, but may form fewer and deeper friendships. They throw themselves enthusiastically into the things they’re passionate about. They struggle to find appropriate outlets for intense emotions. They often have “geeky” hobbies. Many identify as neurodivergent, autistic, or a person with ADHD, with or without a diagnosis.

My approach as a therapist is affirming, collaborative, Strengths-Based, and tailored to each client I work with. I focus on providing a judgment-free zone so that clients have space and support to work on their personal goals. I hope to build a strong relationship with each client because I believe that a strong relationship is important to our ability to work together and helps to strengthen the client's ability to reach their goals. Therapy can sometimes be hard work and often means facing difficult experiences from our past. My hope is that I am providing a space where the client never feels alone in the process.

I work with individuals and couples facing significant life choices and transitions in areas such as relationships, marriage, divorce, parenthood, career, and identity. I also have a sub-specialization in work with survivors of trauma. I am experienced in working with clients from a wide range of cultural and geographic backgrounds. In our sessions I provide clients a place to find support, acceptance, perspective and hope, to explore themselves and their lives in depth, and to develop more effective ways of relating to themselves and others.

I believe that fulfilling relationships are the central component of growth and healing. In couples therapy whether you are struggling with sexual issues or problems with money, mess, time, work or children, I will focus on helping you develop a closer connection and greater security which will enable you to more effectively address your concerns. In individual therapy, I will work to develop an authentic, attuned therapy relationship with you through which we can understand and develop your capacity in your relational world with partner, children, parents, work, creative and spiritual quests on a path of growth and healing.

Many of my clients are disabled, queer, and trans. I love to support individuals and families in finding and shifting cycles that keep them stuck. This can look like a cycle of anxiety that keeps swirling and growing no matter how much you try to avoid or reassure it. Or like families that are caught in challenging cycles of communication, who are working to shift things but feel caught in old patterns. My clients are often impacted by multiple layers of social and internalized stigma. Specific issues my clients seek care for include OCD, ADHD, depression, trauma, bereavement, and identity development around disability and gender.

Parenting can be a deeply conflictual experience. Sometimes we agree with Bette Davis who said "If you have never been hated by your child, you have never been a parent." Other times we identify with Anne Lamott's notion that "There really are places in the heart you don't even know exist until you love a child." The seemingly unpredictable alternation of positive and negative feelings that come with raising a family can be painful and bewildering, and our self-esteem as parents suffers most when it becomes difficult to access the good in our closest relationships.

Feeling anxious, overwhelmed, frustrated, or stuck? I can help you find ways to cope with uncomfortable feelings so that you can feel more balance in your daily life and more fulfilling relationships and experiences. Many of us rely on friends and family to help us work through problems, but sometimes our friends or family are part of the problem itself. Or maybe we just don't feel comfortable talking about certain issues with them. Oftentimes we withdraw from our support systems and end up feeling more and more alone.

I provide individual therapy for adults who are seeking to heal prior family wounds and traumas, improve their current relationships and quality of life, and are seeking support during times of transition - especially to parenthood. My personal belief is that there are three things that cause an immense amount of suffering for most people; 1) our inability to effectively identify, feel, and communicate our emotions, 2) our difficulty with tolerating uncertainty, and 3) our tendency to get stuck in patterns of rigidity. My work tends to be emotion-focused, helping clients to live more freely and flexibly.

There is nothing wrong with you. Like the humble cones that grow into majestic redwood trees, in this very moment everything you need to realize your dreams is waiting inside. I work with people who are open to transformation; who know the seed of goodness in their hearts, and are determined to allow it to bloom in this lifetime. I work with those who are ready to move towards their dreams with fierce and tender courage, not only for themselves, but for their families and communities. With kindness, warmth, and patience, together we can move towards greater connection and joy inside and in relationships.

Therapy is a private space for you to get help with issues that have become overwhelming to you, out of your control, or urgent in some way. Sessions are designed to help you clarify the nature of the problem, identify clear goals, and set a course for recovery/healing. Talking together in ways which nurture curiosity and compassion, we will look at what troubles you, what brings you hope. We will be attentive to the past, but our focus will be on how the past's legacy is impacting your life now. Our work will be relieving of past pains/traumas and will bring more calm and ease, a greater sense of connectedness in present time.

I am a Bay Area-based Asian American clinical psychologist with a passion for working with adult children of immigrants, people of color, and historically marginalized folks. Many clients express struggling with perfectionism, people pleasing, self-criticism, and worry that they will never be "enough." There may be parts of themselves they feel unable to explore or express, and worry that these parts may not be understood or supported by others. Many may be navigating intergenerational trauma, and relationship issues with their family of origin or romantic relationships.

I work best with clients who are looking for a safe and caring therapy relationship in order to pursue goals that have previously seemed too difficult to achieve alone. These goals typically range from wanting to experience life more fully, including a fuller range of emotions, to having more rewarding relationships and more fulfilling work lives. I have been practicing psychotherapy for 33 years, have been teaching it for almost as long, and feel comfortable assisting with a very wide range of issues, including depression, anxiety, parenting challenges and other relationship and family conflicts.

I work with clients of all ages to find a unique path through the difficulties they are seeking help with and in their efforts to live fully. My approach is relational, depth-oriented, playful, and based in compassion. Psychotherapy can be a deeply personal and enlivening process, through which you may notice an emerging sense of self and find greater internal freedom. With adults, this involves creating a space where you feel recognized, understood, and safe enough to explore the depths and complexity of your emotional experiences as well as the forces (internal and external) impacting the areas of life most concerning to you now.

Clients seeking my services are looking for a safe and supportive space where they can bring their authentic whole “self” and explore and discuss issues centered on intersectional oppressions, identity exploration, trauma exploration, managing anxiety and stress, depression reduction, relational and attachment struggles, managing imposter syndrome, improving self-esteem, increasing communications skills and learning to identify and set healthy boundaries.