Family Therapy in Berkeley, CA

Hello! As a psychologist, I offer sessions for children, teens, and adults for variety of topics, including work stress, couple's issues, and depression. I hold a specialty in integrated health psychology, and have worked with individuals or families coping with mental or physical health issues. I also work with clients who are experiencing depression, anxiety, grief, life transitions, and provide gender-affirming care. I completed my MFT (Master's in family therapy) degree in 2013, and later completed my Doctorate Degree in Clinical Psychology (PsyD).

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.

I am passionate about fostering healing spaces for clients that want to reconnect to their authentic selves. I have extensive experience helping families with young children (0-5 years) navigate difficult and traumatic experiences through my use of Child Parent Psychotherapy (CPP). I also have ample experience helping immigrants, children of immigrants, and BIPGM (Black, Indigenous, and People of the Global Majority) heal from institutional, generational, and familial trauma through my use of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), internal family systems (IFS), and ketamine assisted psychotherapy (KAP).

Frustrated? Feel you are getting nowhere in your efforts to fix some emotional snag? Feel you are caught in a loop that has left you depressed or anxious? Maybe both? I help individuals and couples work through their rough patches. By using proven methods based on research I have helped resolve many issues without lengthy treatment. Being empathically present with clients to ensure their safety and comfort is a core value for me. All lifestyles and cultural backgrounds are welcomed in my practice. In addition to California clients, I am also licensed for televideo sessions in New Mexico and Florida.

I am a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and work with individuals, families, couples and children. I particularly enjoy working with people who are navigating difficult interpersonal relationships (with family members, partners, spouses, etc.) or are in the midst of healing from heartbreak, grief or loss. I also have extensive personal and professional experience with chronic pain/illness and have deep regard for the experiencers and caregivers dealing with the challenges that accompany. I also love working with clients who are looking to decrease symptoms of anxiety or panic that are interfering with their quality of life.

I have over 20 years of clinical experience working with children and adults in a variety of settings, including in-patient and out-patient psychotherapy, and schools. While I enjoy helping people who have relationship problems and suffer from depression, I also have expertise with children and adolescents who have experienced trauma, suffer from anxiety, mood disorders, or adjustment issues related to family stressors.

Perhaps you have felt you do not fit in somehow in your family, your community, or the larger world. Perhaps you have been navigating multiple cultural identities inside. Perhaps you have felt like your spirit is tender and the struggles of your life are too much to bare. Perhaps you have felt that other people have figured it out and you have been comparing your insides to other people's outsides. And you have felt alone, maybe scared, and confused. And now you want someone to help you be with it all. Now you want a compassionate heart and a steady presence to navigate these emotional terrains.

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.

I am expert in cognitive behavioral therapy and have been a field instructor and guest lecturer for the graduate MSW program at U.C. Berkeley. I am most interested in treating depression, marital problems,work-related problems, family issues, health concerns,grief and panic attacks. I have maintained a private practice for over 20 years. I believe that being interactive and having a strong and caring connection with clients is essential to providing successful therapy. My style combines collaboration, empirical knowledge and humor. I specialize in working with physicians, nurses and other health care providers.

I welcome couples, co-parents, families & individuals with care, acceptance and curiosity about your inner world & relationships. My aim is for all your parts to feel safe, valued and heard. While somatic psychotherapy is central to our work, when in alignment and given my social work and yogic awareness, I will also at times be directive and solution oriented to actively promote your inspired transformation and life. Collaborative & consistent relationships heal trauma, decrease emotional reactivity and increase creativity, flexibility & playfulness. This is a journey we take together as we co-create a healing relationship.

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 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.

You might be asking yourself “Why do I keep repeating the same patterns in my relationships, my career, and my life?” In my 17 years of practice, I have helped hundreds of people clear the roadblocks to living more authentic, healthy lives. My ability to guide people on this path comes from two decades of deep self-work because I can only take someone to places I’ve gone myself. If you feel ready to take a closer look at the parts of you that have been silently running your life from the backseat, I'll meet you there to help you take the first step toward the life you've always imagined.

A licensed clinical psychologist, I provide psychodynamic psychotherapy to individuals and couples throughout California. I offer compassion, patience, and safety as we endeavor to better understand what has brought you to therapy, and how to move through to something new. My work is trauma-informed and grounded in principles of empowerment.

My practice is dedicated to the emotional and relational wellbeing of youth (preteens, teens, young adults) and families. With this in mind, I aim to create a safe space for shared reflection, build on existing strengths, and offer new tools to promote self-understanding, growth, and social and emotional resilience. My interventions and style are tailored to individual needs, but building a genuine, trusting, and supportive relationship is at the foundation of my work. Sessions may include a combination of talk, play, art, and movement, as well as other activities that create a safe space and facilitate the therapeutic process.

With over 14 years of clinical experience, I help men and women, couples and families (especially adult siblings) address a variety forms of distress, from anxiety and depression, to addiction or just a general sense that something feels off in their lives in order to find more fulfillment and meaning. Whether I am working with an individual, couple or family, I am attuned to multiple forms of communication as a direct means for assessment, diagnosis and treatment for what ails each client, and what blocks them from their own joy and peace. I am interested in working with clients with a curiosity of their inner worlds.

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.

When we find ourselves struggling with the kind of emotional pain that our usual strategies and supports can't relieve, good therapy is a lifeline. Like massage for physical injuries, psychotherapy effectively relieves chronic emotional pain, clears out unwanted emotional scar tissue, and creates flexibility, strength and new possibilities for positive motion in our lives. Whether you are worried about your own mental health, or the distress of someone you love, or are simply curious about how therapy might help, call/email me to schedule an initial conversation to talk about what kind of treatment is best for you.

I help people come home to themselves. Life's challenges can leave us questioning our intuition and values and impact our self-worth, relationships, and well-being. Perhaps this is due to a difficult upbringing, perhaps due to trauma and loss, or it may be due to external stressors such as marginalization and oppression. I help clients to find their voice, re-discover self-trust, uncover inner wisdom, and cultivate strength and balance. Together we will explore your experiences, nurture inner resources, and identify and resolve destructive patterns that impact your relationships.