Therapists in Oakland, CA

You may feel lost, but you are not alone. We all experience suffering as a part of the human condition, yet sometimes our symptoms of stress, despair, worry, or self-criticism stand in the way of living the life that we want. If you find yourself troubled by a particular life problem or psychological condition, or generally lacking a sense of vitality and purpose, working with a clinician can help you reconnect with yourself and your strengths. Therapy often helps us to make useful connections between our actions, our thinking, our emotional reality, and patterns in relationships that we have developed over years.

As a queer, South Asian American therapist, I specialize in providing body-centered psychodynamic therapy to Queer, Trans, Non-Binary, people of color and immigrants of the diasporas. With a relational and somatic approach in treatment, I can help you manage depression, anxiety, overwhelm, worry, stress and dis-ease. My hope is to help you heal trauma, manage dissociation, build insight around how your mind works and compassionately transform unhelpful internalized messages. I specialize in working with adults and teens.

I am a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. I have 16 years of experience as a psychotherapist. I utilize psychodynamic/solution focused/CBT/ trauma informed techniques. My work is influenced by my belief in social justice, and humanism. I will work with you through the difficulties of your life and support you in your journey to create the life you deserve.

Therapy offers the chance to become more present with ourselves. Together we contemplate the human journey. We can get familiar with our innate mindfulness and compassion. On my journey I've realized that well being can be learned; achieved with a level of skillfulness, a window of tolerance. Getting triggered helps us learn. I help individuals and couples study their nervous systems and their "parts" -- a complex legacy of neurobiological attachment wiring. With a manner that is warm, relatable, and active yet non-invasive, I help my clients find meaning, hope, and the freedom to become who they were meant to be.

With a background including a Stanford B.A./ UC Berkeley J.D., a previous career as an innovation leader and startup founder, and journeys through heartbreak and illness, I bring eclectic personal experience to therapy practice. I combine formal training in psychodynamic therapy, dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), EFT couples therapy, mind-body/ somatic work, meditation, and yoga therapy to provide an integrative, holistic approach to healing and personal growth. My work is informed by modern, evidence-based methods of psychotherapy as well as spiritual wisdom and practices from Buddhism, Hinduism, and Judaism.

If you find yourself struggling in life to feel whole, happy, at ease with yourself and being in the world, or feel frustrated with a lack of intimacy in your relationships, I can help you. It is important when searching for a therapist that you feel an honest connection. I give a free 30-minute consultation to help you decide if working with me is a match. I have trained in trauma recovery, somatic work, psychodynamic, cognitive, mindfulness, bioenergetic analysis. My focus has been working with individuals around healing from PTSD, anxiety, eating disorders, bi-polar, and marital relationship issues.

Sometimes life poses challenges or does not work out the way we hoped. At some point, everyone needs help during difficult times. Therapy can provide a safe and supportive space to foster growth, healing, and self-compassion. I love working with people of all ages. I am deeply committed to meeting you and/or your child wherever you/they are so that over time you can find more ease and clarity in your daily and inner life.

Feeling overwhelmed or hopeless? Facing a crossroads? Exhausted by endless responsibilities? Relief may seem impossible when you are faced with chronic stress or extreme difficulties... but it is possible. My name is Lotus and I may be able to help. I am a Licensed Therapist and Gender Specialist with nearly a decade of experience specializing in Gender Dysphoria, complex trauma, depression, anxiety and disordered eating across the entire lifespan. Whether you are seeking support for you or your child, no topic is "too much" for me. I have supported hundreds of children and their families and adults build balanced, joyful lives.

Are you an emerging professional experiencing anxiety, relationship distress, or dissociation? Are you often hypervigilant, insecure or disconnected from your body? Do you feel you can't trust yourself? Are you aware of self-defeating behaviors, but can't seem to change them? You may have had a "late-in-life" diagnosis, realized your gender or even childhood weren’t what you thought they were. You may have had a recent breakup, job change, newborn or Saturn Return. Wherever you’re at, you want long-lasting change and a Right-Fit Therapist. Someone who is not only Neurodivergent-affirming, but who is Neurodivergent themself.

If you’re looking for an empathic, trauma-informed therapist, you're in the right place. Maybe you're struggling to understand yourself and your relationships and are ready to heal old wounds. Do you feel conflicted about your sexual fantasies and desires? Want to experience more ease and pleasure? Depth psychotherapy will help you feel more at peace and become more self-accepting. For partners, parents, polycules and adult family members: Do you want to understand each other better and stop the repetitive cycles? Let’s get to the bottom of it and deepen your connection.

My practice focuses on issues of self-esteem, relational intimacy, shame, personality disturbances, anxiety, depression, trauma, and life transitions. I work relationally and dynamically with a present-centered approach on issues as they are currently manifesting but with an eye to how they reflect deeper structures of clients' personalities and values. Therapy is not focused on fixing things, but on relaxing patterns of thinking, becoming more flexible in communicating emotion, building resilience, and being able to be more creative and trusting of oneself and others.

In every psychotherapy session there is a place where the client and therapist meet and come alive in the present moment. This is the place that I work from. I achieve this through active dialogue, attentive listening and creative exchange. I think it is essential to offer a space where you can feel safe to be honest about what is happening in your life. Whether you're dealing with relationship issues, anxiety, depression or struggling with a life transition, it is the relationship between you and me that leads to insight and healing.

It's hard to go it alone with painful feelings of confusion, guilt, sadness, anxiety or despair. I help you access and unravel internal knots related to work or school performance, conflictual relationships, gender and sexuality, addictive behaviors, struggles with self-care and body image, or a family history troubled by dysfunction, divorce, addiction, mental illness, abuse, unresolved conflict or estrangement from loved ones.

I am a warm and caring human being with a clear understanding that therapy is not a "one size fits all" process. I fully appreciate the uniqueness of each individual, couple and family and will work with you to develop a plan that makes sense to you and addresses the realities of your life. Whether your goal is to improve your relationships, alleviate undesirable symptoms, bring more purpose and fulfillment to your life, rid yourself of unwanted behaviors, or experience more joy in your life, I can help you achieve these goals. Experienced in working with the LGBTQ community.

Transformation in marriage is realistic with the right effort. Most spouses want a better marriage or happier spouse, yet something seemingly immoveable is often in the way. I guide couples to use challenges and conflicts to learn more deeply about one another; establish smarter, healthier boundaries; build trust, support, and responsiveness; and cultivate enduring, shared emotional and physical intimacy. My methods are adaptive, kind, direct, and swift. RLT moves fluidly from holding a space of curiosity, compassionate listening, and validation; to directive teaching, modeling, and coaching stances, depending on a couple's need.

Working in non profits and government services for 20 plus years both in San Francisco and Alameda County, has taught me the art of appreciating people for who they are, keeping an open mind and helping them see their own strength within. I am very excited to be in private practice. Working with couples , parents, and individuals. I am very curious and passionate about non traditional coupling, open relationships, polyamory, issues of infidelity and the sexual needs of couples and individuals. I believe that we can heal intuitively and I look forward to meeting people willing to share that journey with me.

Therapy provides such a rich opportunity for growth and learning, helping persons to recover from the aftermaths of trauma, abuse and loss, meet the hardships of their lives and thrive. In times like this, with so much anxiety about our collective welfare, it can be an invaluable lifeline. In response to the Coronavirus, also known as COVID-19, we are now offering teletherapy (therapy by phone and online by video) for all our clients, whether new or established. Also called telehealth or telebehavioral health, teletherapy can provide vital care and support to individuals, couples and families.

I work with Individuals and Couples developing better skills for communication, coping with stress and life transitions, and relationship building skills. I offer deeply attentive and compassionate Therapy that doesn't shy away from hard conversations and is culturally responsive. I am active in your sessions, asking thoughtful questions, observing strengths and progress, and checking in. I use an eclectic mix of Attachment Theory, Somatic Therapies, Gottman, and RLT. I help people reconnect with their inner knowing to become their best selves. I work with lots of LGBTQ Clients in Couples, who work in Security, and who are teens.

My style of therapy is warm, attentive, & engaged. I believe we all need to be heard, understood & truly seen for who we are; for this is where a sense of self-trust can deepen & self-esteem can strengthen. One of my goals is to help you feel less burdened & less alone in your struggles and also provide coping strategies when you are feeling overwhelmed. I honor the uniqueness of each individual & work in a way that meets your current needs (whether you are moving through a crisis situation, having relationship issues, needing help managing anxiety & depression, or healing from trauma).