Sex-Positive, Kink Allied Therapists in Lakeshore, Oakland, CA

I view psychotherapy as a collaborative process between therapist and client, where the relationship is part of the healing process. My style is active, creative, and holistic. I will meet you where you are, not-judging, engaged and curious. I work with clients who struggle with anxiety, depression, trauma, shame, relationship distress, life transitions, and existential dilemmas (questions about the meaning of life, questions about dying and death). I also have experience working with individuals struggling with dual diagnosis (addiction and mental health issues combined).

Relationships are foundational. They are one of the deepest expressions of our essential humanity. As a sex-positive, LGBTQ-affirmative relationship therapist, I bring expertise in romantic relationships, supporting adult siblings and family dynamics, alternative lifestyles, sexuality, intimacy, and the inner workings of attachment. I invite you to bring forth what’s most real and true for you, with no fear of judgment. OFFICE HOURS: Tuesday-Friday, 9-5p

Hello! If you're looking for online therapy for anxiety, EMDR and / or IFS and you're in California, Minnesota, Colorado or an international location, you're in the right place. Anxiety often comes from inside, from thoughts, feelings or sensations that say, "I'm not good enough." Or "I'm not safe." Or from something that happened to you. We'll be real and go deep. Let's get at the roots of that anxiety and set you free. If you think "1st world problems," it's ok. We all deserve healing. Expat 3 times. Aware of cultural & generational differences. I work to be anti-racist, LGBTQIA2S+ ally / accomplice. Open minded. Sex positive.

We all deserve space to be our full selves. I view my role as therapist as a co-explorer – I walk alongside you as you navigate your authentic experience of this world. In session, we follow what feels present for you in the moment and approach what arises with curiosity. This mindful awareness helps us meet and build relationship with more “parts” of you. I aim to allow all of you in. Eventually, this process of being “more you” can lead to a more grounded and connected existence, one in which you find yourself with more choice, agency, and fulfillment in life.

I help adults and teens looking to become more aware, learn and better themselves. Maybe there is something that needs to shift/change or maybe it is just a growth-oriented process. I have done a lot of my work with people who identify as Trans/Gender Non-Conforming/Nonbinary. Other queer populations who I have a lot of experience helping include couples, polyamorous relationships, the Latinx community, long-term HIV survivors, and gay/Queer men. My work celebrates diverse genders, sexualities and kink identities. My ideal client is open to work in a way that combines talk therapy, yoga/somatic approaches and art-based therapies.

My framework as a psychotherapist is inspired by black feminist sci-fi writer, Octavia E. Butler who saw the possibility of many more worlds than just our own. I believe that transformative internal healing is critical to envisioning and building these worlds without the presence of imperialism, white supremacy, capitalism and cishet-patriarchy. The tools I use to support the exploration of individual, interpersonal and intergenerational trauma are shaped by abolition that rejects punitive and scarcity mindsets and disability justice which strives to value every body.

Does it feel like nothing is ever good enough and neither are you? You don’t have to feel this way - therapy helps. We can work together to overcome crises, learn to calm yourself down, build confidence, feel more hopeful, communicate more effectively, build and have better relationships, feel comfortable in your own skin, feel whole, and much more! Send me a message today.

Are you having a hard time managing everyday life? Are your daily worries getting in the way of your well-being? Are you experiencing transitions that are impacting your love, family and/or work life? Or are you having trouble discovering the life path that feels right for you? If so, I’m here to help. Together, we can develop strategies to help you move beyond confusion into a life of calm, clarity, and connection.

My work as a therapist is to help individuals, couples, and families access new resources behind emotional struggles and life problems. I am trained in Jungian and Open Dialogue approaches and am a lifelong learner of the work of R.D. Laing. I am recognized internationally for my advocacy and training work in the psychiatric survivors movement and as a leader for new social responses to what gets called madness and psychosis. I see suffering, including what gets called psychosis, from outside the narrow mechanistic science, diagnostic label, and medication views.

Mental health affects us all in big and small ways – it’s present in everything we do and every day of our lives. It can be overwhelming at times, but it is not something anyone has to do on their own. Therapy is a place to lift that burden off your shoulders bit by bit and shape our old ineffective behaviors into new meaningful next steps. If you're wanting to learn how to better manage our emotions and stress, tame our thoughts and worries, build healthier relationships, and live our best lives, then you're in the right place.

Psychotherapy can be a truly life changing process. It works to gradually loosen stuck patterns in one's life, leaving more room for vitality and creativity. You may be trying to heal from past wounds, experiencing anxiety, loneliness, depression, or relationship difficulties. Or perhaps you feel relatively stable but have a sense that something deeper is missing.

I enjoy helping individuals who experience symptoms of anxiety, depression, relationship stressors, life transitions, as well as those who want to overcome various symptoms of trauma. Often people I work with are seeking more peace, empowerment, and healthier relationships with others and with themselves. In this, my aim is to help individuals feel more confident, attuned to themselves, and kinder to parts of themselves, even those that can be hard to accept.

We are Bay Area Gestalt Institute (BAGI), a non-profit collective of highly trained marriage and family therapists and associates, providing affordable psychotherapy throughout the Bay Area. We offer counseling to individuals, couples, families, and children. Our work is active, creative and holistic. Our therapists work with a variety of issues including: * Relationship Issues * Anxiety * Depression * LGBTQI Concerns * Trauma * Substance Use / Abuse * Eating Disorders * Spiritual * Personal Growth * Integration of Non-Ordinary States

I believe that we all have the intrinsic ability to reach our full potential; that "self-actualization is growth-motivated rather than deficiency-motivated". It is our life experiences and toxic interactions with others that often prevent us from realizing this potential on our own. Although I was trained psychodynamically, my approach is integrative and driven by the needs of the individual client. I practice in a warm, relational, and collaborative manner. I have extensive experience working with children, adolescents, individual adults and couples. I help clients identify what is holding them back from effecting positive change. I help clients be more mindful and less fearful, thereby allowing them to attain more meaningful healthy relationships.

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.

Most importantly, my ideal client is someone who is desiring and ready for change. You may feel stuck in some aspect of your life such as career or relationships. You may have suffered a traumatic event. You may be experiencing symptoms of anxiety and depression. And you have reached a point when you are ready to take action even if you don't quite know what that will look like yet. What I love most is accompanying someone on their journey inward, offering a safe space for you to be fully you.

When difficulties are too much to handle or the next level of growth seems just out of reach, you may find yourself living with pain & stress. Some stress in life helps people grow, but chronic stress has a negative effect on your mind, body, emotions & spirit. You may find yourself using old mental, physical & emotional coping tools to survive, yet feel unable to make real change. Your ally in holistic healing, I offer a supportive, warm presence so you can explore what's difficult, hone your strengths, & gain simple yet powerful mind/body tools.

People come to therapy with unique needs, concerns, and life circumstances. Through the process of self-inquiry, I help clients gain insight and develop effective coping skills to move through a challenge with greater ease and understanding. My therapeutic style is warm, compassionate and curious about one's experience. I use an attachment based, person-centered approach that offers individuals and couples clarity around repetitive patterns that cause pain, conflict, and limit growth.

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.