Therapists in Oakland, CA

As a person originally trained in psychodynamics, I care greatly about the experiences and relationships that have shaped you. I am currently perusing more training and consultation in Internal Family Systems and trauma informed approaches. Of primary focus, in my work with clients, is the therapeutic relationship. It is here that our patterns of relating often reveal themselves. Through the safe container of therapy, I invite my clients into new ways of being that invite more creativity, flexibility and deeper relationships.

Are you in the process of a big life transition? Perhaps contemplating or going through a separation/divorce, career change, or feel you have lost touch with a part of yourself that once held the spark of joy and passion. You may feel anxious, depressed, lonely, and unsure. You don't have to move through these times alone. Together we will work to cultivate a deeper understanding of yourself and the world around you. My work with you is collaborative and non-judgemental. In our sessions I work transpersonally and somatically, incorporating EMDR, guided imagery, expressive arts, spirituality, tarot, and dreams.

I work with people who face challenges that often arise but are not exclusive to the second half of life such as: the trauma of illness & death, caring for aging parents, loss of satisfaction or sense of meaning in relationships and work, loss of a job, and/or loneliness. I also work with folks suffering from love addiction or love avoidance. These challenges can often be baffling and carry symptoms such as depression, fear and anxiety. The rational mind may understand what is going on but somehow the emotional and physical body can't always take solace in rational solutions.

I am a seasoned clinician with expertise to accompany you on your inner journey. I am flexible in my approach so that I can respond to the particular needs you bring to therapy. At one point you may need support and practical tools for addressing experiences that are painful or challenging. At another time, you may need room to explore the patterns of thought, feeling or behavior that are puzzling to you, including more unconscious factors that may be exerting their invisible influence on your life. I see people from a variety of backgrounds, including many therapists.

Are you feeling stuck or overwhelmed in your life? Lost your sense of self and confidence? Confused by how to set boundaries and build healthy relationships? I am here for you! I can help you understand what is happening in your life and how you can heal, grow, and transform to be living the life you want. I have a trauma-informed, integrative style based on mindfulness, somatic psychology, ecotherapy, expressive arts, humanistic and transpersonal psychology, neuroscience, spirituality, and my background in holistic health, nutrition, massage, and fitness. I have a gentle yet directive, relational style.

My work with every client and family is personalized, trauma-informed, rooted in strengths, collaborative, neurodiversity-affirming, and culturally tailored to your needs and experiences. I believe that each client possesses the intergenerational heirlooms of innate resilience, spirituality, and introspection that serve as tools to assist in your healing journey. You are the expert of your experience and I am here to offer hope and support you as you share your narrative and author a new chapter of healing, continuing to grow into your best self, discovering balance, serenity, joy, and connecting with yourself and surroundings.

Our lives here on earth are a creative experience! At times, we need a place to rest and tend to our inner world. I view the therapeutic process as a brave space to access parts of ourselves that we want to grow and transform. My goal in working with you is to provide a supportive environment that will cultivate an increased awareness of your needs, self-compassion and understanding of who you are becoming.

Carl Jung said, "I would rather be whole than good." Very often we put pressure on ourselves to "be" a certain way, so much that life can start to feel like acting versus living. This pressure tends to place stress on individuals and can often lead to anxiety, depression, and stress. I believe that therapy can be a tool to take off the masks we have learned to put on and begin to live from our whole self; finding freedom and our creativity. I believe that through compassion for all the parts of ourself we step closer to freedom.

My role as a psychotherapist is to help clients acknowledge and harness their innate strengths, to attain and sustain the well-being they are searching for. I am passionate about gently questioning unspoken norms and expectations, whether learned from family or society, that can limit our ability to connect with our most authentic selves. I empower clients to take supported risks, guiding the therapy with empathy, honesty, humor, and a belief in the transformative power of relationships.

I believe that healing happens in relationship, and offer warmth and curiosity to help you explore and name the truth of your experience in order to heal from anxiety, relational trauma, and embrace life's challenges. I work with individuals & couples who want to improve boundaries and communication, create meaningful connection, and align their choices with their values. I support you through circumstances life throws at you - affairs, loss, aging, marriage, divorce, raising kids, job stress. I am keen to explore issues related to gender, culture, health, spirituality, sexuality, monogamy, polyamory, and psychedelic integration.

My practice emphasizes integral, psychodynamic psychotherapy and consultation for a variety of psychological, relational, medical, cultural, and spiritual issues. I specialize in working with adults who grapple with anxiety, depression, loss, stress, health, disability, identity, sexuality, relationships, transitions, trauma, creativity, spirituality, life path/purpose/meaning and fulfillment. I also enjoy providing consultation to colleagues. Building on my fifteen years of private practice experience during my twenty years as a licensed clinician, it is my joy to combine private practice in Oakland with my teaching at CIIS.

Welcome! The focus of my practice is to work in partnership with my clients to help build resilience and facilitate positive change. Fostering kindness and compassion with a mindfulness based approach is at the heart of my work. I provide a safe and nurturing environment in which to explore options, and also offer the respect, understanding and empathy that encourages exploration and growth. As an experienced therapist, therapy can assist with clarifying, setting and maintaining your specific goals, as well as provide a space for self-exploration.I will be there to accompany and collaborate with you on your unique journey.

I hold therapy as a human relationship rooted in care, respect, and remembering our freedom. I listen deeply and honor the wisdom and strength already present within you. At your own pace, we will gently explore painful and stuck places so that we can invite understanding, compassion, and new possibilities. We will also look critically at systems of oppression and their impact on you. Through awareness and self-trust, we will strive to unlock energy and imagination to build the life and relationships you long for. Optionally, we can bring in creative/artistic modalities, body-based practices, dreamwork, spirituality, and ritual.

Are you wanting to feel better once and for all? Maybe you can't move on from the past or you're worried about your future. If anxiety, panic, or even depression is stealing your joy, I get it. If traditional talk therapy hasn't helped you feel better, it's time to try a new approach to heal at the source of your pain. For 12 years I have refined my approach through professional training and experience in Relational-gestalt therapy and Brainspotting (derived from EMDR) while centering social justice and trauma-informed care.

The health of an individual informs and inspires the health of the community. Are you, or a loved one, experiencing anxiety, depression, chronic irritation, grief and loss, fear or stuck in a pattern that no longer serves you? I am a healer and psychotherapist with over 20 years experience serving adults, adolescents and families impacted by interpersonal, community and historical trauma. I am committed to fostering healthy communities and families by supporting individuals and couples to access healing that reveals wholeness. Regardless of the past, you can experience a sense ease and wellbeing.

Are you wanting to experience more ease and happiness? I want to congratulate you on taking the first steps towards finding someone to come alongside you during this time. Maybe you are experiencing a big life change like the end of a relationship, a change in your career, a move, or a recent loss. Maybe you have often found comfort in spirituality and nature but still have a sense that something is still missing. Maybe you feel the weight of these last few years of covid. We have all been through a lot!

Feeling like others don't “get” you can be lonely. You may feel like you aren't being seen, heard, or understood the way you would like. Perhaps you struggle with truly living your truth versus simply stating it. What if you could feel more comfortable expressing your authentic self and live a meaningful life? It is possible to feel more confident, assured, and ready to become the person you want to be. Let me show you how.

Axis Mundi would like to present Marlee Breunig. Marlee is a Marriage and Family Therapist Trainee and is supervised weekly by Natalie Webster, LMFT 126065, who works with Marlee to help develop clinical skills and ensure that she provides quality care. - Your voice and way of walking in the world matters. I see my role as a therapist as providing a space where your inner knowing is encouraged and held with warmth and curiosity. Your vulnerabilities, grief, anxieties, and all parts of you are welcome.

You might want to work with me if you have a hard time identifying your own needs, frequently over-give, easily absorb other people's emotions and energies, make yourself small, and struggle to assert yourself. Our work together can help you feel more grounded, whole, and in alignment with yourself, with better boundaries, more self-confidence, and healthier, more secure relationships. And as a queer, South Asian therapist, I have a nuanced understanding of identity and the impact of systems on our lived realities.