Trauma Focused Therapists in Lakeshore, Oakland, CA

I support my clients to cultivate awareness and capacity to unwind from unhealthy thought and behavior patterns. I do this by drawing on their innate strengths and resilience. Collaboratively we learn to navigate challenging emotions and life transitions to rediscover aliveness, power, joy, purpose, care and a sense of connection. I bring dynamic qualities including curiosity, creativity and warmth into sessions for growth towards wholeness. My approach is guided by mindful awareness, honest inquiry and deep compassion. I am grounded in social justice, recognizing how social-historical factors impact well-being. I believe healing is a journey towards liberation.

My experience comes from 31 years of helping children, adults, couples and families in both Community Mental Health and Private Practice. My approach is eclectic and tailored to each individual's needs to facilitate healing and growth. Through my years of experience I have witnessed over and over again people coming into therapy with great pain, discomfort and despair but with time, (sometimes within a very short time) their symptoms diminish and a whole new person emerges. Crisis times can be extremely painful and distressful but they can also be opportunities for growth and healing through therapy.

I am a trauma focused therapist for individuals and families who have experienced single or multiple adverse events in childhood or adulthood, and intergenerational trauma. It isn't always easy to reach out for help after these experiences, in my role as a therapist I am committed to assist my clients in this courageous step toward their healing journey. I am currently accepting new clients who live in California for tele-therapy through live video conferencing.

Welcome! You are ready for a change. You may be overwhelmed by life, feel depressed or anxious, or have difficulty connecting in relationships. Whatever your reason for searching for a psychologist, a part of you believes in the possibility of a better life.

I am a trauma focused therapist providing individual, couples and family therapy in California. My goal as a therapist is to help you understand your own history; your experiences in suffering, joy, grief, and more, so that you can openly see the person you are today and explore the person you might like to become.

I value working with those who are faced with trauma, mental/emotional health problems, transitional issues, domestic violence, alcohol and other drugs (AOD). I invite the broken, the wounded, and despondent to share their pain and begin their healing journey. Connecting with my clients, while also respecting and honoring their willingness to share and seek help. My desire is to be a vehicle to facilitate the healing process.

As humans, we are brilliantly complex, wired for connection, attachment, and survival. Our experience of joy and suffering are innately human and are connected to our physical and emotional wellness--inseparable realms. In somatic psychotherapy we hold space for the body to have a language of its own, honoring what it has to say, so that we may more clearly see what is beneath the surface. As a somatic psychotherapist, I am a collaborator, guide and mirror, supporting you in increasing your own sense of exploration of conscious and unconscious patterns of behaviors, beliefs, body signals and cues.

We all carry wounds that run deeper than we’d like to admit. Sometimes these wounds continue to affect us in the present, even if we hope we’ve put the past firmly behind us. Maybe you’re struggling with people-pleasing patterns, self-judgment, or perfectionism. Perhaps it’s hard to identify how you feel or what you really need. Or maybe you just have a nagging sense that something isn’t quite right. I help clients address anxiety, codependency, trauma, and more in order to reclaim their lives and build the future they want. As a queer therapist, I also specialize in working with LGBTQIA+ individuals.

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.

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.

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.

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.

COVID and 2020 shifted many of your values and priorities. Adjustment to this change may be impacting your relationships to your career, your communities and even yourself. I strive to create a judgment free therapeutic partnership that supports alignment of your values and actions.

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.

Jessica Knott, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, I specialize in Humanistic, Cognitive-Behavioral, and Client-Centered approaches. In sessions, my communication style is empathetic, supportive, and non-judgmental. I create a safe and open environment where clients feel heard and understood. Working with me is collaborative, focused on your unique needs, and aimed at fostering a sense of empowerment and positive change.

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.

I'm Elizabeth, I am a licensed marriage and family therapist, clinical supervisor, and EMDR therapist working with adults, adolescents, and couples. I have experience working in eating disorder treatment which allowed me to work with individuals, families, and teens. I've also helped people struggling with trauma, PTSD, anxiety, depression, relationship issues, and more. I’m a humanistic and client-centered therapist and that allows us to work together collaboratively to set goals. I also employ EMDR and trauma-informed care, and eclectic modalities.

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

Sometimes life can present challenges and we need someone to accompany us on that journey. I am a strength based licensed marriage and family therapist. I have experience in providing mental health services to adolescents and adults. My experience includes treating trauma, psychoses, depression, and anxiety. I implement an eclectic approach while providing a safe environment in order to work towards exploration, understanding, and healing. I assist my clients with navigating through difficulties and hardships.