Attachment-based Therapists in Albany, CA

I help couples and individuals find freedom from their most challenging patterns. I work with people experiencing anxiety, depression, trauma, life transitions, and relationship issues, and specialize in helping couples navigate the impacts of developmental trauma. I work from an interpersonal, attachment-based, and Family Systems lens, and incorporate trauma-informed modalities of somatic awareness, mindfulness, and IFS/parts work.

Life is messy. As we all navigate it the best we can, a lot of us find survival strategies that make sense at the time but don’t serve us in the long run. If you or your child are having trouble in relationships, feeling consistently down or anxious, or finding yourself stuck in painful past experiences, therapy can help identify patterns that don’t serve you and build practices that enable you to thrive. ​

Holistically oriented, I believe we each have wisdom inside waiting to be tapped into, utilized and developed. I provide a supportive and nurturing space where you can discover your capacity to feel alive and whole. I help people develop and enhance their relational skills. I bring a sensitivity and knowledge to the effects of inter generational trauma, societal and cultural realities that may impact one's sense of self and connection to others. I help with self-esteem, co-dependency, surviving/thriving, sexuality, relationships & developing one's intuition. I help and support individuals and couples/relationships.

My intention is to help you live a more meaningful, easeful, and joyful life. My Areas of Focus are Depression, Low Self-Esteem, Anxiety, Stress, & Burnout, Trauma, and Identity & Spiritual Exploration. I work with BIPOC/ People of the Global Majority, Children of Immigrants, Queer Folk, Neurodivergent folk, and Adult Children of Alcoholics.

I am a bicultural/bilingual, latinx psychologist with extensive experience working with youth of all ages who are struggling with mood, anxiety, and impulse control, and families who have experienced trauma. Key to this work is the relationship we build together. My goal is to help your family better understand what is happening for your child based on what research has taught us about how our brains work, while honoring your child’s unique experience and normalizing that we all have struggles. I use a strengths-based collaborative approach to get to know your family and identify and practice skills to help your child cope.

Many of us struggle to feel at home in our bodies and minds. Our inner voice can be harsh and unkind; sometimes, we can hardly hear it over the noise of anxious thoughts. Painful experiences may intrude upon our sense of safety, as well as the hopes we have for the future. Therapy offers you the time to slow down and the space to be heard. During our first session, I will follow your lead, actively listening with the aim of understanding what’s bringing you here. Throughout our work together, I endeavor to create a nonjudgmental space for all the different parts of you, including those parts you feel are closed off.

I offer professional psychotherapy via video and in-person or a flexible combination of the two modalities for adults of all ethnicities, gender identities and sexual orientations who may be experiencing a spectrum of emotional challenges, including anxiety, depression, stress, grief, work/life balance and healthy boundaries.

Welcome! Note: email is the best way reach me. Finding a therapist is daunting. The relationship tends to be the most consistent factor in whether therapy is successful, so I encourage you to trust your intuition. I work with adults (not couples) and adolescents over 14 on a variety of issues, including achieving greater mood stability, identity issues, improved relationships and sexuality, and recovery from trauma. I have experience working effectively with people who identify as trans, genderqueer, and those with diverse lifestyles. I also offer ketamine-assisted psychotherapy in collaboration w/Journey Clinical.

My practice combines both mind and body approaches to support change. I am a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and a Registered Dance and Movement Therapist. I have experience treating a wide variety of psychological and emotional difficulties in adult, teenagers and children. I feel very grateful for the opportunities to work with those seeking a greater sense of well-being, satisfaction in relationships, and understanding of self. In therapy, I am working in both verbal and non-verbal ways, including somatic psychology techniques for adults and play therapy for children.

In my work, I see each person as entirely unique, with their own history, strengths, and challenges. I believe that our emotions are the basis for meaningful engagement with the world, but those same feelings can become problematic when they aren’t fully understood and explored. In therapy, I will work with you to better understand yourself and to help you develop new patterns of thought, feeling, and action so that you can change how you relate to others, how you feel about yourself, or how you function in the world.

You want to make positive changes that will last. I’ll work with you, or you and your child, to address whatever is getting in the way of living the life you’d like. There may be feelings that run the show, behaviors that seem unchangeable, or relationships and jobs/school that don’t meet your needs and dreams. Whatever your history and current challenges, there are ways to move forward. Even in this period of pandemic uncertainty, we can build your resilience, developing strengths and capacities that lead to a more fulfilling life.

I believe that we are shaped, known, and grow in relationships. Therapy can help you better understand your thoughts, feelings, and experiences—and find freedom and meaningful connection with yourself and others. With curiosity and openness, I work to create a supportive and collaborative environment. Together, we can explore who you are and the experiences that shape you. We can address your present concerns, and explore how your early experiences impact you.

I specialize in working with young children, caregivers, adults, and birthing people. The early relationship between a caregiver and child is central to developing a sense of safety and self esteem. My goal is to strengthen the attachment between the child and their important caregivers, to promote healthy development, and address any issues that may be impacting the child or caregiver well-being. Through this therapeutic approach, the focus is not only on the child's individual experiences but also on the dynamics and interactions within the family unit.

You may long to live wholeheartedly - and to feel loved and connected - but struggle with anger, depression, loneliness, or inexplicable sadness and anxiety. You may find the stress of work, life, running a household, or parenting has diminished your capacity to feel joy and be creative. Once a source of comfort and pleasure, your intimate relationship may now be disappointing, frustrating, or even deadening. Therapy can help relieve the symptoms of debilitating feelings by uncovering the underlying (and sometimes unconscious) causes, and empower individuals - and couples - to become the authors of the lives they want to live.

If your child is experiencing tantrums or aggression, feels anxious, angry, or sad, has a low tolerance for frustration, or has poor relationships with other children or adults, I can help. I am a therapist specialized in working with young children and their families. I work with parents to help them understand their child's behavior and know how to respond during difficult parenting moments. I work with children to help them build social skills, understand and regulate their emotions, and overcome traumatic experiences (ex.death, illness) or difficult life transitions (ex. birth of a new sibling, divorce, school expulsion).

I have been working for over 30 years helping a wide range of people create lasting, meaningful changes in their lives. My INDIVIDUAL THERAPY is personally tailored to each client. I use a solution focused approach for short-term issues and an in-depth model for longer term problems. In COUPLES THERAPY I work to create positive connections of closeness and depth, fostering intimacy and trust. In my DOMESTIC VIOLENCE, ABUSE AND ANGER THERAPY my goal is to establish abuse free relationships based on trust, cooperation and mutual support. Through my THERAPY FOR HABIT CHANGE unwanted problematic patterns are transformed.

Many people are struggling to live purposefully in the tension of our changing world. You may feel overwhelmed with emotions and experiences that are difficult to bear. Painful issues and conflicting feelings inside yourself and in your relationships are good reasons to seek a therapist. I provide a safe and thoughtful place where you can face your obstacles and increase your ability to live your life with more fullness and meaning. My approach is engaged and collaborative. I offer empathy, knowledge, and tools to help you understand yourself and others in new ways.

I offer support in coming into greater clarity, connection, self assuredness, ease and peace about the past, where you are now, and where you hope to go or get to within yourself and relationships. If you are feeling stifled by anxiety, depression or overwhelm, are trying to navigate decisions about your life and relationships, are wanting to change patterns, heal from trauma, or are processing grief, loss and change, I may be the therapist for you. I love supporting individuals through these sorts of challenges and more. Email me to setup a free consultation. Whatever you are experiencing, you do not have to go through it alone.

Sometimes, the stress of daily life can exhaust our ability to cope. A child struggling in school, family conflicts, traumatic events, major life transitions, the loss of a loved one, friend, or pet, financial and/or medical issues, pregnancy and the birth of a child—all of these experiences can leave us feeling overwhelmed, helpless, and defeated. From experience and research, we know that stressful experiences--sudden or chronic--can lead to feelings of disconnection, sadness, anxiety, low self-esteem, and conflict within ourselves and with our friends and loved ones.