Adoption Therapists in Berkeley, CA

Whether you are just going through a particularly hard time, or have ongoing concerns with work, relationships, identity, or regulating your behavior or emotions, it's just a fact that we all need help sometimes. I've been assisting people with moderate to very serious concerns for over twenty-five years. I love working with a sense of common humanity in order to help my clients better manage their day-to-day lives, address struggles and limitations, as well as experience deeper integration of a sense of Self, relationships and life choices.

I am a bilingual (English and Spanish-speaking) licensed clinical psychologist who provides psychotherapy services to adults, children, adolescents families. I support clients in fostering resilience and in building more meaningful, connected relationships. In therapy, I take a supportive, curious, nonjudgemental stance. My clients struggle with issues related to depression, anxiety, loss, adoption, psychological trauma, childhood development, parenting, and everyday stressors.

Many of life's problems and traumas are difficult not just in and of themselves, but because they are isolating, leaving you with the feeling that no one understands or that no one sees your struggles. ​ As a therapist, I think the relationship comes first. The work we do together requires warmth, comfort, trust and "goodness of fit" between us. I believe the relationship is both the safe and warm point of departure for your exploration and the soft landing place.

Welcome! I specialize in relationships, work and parenting. I’m warm, creative, supportive & smart. I like to help people in life transitions. These are hard times. If you’re feeling alone, overwhelmed, upset or worried about the future, let me help. We collaborate to address the hard things in your life, discover your unique abilities & strengths & create a path toward your dreams and goals. I am a licensed psychotherapist with 30 + years’ experience working with people from age 2 to 100. I create space where you can feel comfortable expressing feelings & exploring difficult issues. We transform you’re goals into do-able steps.

I enjoy working with children and adults to help them find grounded ways of being with and moving through the struggles they face. I believe that strong relationships, with the self, the body, and with others, are central to a healthy lifestyle. Painful life experiences, transitions, trauma, anxiety, and depression are opportunities for growth, and helping people move through these challenges is incredibly rewarding. I love working with people of diverse sociocultural backgrounds and exploring how culture shapes experience. A deep understanding of development allows me to connect with people of all ages and help them move through difficult stages.

I love the quote "life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it". Helping clients heal and go from maladaptive coping to healthy adaptive behavior is extremely gratifying for me. I have had the privilege of working as a Licensed Therapist for the past 23 years providing therapy to individuals and families in California. I have earned the distinction of expert witness in California courts. Let me provide you the support & tools needed to heal & get your life back on track. These can be stressful times; remember you don't need to do this alone, support is here for you and your family.

While I work with a diversity of people, I specialize in working with LGBTQ individuals, couples and youth. As a Marriage and Family psychotherapist, I seek to help my clients find their way through the hardships that life can bring. I believe in the healing power of the therapeutic relationship as well as each individual having the power to heal themselves. I believe in a strength based, solution focused approach to therapy and work with my clients to not only overcome their current circumstances but to also develop tools and strategies that they can use moving forward in their lives.

I work with children, adolescents and adults, helping to support them and to make meaning as they respond to life's challenges, such as childbirth, adoption, loss of a child, death of a family member, infertility, early childhood trauma, and other life transitions. In addition to working with adults and parents in individual therapy, I specialize in Child-Parent Psychotherapy, working with the dyad to develop a mutually satisfying and enriching relationship. I work individually with children and adolescents, including infants and fussy babies.

I work with individuals and couples to help reduce struggles and find ways to live more fulfilling, gratifying lives. Our relationship is the context in which we work to find where you're stuck, what's getting in your way, and ways to do things differently. My specialty areas include grief and loss, adoption, ADHD, race/class issues, work/life balance, LGBTQ issues, and divorce. I help people manage anxiety and mood problems. I help couples with concerns related to parenting, managing conflict, and addressing needs and expectations. I see communication as the grease that keeps relationships running smoothly, and I help facilitate good communication.

I have been licensed as an MFT working somatically, for over 30 years. I'm interested in what isn't working in your present life that brings you to therapy, what is unresolved from past relationships that you'd like to clear up, and what comes up in our relationship as we get to know one another. These facets help us create a complex experience which can transform old stuck patterns. Through the lens of my somatic training, clients can include their felt experiences in their bodies as an additional resource for exploring and understanding themselves. I also use a feminist and social justice orientation.

My priority is to help you develop insight, confidence, and connection. With an approach that is respectful, warm, and direct, I will help you better understand yourself and your current circumstances. Together, we will examine intergenerational patterns, unconscious dynamics, and how you developed your innermost beliefs. With extensive training in treating trauma, I will help you better understand the ways difficult and even tragic experiences influence your relationships, parenting, and self-worth. My approach is rooted in attachment theory, child development, object relations, and trauma research.

Are you hoping to have more energy? Would you like to be a calmer parent or partner? Are you hoping for stronger or smoother relationships with important people in your life? Do you worry about how your child is doing in school, or how they feel about themselves as a learner? I provide detailed assessments, and individual, group and family therapy to help kids, families and adults build on their strengths. Together we will figure out how to help you, and/or your children, feel better, function better, and live a life with less friction and more fulfillment.

I am a clinical and developmental psychologist with over 35 years experience. I currently have limited availability for 1) caregivers seeking parenting support; 2) people anticipating or during pregnancy, adoption, fostering or otherwise transitioning to parenthood and early parenting; and, 3) for consultation and supervision for professionals and students.

Are you a lesbian couple in the process of deciding to become parents? Are you an individual seeking support while you and your partner are thinking about beginning a family? There are unique decisions that you may be currently facing such as, pregnancy or adoption, which partner will become pregnant, and how will both partners feel involved as parents. It is important for you to have a safe space to explore these questions. There are feelings that accompany the decisions that you are making, and partners may feel differently. This sometimes challenges the connection between you.

I believe that understanding and compassion are vital for building trust, mutual respect, and openness, all of which are essential in forming a therapeutic relationship that can encourage change. My style in therapy is a mix of person-centered, solution-focused, cognitive-behavioral, and psychodynamic theories. With children I utilize a variety of expressive therapies including play, art, narrative, sand tray and bibliotherapy. In working with children, adolescents and adults, I use a cognitive behavioral therapeutic approach.

Virtual sessions ONLY. Taking this first step of looking for a therapist might feel difficult and overwhelming, yet it is crucial in order to begin to feel better. Fostering your healing will come from our ability to work together and our capacity for real dialogue on how effective our work is. I will strive to both support and challenge you as we strengthen your capacity for mindfulness, insight and greater joy in your life. We will collaborate to discover ways in which you are already resilient against challenges while encouraging you to tap into your capacity for growth and change.

I am well trained as a licensed Clinical Psychologist with more than 20 years of experience providing individual therapy to children, adolescents and adults. I strive to create a genuine relationship with my clients to allow for collaborative exploration of the areas in their lives that interfere with personal fulfillment. My approach also involves listening actively, building trust, being curious, providing empathy, and making direct comments to help my clients develop greater awareness about themselves and the patterns in their lives that cause emotional distress or relationship difficulties. This allows my clients to grow and to live more meaningful lives.

I work with individuals, couples, and families, on facilitating communication, conflict resolution, and often healing old wounds from childhood that cause difficulties in present relationships. I also work with children and their families on parenting issues. I work with couples having infertility issues and adoption.

I strive to create an authentic connection with my clients so we can develop an effective partnership in which healing, trying on new ways of thinking, and exploring change can happen safely. I believe that the foundation of mutual trust, empathy, and curiosity that I create with my clients will help them build meaningful relationships with others, mend old wounds, and learn more about themselves and how they contribute to their struggles. Helping my clients see themselves through a new lens will help them achieve the growth and fulfillment they want in their lives. Please don't hesitate to call for help.