Chronic Pain Therapists in Berkeley, CA

I am a licensed clinical psychologist with over thirty years of experience. I have helped people navigate a variety of different life transitions such as divorce and separation, job loss, leaving home, starting a family or new career or both, as well as end-of-life issues. I have helped children deal with school and peer issues as well as parental loss and separation. My therapy style is interactive and psychodynamic and may entail short or long-term therapy, individual psychotherapy or couples work.

I am a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist providing integrative psychotherapy to adult individuals. I offer therapy for a variety of psychological and emotional issues and enjoy providing both depth-oriented therapy as well as short-term work and crisis intervention. I use relational, experiential, and somatic approaches to help people heal from difficult past experiences, to skillfully navigate the challenges of daily life, and to deepen personal growth.

For over 33 years I have been blessed to work with individuals and couples who put their trust in me to facilitate their own personal healing. Clients have relied on my devotion, warmth, insights and authentic presence to hold them in a safe, sacred space. Through a collaborative exploration, we explore the thoughts, feelings, belief systems that are at the root of life-long patterns. Awareness of these patterns is crucial. However, lasting change requires more than insight. We need to directly experience and release the underlying energies and wounds that block your life force, so you can live and express your authentic gifts.

Therapy can help you overcome difficulties, live creatively, and feel more alive. Many people become stuck in ways of thinking and living that no longer serve them. Through a caring therapeutic relationship, you can develop the courage to live in a meaningful and fulfilling way. Over the past 25 years, I have helped people with a wide variety of issues work through significant challenges, freeing them to make better choices. In addition to my clinical work, I teach and supervise at various training programs throughout the Bay Area, and was the Director of Counseling at California College of the Arts for 15 years.

My approach to therapy emphasizes self knowledge, empowerment and insight helping move towards a more integral, meaningful and gratifying life. It is with passion and kindness that I witness the healing transformation a person goes through in the therapeutic relationship. Originally from Brazil, I speak English, Spanish, and Portuguese working with clients who speak these languages. Three theories permeate my work: the Integral theory of Ken Wilber, Psychodynamic theory, and Hakomi. I integrate into the analysis the physical, mental, emotional, and social parts of the self (Integral) in a mindfulness-based, body inclusive, and experiential perspective (Hakomi).

I think of therapy as like sanctuary - a place where there aren't distractions, where there is an opportunity to pay attention to what is important, in a spirit of kindness. Because of this, many individuals and couples find it to be enjoyable, and very relieving. Of course, since people do therapy to work on painful things, therapy itself isn't always easy. But at least things can be approached thoughtfully and skillfully, in a safe context, and this itself brings great benefits.

I offer psychotherapy through the life cycle and I believe that each of us brings our unique history and experience to each relationship, with our partner, our children, our colleagues, friends and families. Through dialogue and learning deep empathy and understanding of ourselves as well as our partners, we can learn to trust, heal old wounds and love more deeply, and find deep satisfaction within ourselves and in our relationships.

I am a licensed clinical psychologist with 25 years of experience treating children, adolescents, families and adults. I provide highly indiviudalized therapy to each and every client. I integrate techniques from several theoretical orientations, including cognitive-behavioral therapy, solution-focused therapy, family systems theory, and psychodynamic theory, to formulate an indiviudalized treatment plan for each client. Within the session, I create a safe, compassionate and confidential setting for clients to address their core issues and to work out past and present difficulties.

I work with individual adults, adult families and adolescents. My work is grounded in contemporary and relational psychoanalytic theory, with particular attention paid to multicultural context. My psychotherapy practice serves people who feel blocked by certain behaviors or patterns of relating with people, who seek to improve individual well-being and personal relationships, and/or who have experienced trauma within their families or elsewhere, including survivors of war or other conflict. My practice focus includes older adults and clients with chronic health and/or mental health conditions, and with caregivers.

I have been a behavior therapist for over 40 years. I specialize in short term, problem oriented therapy, with goals generated together with the client. I try to combine a compassionate, caring, common sense approach to problems encountered in daily life with evidenced-based cognitive behavioral therapy techniques. I am Professor Emeritus of Counseling Psychology at the University of San Francisco and on the Allied Professional Staff at California Pacific Medical Center in San Francisco. I have been training psychologists, psychiatrists and other therapists in behavior therapy for nearly 40 years and have published widely in behavior therapy and behavioral medicine.

Life is harder than expected at times. Transitions, loss, trauma, persistent anxiety or depression, or a feeling that things will never change are just a few examples of the ways in which people can feel less hopeful about their lives. Psychotherapy is a tool that can alleviate the stressors of everyday life, improve one's sense of well being and connection with others and enhance one's self understanding. Over time it can also lead to a greater sense of competency and satisfaction in the world.

Life can be hard. Things that may feel easy at one time, feel impossible at another. Sometimes, there are issues that feel like they'll never go away. I work to create an environment where we can think together about what is troubling you and get to the root of the issues, so lasting change can be possible.

You may be feeling anxious, struggling with sleep, and are desiring healthier and more connected relationships. Deep down there is another part of you that desires more fulfillment, less anxiety, and inner confidence. I can help you. I successfully support my clients in developing new inner resources to have greater relationship success and a holistic health toolbox to not just survive but instead to thrive. My expertise includes working with highly sensitive adults, couples, and families.

I am called to support individuals and couples ready to liberate themselves from stress and overwhelm to create more fulfilling relationships and lead happier, more balanced lives. Despite what brings you to therapy, my goal is for you to leave with the ability to respond effectively to life's challenges. I provide a safe, supportive environment for you to begin exploring your feelings, needs and internal reality. Through mindfulness, interactive dialogue and practical wisdom we will invite compassionate curiosity around old patterns that no longer serve you. Visit me at www.deannajimenez.com.

My priority as a therapist is to create a safe space for you. When any of us seeks out therapy, we are likely suffering. To suffer is to be in a very tender place, and I want to honor that. Whether your suffering comes from early childhood trauma, more recent losses, relationship problems, social injustice, adjustment to big changes in your life...I want you to feel safe and companioned as you move toward tending those places of wounding and toward healing.

If you are ready to learn more about yourself and develop a positive path toward growth seeking assistance can help you refocus on what's most meaningful to you. People come to therapy for many reasons, including needing help in handling stressful life transitions, to reduce psychological distress, increase one's self worth and to develop a better understanding of themselves. During therapy, we will explore unhealthy patterns by looking at the interplay between your thoughts, behaviors and emotions and how they affect your daily experiences. You will learn to develop fulfilling relationships, ways to cope in healthier ways, and ultimately live a fulfilling life.

Finding a therapist can be a challenge. It can be hard to get a gut feeling from a website. Please watch a brief video on my website to get a sense of me! I specialize in working with people who feel stuck or believe that they have "tried everything." I provide psychotherapy, EMDR, AEDP, IFS, Somatic Therapy, and Ketamine Assisted Therapy (KAP). I am Certified in EMDR and an Approved EMDR Consultant. In my office, you will find non-judgement and deep safety to heal

I have over 30 years' experience as a clinician, published researcher and educator. I hold a Masters Degree in Clinical Psychology and a Masters in Health Psychology. I have developed programs including Stress Management, Insomnia control and Meditation for programs such as Kaiser Permanente. This diversity of experience, allows me to help people understand their thinking processes, identify patterns of behavior and make sustainable changes. I strive to empower people to change both their behaviors and beliefs to allow them to achieve overall well-being and happiness. My philosophy stresses personal insight and responsibility, - integrating the physical, intellectual and spiritual.

Most of us lug around a suitcase full of our thoughts, feelings, family history and past experiences and have no idea what's in there. Our current responses to and experience of life come from the contents of that suitcase. Together in therapy we gently unpack it. We will see what is working for you, what needs more support and what has served it's purpose but no longer works. I work collaboratively and am curious about all the things that make you who you are. I am particularly interested in working with people who feel misunderstood or unimportant.