Play Therapy in Berkeley, CA

My practice is dedicated to the emotional and relational wellbeing of youth (preteens, teens, young adults) and families. With this in mind, I aim to create a safe space for shared reflection, build on existing strengths, and offer new tools to promote self-understanding, growth, and social and emotional resilience. My interventions and style are tailored to individual needs, but building a genuine, trusting, and supportive relationship is at the foundation of my work. Sessions may include a combination of talk, play, art, and movement, as well as other activities that create a safe space and facilitate the therapeutic process.

Through therapy with your child, I will work in building resiliency, learning new coping skills, emotional regulation, and providing a safe space to process memories and current life experiences and traumas. Unlike adults who tend more to communicate verbally or from a logical perspective, children use creativity and imaginative play to express their inner thoughts and feelings, it is often the main way children relate and learn about themselves and their world. Through play therapy, I respond to your child with care, attunement, and skillfulness in helping them understand difficult emotions and make sense of confusing experiences.

I am a trauma-informed, somatic therapist, passionate about supporting and empowering adults and children through therapy. I have a special interest in working with adults on: complex & acute trauma, emotion regulation, anxiety, relationships, self-esteem, grief, and life transitions. With children, I treat: anger, traumatic events, adjusting to change, general/social/separation anxiety, friendship skills, bullying, frequent arguing, self-esteem, school-based issues, OCD, and PANS/PANDAS. I welcome clients who are queer, gender-nonconforming, and in poly/kink/non-traditional relationship structures.

I love working with children, teenagers, and adults who are excited to explore their inner worlds through play, art, and conversation. Anything can prompt this search—a sudden life change, a chronic sense of stress and overwhelm, a general feeling of malaise and dissatisfaction. On this healing journey, you're the guide and I'm the mapmaker. With curiosity and patience, together we'll discover not only what's going on inside of you, but how to transform your experience of your external reality.

I am a leading authority on healing shame. I co-created the Healing Shame – Lyon/Rubin method and am the Co-Director of the Center for Healing Shame, a continuing education provider that offers workshops to therapists and other helping professionals. In my private practice, I developed therapy techniques integrating somatic and expressive processes to work with the all-pervasive shame and trauma that underlie toxic family dynamics, depression and eating disorders. I integrate Emotionally Focused Therapy and AEDP with Drama Therapy, Hakomi, Focusing and Expressive Arts. I work with the imposter syndrome and voracious inner critics.

I aspire to create a space for children, teens, and adults to feel seen and valued. I strive to maintain a decolonial and feminist lens and I believe that true compassion and empathy can help us uncover what we need to thrive. I am training in treating anxiety, in particular obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and Selective Mutism, employing family interventions, school collaboration, and individual sessions when working with children.

I am a clinical psychologist and have been working clinically with children, adolescents and families for 17 years. I am passionate about my work with children and adolescents. I believe that childhood is both a wonderful and an extremely challenging time. Through play, talk and family therapy I help children and families reach their potential for happy, productive and successful lives.

Is your child exhibiting emotional and/or behavioral problems? Are you having problems with your relationships or at work? Are you feeling overwhelmed with anxiety or struggling with depression? I can help. In the safety of a caring and collaborative relationship, we will work on understanding how difficult life patterns are no longer serving you. My role is to meet my clients where they are and help guide them toward making lasting positive changes. I provide both short-term and long-term therapy. Call for a free consultation today!

Play therapy in combination with parent/family consultation can help children deal with transitions, losses, worries, trauma, behavioral issues and “big feelings”. With warmth, empathy and playfulness, I help children (and parents) make sense of their feelings and experiences, mobilize their strengths and supports, and adapt to tough situations. A licensed clinical social worker, I have worked with children and families, and trained therapists for more than 25 years in local agencies. I am very pleased to offer in-person therapy in Berkeley with a focus on children and families.

I'm so glad you have found your way to my therapy practice Creative Wisdom Therapy! My intention is to support you, your teen, or your child use the power of creativity to make the changes you seek. Are you an adult or teen who would like to use your creative expression to learn about yourself, heal old or recurring wounds, and build healthy coping skills? Do you have a child who has lots of worries or big emotions? Is your child struggling with a difficult life event or transition? Are you a parent feeling stressed in your parenting role or experiencing a shift in your family dynamics?

Sometimes life poses challenges or does not work out the way we hoped. At some point, everyone needs help during difficult times. Therapy can provide a safe and supportive space to foster growth, healing, and self-compassion. I love working with people of all ages. I am deeply committed to meeting you and/or your child wherever you/they are so that over time you can find more ease and clarity in your daily and inner life.

I have over 10 years of clinical experience in outpatient clinics, schools, private practice, and humanitarian organizations. My practice has been informed by clinical training and extensive academic background in developmental psychology. It also incorporates my life experience in coping with challenges of immigration, parenthood, career transitions and aging. I believe that healing entails personal growth. You may need to develop a new awareness, an insight, or a specific coping skill to resolve your problem. I provide a safe space for you to explore what is that you need in order to live a more productive and enjoyable life.

As a therapist for over thirty years, the focus of my work is helping people to create and sustain healthy relationships, and to learn how to thrive in their lives. I listen carefully to the nuances of what you say and don't say, and help you to become more aware of your unconscious beliefs and the energy that you hold in your body that may be an obstacle to your creating the life and relationships that you yearn for. Together, we take the journey of understanding and resolving what is in your way, so that you can discover new pathways to live your life with more joy, ease and connection.

If you are a parent I have specialized training to help build your confidence as a parent including play therapy for young children. We all need support during difficult times. If you have a history of trauma leaving you feeling overwhelmed or totally stressed, there are several treatments that can stop the past having such an impact on you now. Perhaps you grew up in a dysfunctional family and wonder "what's normal, what's healthy?" Even if you don't have major problems, talking through challenges and gaining perspective is important. I will meet in person under strict COVID guidelines.

You're looking for an ally to join you on your quest for meaning and purpose, to define and work towards specific goals, on the way to navigating through or around those obstacles. I'll create a safe space for you to uncover what is getting in the way of growth or healing. I specialize in work with adolescents and young adults to sharpen the skills that are necessary to move through the stages of development on the path towards academic, career, athletic, creative and personal achievement.

I am an experienced psychotherapist with offices in both San Francisco and Berkeley. I provide therapy for adults and adolescents as my primary focus. I meet with individuals, couples, and families to help them overcome areas of emotional and relational difficulties. I have an active, open way of working and am curious, engaged, honest, and direct. I take people's need for change very seriously, and am an advocate for finding ways to help people live with greater depth, satisfaction, and choice. While this can involve diligence, resilience, and perseverance, play and creativity are also integral in the process.

Through counseling, I support individuals, couples and families to identify patterns in behavior and communication. Our work together will be collaborative and strengths-based. It will encourage shifts in the family to promote healthy expression of emotions and communication to improve relationships. I use a directive style of communication and an active and integrative approach. I encourage parents, caregivers and other family members to be involved in the therapeutic process.

While all people experience challenges throughout life, we each suffer in different ways and, as a result, develop a unique style of dealing with stress. During difficult times, ways of coping that once worked often lose their effectiveness. Even after identifying a problem or unhealthy pattern, it may be difficult to resolve the issue without the necessary support. Therapy often involves an increased curiosity toward one's emotional experience, and over time, awareness of how feelings relate to behavior. This allows for a deeper understanding of who we are and can help us approach problems and conflicts in healthier ways.

When individuals, couples, families or children make the difficult decision to come to therapy they are usually feeling stuck and often scared. Each of us has our own strength and wisdom which we don't see when we are troubled. My goal is for us to work together to rediscover those qualities. I use a cattail plant as a symbol of how I see therapy. Why? Cattails are found stuck in a marsh and often regarded as weeds. But when looked at carefully they are graceful and strong. Let me help you find your strength and grace.