Attachment-based Therapists in El Cerrito, CA

In today’s world, we are surrounded by stressors at every level—personal, community, national and global. There’s no doubt that when there is so much chaos in the world and our lives it can feel like we are out of control. We may feel “stuck” perhaps with unbearable sadness, grief, overwhelm or worry that have ripple effects in our daily lives including work, school, family, and relationships. Talking to loved ones can be helpful, but sometimes we’d rather talk to someone who is impartial. Our work will focus on creating a space where you feel heard, understood, cared for, and accepted as you are.

Do you find yourself struggling with anxiety, depression, grief, self-esteem, identity, and difficult life transitions? Do you find yourself feeling stuck and can’t seem to focus or move forward? There are many ways to get unstuck, and this is the work I love to do to help you heal, grow and live a more fulfilling life. I use an integrative approach including attachment-based work, DBT, CBT, IFS, and mindfulness, bringing in each as needed. Above all, I strive to hold space and empathy for your life experience.

My therapeutic approach mainly focuses on helping my clients identify their strengths to help alleviate anxiety, depression, and trauma. I am a firm believer that our childhood experiences contribute to our beliefs, behavioral patterns, and selecting a romantic partner. Therapy is a process! To allow ourselves to be intimate and vulnerable with someone about our experiences and trauma can be daunting. As a therapist, it is my goal to help validate, create a safe environment and help understand aspects of lived experiences.

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. ​

I work with clients who are asking "Who am I, apart from the things I've done, or the job I have?" The work that we do together re-orients my clients and helps them to create more aliveness and a renewed sense of purpose and meaning. I offer empathetic, insightful therapy to individuals, couples, and families across California. Whether you're grappling with burnout, the complexities of relationships, work-life balance, life/career transition, anxiety, grief, or depression, I will design treatment that matches your unique circumstances and help you thrive in the world.

For the longest time, maybe you've taken pride in the fact that you've been able to prove to others and to yourself that you could overcome whatever obstacles were thrown your way. More than just a source of pride, being able to overcome obstacles thrown your way has helped you to survive up until this point. At the same time, a part of you has felt exhausted from this constant push to persist; exhausted from being as independent as you've become so accustomed to being. You wish others took notice of this more. You're not sure they'd still stick around at all if you were less independent. It's a painful possibility to even consider.

You may be an artist. You may be an academic. You may be an activist. I have been all three of these, and I speak their languages: of creativity, intellectual enlivenment, and social justice. And right now, in this time of upheaval and unrest, you may be hurting--feeling lost, adrift, burned out, under- or over-stimulated, or simply sad. I am here to connect with you. To listen compassionately. To make space for you to better hear yourself, and to encourage linkages, mentalizations, and trauma metabolizations that will allow you to better listen to the rhythms of your body and use your own mind. I offer you my mind in this pursuit.

I offer a safe, warm space to explore hard things. I help people feel heard and less alone by bringing curiosity and compassion to the work of therapy. Together, we will explore the path forward to help you find more fulfillment. I love supporting clients going through life or career transitions, helping them explore their values and roadblocks. I specialize also in working with social impact professionals. It is a brave and bold act to invest in yourself and your happiness. You deserve it! Let's get started.

What would it be like to feel at home in your body, in your mind, and in your heart? How would it feel to truly inhabit your life, with a greater sense of aliveness, ease, and connection? From my experience working with hundreds of clients from all walks of life, I know that difficult times can become a doorway to healing, change and greater connection with one's true self. I have a warm, collaborative approach and will support you in healing the wounds of the past and making inner and outer changes needed for a more fulfilling life.

Compassion and respect are critical to every relationship. I use a collaborative, non-judgmental approach to therapy, using individualized techniques tailored to meet your specific situation and needs. I work with teens, couples, adults and elders. I provide Couples therapy and individual therapy. I'm an artist and occasionally use art as an expressive avenue during therapy. My pursuit of the "why/how" behind life's events led me to pursue Psychology as my profession. I have over 15 years of experience.

Many clients I work with have difficulty letting people really see them. Outwardly, they are viewed as smart, creative, and successful, but have a hard time feeling vulnerable and may even feel "broken inside". These clients are my specialty. I provide my clients with the feeling like I always have their back by creating a safe, supportive, and consistent relationship. This allows you to develop the perspectives and abilities that may have felt too overwhelming to change on your own. Through our work, you will feel a strong and steady sense of who you are, allowing you confidence to grow.

By the time people start therapy, they've often tried nearly everything to solve their problems on their own. I respect the hard work you may have already done -- and your courage in seeking more support. Therapy can help you free up the "stuck" places in your life. My approach is warm, open-minded, active, and empathic. My goals are to help you find more satisfaction in your work and relationships, feel more self-confidence and vitality, and live a happy, meaningful life. My priority is always to respect the pace and direction that is right for you.

Are you feeling numb or anxious? Or that your life could be better? We all get stuck at times and reaching out to a caring professional is worth it because you are worth it!

When potential clients reach out to me they are often at a place in their lives when their habitual way of living is no longer working for them. You may feel stuck, confused, frustrated, overwhelmed, uncertain of how to move forward. You want to do things differently but don't know HOW. You're interested in personal growth, in developing other ways of moving through your life and relationships. Wherever you are, there is always a way forward. As a body-oriented therapist, I use a variety of approaches to help you access deeper levels of knowing and being with yourself; helping you find ease in moving through uncomfortable states.

I am an experienced therapist who is described as compassionate, interactive and comfortable to work with. As a trauma informed therapist, I specialize in working with people who have had challenging and traumatic life experiences. I work with individuals who experience a wide range of distress, including anxiety, panic, depression, relationship issues, hopelessness and self doubt. Building a relationship with a therapist with whom you feel comfortable and validated is the first step and I will be thoughtful about your needs.

It's hard to go it alone with painful feelings of confusion, guilt, sadness, anxiety or despair. I help you access and unravel internal knots related to work or school performance, conflictual relationships, gender and sexuality, addictive behaviors, struggles with self-care and body image, or a family history troubled by dysfunction, divorce, addiction, mental illness, abuse, unresolved conflict or estrangement from loved ones.

Would you like to feel more present in life and more secure in relationships? I have helped many to move past difficult experiences to reconnect with the beauty of life. My treatment focus is helping people to effect change through making different life choices, and on therapy as a working partnership. Trained in both traditional and holistic understandings of mind-body-spirit, my experience includes private practice; crisis work; directorships at mental health agencies; supervision of student therapists; and consultation for providers and organizations. I also integrate spiritual and energy healing perspectives when appropriate.

Have you ever felt like you talk about a painful issue over and over but nothing changes? Are you ready to start your journey to real transformation? Therapy helps us shift underlying patterns that cause distress, heal from past wounds, and mobilize inner strengths, so that we experience greater freedom and fulfillment. For 20 years, I’ve helped clients heal and grow, and cultivate lives of meaning and joy. I offer a holistic approach to counseling, which means I draw on multiple healing modalities, and support you in feeling healthy in all ways. I love this work, and am dedicated to helping you create lasting positive change.

I am a bicultural psychotherapist with over 25 years of experience working with children, adults, and families. In addition to private practice, I have clinical experience in community based settings such as schools, mental health centers, foster/adoption care, and psychiatric hospitals. My therapeutic approach is relational trauma informed, rooted in Psycho Dynamic Theory, Dialectal Behavior therapy, Mindful Self-compassion (MSC), and Family Systems.