Therapists in Shafter, Oakland, CA

I work towards developing a relationship with you where you can feel safe to express your feelings, talk about your concerns and think creatively about old patterns and past worries that may be holding you back from living life more fully. I strive to create a therapeutic environment where you will gain more awareness and learn to live in a creative and playful manner while developing the capacity to know and realistically meet your own needs. You will find me to be warm, interested, creative, and curious therapist.

I am a highly trained clinical and consulting psychologist working in the field of psychotherapy for 30 years. I specialize in psychodynamic psychotherapy and provide long term and brief counseling services. I am experienced with adults, adolescents, couples and families struggling with a variety of emotional issues. Specialties include relational psychology and a multi-dimensional approach to finding solutions to life's difficulties. Areas of expertise include; depression, anxiety, impostor syndrome, and adjustment to life-transitions. I have also done extensive work and research in addictions and eating disorders/body image.

Are you struggling to connect with a partner or child who is increasingly irritable and withdrawn? Has your family member turned to substances to cope with increased stress? As a wife and mother, I know how heart-wrenching it is to watch someone you love struggle and to be pushed away when you show caring. They may tell you nothing’s wrong, but your concern doesn’t just turn off like a switch. In fact, that may be part of the problem. Do you feel selfish when you think about how much you're struggling? This is a common feeling to have - but any therapist would tell you from experience - you can’t pour from an empty cup.

I enjoy working with individuals and couples from a variety of backgrounds and beliefs. In the last twenty years, I have coached corporate executives, consulted with physicians, and worked with adolescents and adults in individual and family therapy.

I am an experienced psychotherapist specializing in individual and couples therapy. I enjoy working with individual adults and couples, including older adults.

Hi there, I’m glad you’re here. I know that looking for a therapist can be hard, especially when you’re hurting or feeling low. I may be able to help. You might feel lonely, anxious, or full of guilt…or you might not know what you feel. You may be confused about the choices you make in life, or you may feel frustrated with the unjust world you live in. Many critical thought patterns, painful feelings, and unwanted behaviors started out as survival strategies to protect us during difficult life experiences. These strategies helped us cope in the past, but can lead to conflict and suffering in the present.

My passion is helping anyone toward getting ‘unstuck’ and reconnecting with their lives and loved ones. I provide therapy for children, teens and adults navigating anxiety, OCD, selective mutism, mood disorders, post-traumatic stress, and peer issues, as well as ADHD and Autism Spectrum Disorder diagnoses. I especially love working with teens and their families as they adapt to change; whether it’s better understanding and celebrating a teen’s gender identity, knowing how to discuss family separation, or finding healthy ways to cope with an unexpected loss.

I have practiced as a therapist for over twenty years and specialize in helping people integrate unresolved aspects of the past in order to live freely in the present. Exploring adaptive strategies which used to help but now are limiting; meeting all parts of ourselves with curiosity and compassion; cultivating consciousness around our thinking and feeling patterns; bringing attention to the body and working with the nervous system to soften areas of tension and holding - these are ways therapy can deepen insight and support ease and well being.

I am a clinical psychologist specializing in anxiety problems like stress, worry or OCD as well as health problems such as illness or chronic pain. If you are coping with any of these conditions, I can help you. Anxiety and pain can leave you feeling stuck, and overwhelmed, especially when you feel pressure to perform or make life decisions. I have a strong background in evidence-based treatments and focus on practical, results-oriented treatments that have been proven effective. No matter what challenges you are facing, we can work together to reduce uncomfortable feelings and help you live a happier and more fulfilled life.

Finding the right match in a therapist is essential to beginning this uniquely personal process. Therapy often gets a bad name when there is a sense of disconnect between client and therapist, which can make therapy feel like another struggle. Life is challenging enough. I am committed to creating a comfortable and genuine dialogue with each client, or to offering more fitting outside referrals. I am able to put people at ease, welcoming humor where appropriate.

I work with individuals of all ages, including couples and families, to foster emotional health and equilibrium. Together, we build a positive therapeutic relationship to explore patterns and find solutions. I bring a tailored approach to treatment that draws on elements of attachment theory, strength-based therapy, mindfulness, ACT, and CBT. I apply these approaches to support clients, including teens and young adults facing anxiety and depression, adults and couples navigating relationships, couples preparing for children, and parents seeking support in achieving work-family-personal balance.

Adults struggling with symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), anxiety (panic, social anxiety, worry, and generalized anxiety), life problems and transitions, stress, or BFRBs such as hair pulling and skin picking. Clients interested in better understanding their problems and using cognitive-behavior therapy (CBT) and evidence-based treatment strategies to address them. Ideally, clients interested in changing current patterns and learning life-long tools to maintain healthy, more adaptive ways of responding to triggers of their problems.

In an atmosphere of acceptance, understanding and clarity, I am here to support your relationship with yourself. Using tools such as mindfulness, insight, somatic and narrative approaches, I create a space where the many parts of you are welcome. Goal setting is a collaborative process and therapy can be long or short term depending on your needs. I deeply support the listening process, as well as the interplay between individual needs and relationship needs. I have a particular orientation towards meaning and purpose, and I draw from your values as a means of integrating both difficult and inspiring experiences.

People seek therapy when they feel unhappy, anxious, stuck in patterns and relationships that don't serve them or acting in ways that are self-destructive. Therapy can address and change outmoded ways of being. The therapeutic relationship is key to this work: It offers the possibility of exploring and understanding more effective and satisfying ways of relating to ourselves and others. I work with children, adolescents and adults in individual therapy, using a collaborative approach that centers on empathy, understanding, curiosity and exploration.

Clients generally come to me because they are experiencing disruption to their lives due to their use of, or a loved ones use of, drugs and/or alcohol, significant anxiety and stress challenges or have suffered a trauma which is preventing them from living the life that they want to be able to live.

Anxiety can be so overwhelming and persistent that it feels like it's taking over. Sadness, grief, and depression may feel so heavy and unmanageable that the simple but vital parts of life such as sleeping, eating, and work are difficult or complicated. Your pain might be related to a recent stressful event like heartbreak or the death of someone close to you, or maybe it is less acute but feels endless. Perhaps there is an atmosphere of dread, loneliness, fear, and frustration. Relationships become conflict- ridden or devoid of real feeling. There is a sense that you're doing it wrong or always making the same mistakes.

Starting therapy is not easy, and I hope you'll soon feel comfortable with me because of how I listen and become interested in the details you bring, helping you start to feel safe and at ease. I'll listen to the layers of what you say, and do my best to notice patterns which you may be unaware of. Together we'll think about the present moment of your life, your history, your needs and desires, and what gets in the way of your greater happiness and satisfaction.

Couples want to feel better. Couples often find themselves caught in patterns of conflict that they would love to get out of. Most couples dream of living with better communication and less conflict. Fortunately, couples counseling was made for this. Whether you're looking for couples counseling to increasing the level of commitment in your relationship, wanting to deepen your connection, or really struggling to keep the connection alive - you're not alone and there is help.

Psychotherapy is an intimately personal endeavor, that can provide a safe space for curiosity, exploration, and meaning-making of our lives and histories. I approach therapy through a relational psychodynamic lens, which means that I view mental health and well-being as being deeply interconnected with our relationships, experiences, and cultural identities. Each individual seeks therapy for unique reasons and carries a complex personal history, I tailor each treatment to meet your specific needs, goals, strengths, and cultural background.