Dialectical Behavior (DBT) Therapists in Oakland, CA

I help clients deal with an array of life problems such as; depression, anxiety, IPV, trauma, assault, chemical dependency, co occurring conditions, maternal and postpartum, infertility, grief, etc. Previous clients have expressed therapy sessions with me have led to; better relationships, solutions to specific problems, and reduction of feelings of stress.

I am a licensed clinical social worker and certified substance abuse counselor who has worked in the field for the past 15 years. My hope is to use my experiences and skills to help individuals struggling with mental health issues such as depression, anxiety, PTSD or substance abuse issues find new coping skills in order improve the quality of their lives. My approach combines elements of short-term behavioral therapies (DBT and CBT) with psychodynamic techniques to address problematic behaviors to achieve lasting change.

Dear potential Client, Congratulations on making it this far! Choosing therapy is difficult and even more is taking steps to actually meet with a therapist. I have made this journey myself and found lots of reasons to procrastinate making "the call". If you choose to move forward and contact me, I am happy to consult with you about what you're looking for and how I can support you.

My framework as a psychotherapist is inspired by black feminist sci-fi writer, Octavia E. Butler who saw the possibility of many more worlds than just our own. I believe that transformative internal healing is critical to envisioning and building these worlds without the presence of imperialism, white supremacy, capitalism and cishet-patriarchy. The tools I use to support the exploration of individual, interpersonal and intergenerational trauma are shaped by abolition that rejects punitive and scarcity mindsets and disability justice which strives to value every body.

Counseling, to me, is a collaborative space where clients are empowered to explore, find their own path, and work towards their goals. I’m a queer, neurodiverse counselor, and while I am especially passionate about discussing gender, sexuality, and neurodiversity with clients, I enjoy working on a variety of concerns with clients of any identity or experience. Therapy with me often includes building self-awareness, learning and practicing validation, and challenging oneself to make desired changes at a realistic pace.

You made it here, and that is no small thing. Therapy is an opportunity to grow, heal deep-seated wounds, and expand your experience. This is time that you carve out for yourself: to be heard, seen, and understood. It’s a place for you to have someone in your corner who can help sift through the choices, complexities, and challenges that you are facing. I have a particular knack for working with young folks and their families in finding ways of communication that are assertive, clear, and regulated.

I am not accepting couples currently. I work with individuals, but my focus is African American men in their first five years of marriage. My goal is to help you become more authentic in your relationships, find and live your values, and bring more peace and growth into your life. I also work with men who want to grow in terms of how they show up in their relationships. I am trained in DBT, Gottman, Narrative Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and mindfulness based approaches.

I work with clients to help them heal from symptoms of anxiety, depression, and trauma. Therapy provides an opportunity to be completely yourself, without regard to the pressures or demands of the world around you. When you feel safe, you're more free to talk about change. I'll help you build upon your strengths and support you in becoming more aware of patterns that hold you back from achieving your goals. Together, we take a close look at those patterns and work towards healthier options. I believe therapy is an important investment in health and will help you create the foundation for a satisfied life.

The choice to begin the therapeutic process is a powerful step in the direction of growth, healing, and a deeper source of empathy for oneself. I view therapy as a foundation of support with moving through whatever hardships may come your way, whether that means navigating grief, trauma, or the struggles of daily life.

Do you find yourself feeling anxious, depressed, angry, and overwhelmed? Do you continue to repeat the same patterns of being in unhealthy relationships, engaging in harmful behaviors that are not serving you in a good way, and continuously trying to find a way to numb the pain? I am a process-oriented and trauma-informed therapist who meets clients where they are at. I draw from the psychodynamic approach focusing on bringing the unconscious to the conscious to get to the root of the issue and explore defense mechanisms that have been adapted along the way.

I view therapy as a unique relationship between two people - the therapist and the client. Therapy is a process that fosters acceptance and change of the challenges people face and helps provide clarity. My goal is to help create a safe place to explore thoughts, feelings, and experiences that cause you pain, which may lead to difficulties in relationships, work, and/or daily life. Through this process we will create goals and a plan to reach your specific goals. My approach is genuine, compassionate, and non-judgmental. As a therapist, I bring over 20 years of experience working with individuals from many walks of life.

I'm a first-generation Asian American therapist who specializes in helping BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) teens and adults process and heal from immigration, intergenerational, and/or childhood traumas. My expertise also extends to other areas, including depression, anxiety, grief/loss, relationship issues, and emotion regulation. Together, we can explore your inner world and unlearn beliefs that no longer serve you. We can enhance your capacity to coexist with various emotions, tap into your body’s inherited wisdom, and develop healthy ways of moving through life’s dark moments.

I enjoy working with my clients to help them live more in alignment with how they want to be living. We identity sources of "stuckness", which may include histories of trauma/traumatic invalidation, distress around identities related to race, sexuality, gender, and/or neurodivergence, coping with mood disorders and related behavioral and relationship difficulties, among other significant and impactful life experiences and challenges with past coping strategies. While taking a social justice-oriented and compassionate stance, we work on understanding and processing pain in order to increase one's experience of empowerment and ease.

I am here to listen and support your process as you define and pursue your own goals in therapy, as you develop your strengths and come into new strengths, as you grow through life changes, challenges, and transitions, and recover from distressful current conditions and past traumas. I currently have availability to meet with couples, families and and teens between 12 and 17 to work on how we relate to ourselves and others, with an emphasis on empathy, connection, communication and healthy relationships.

We offer evidenced-based treatment, Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) for the treatment of borderline personality disorder, and other clinical symptoms. We are a team of 5 therapists intensively trained in DBT, and other modalities. We offer a comprehensive DBT program (individual therapy, skills class, consultation team, phone coaching, assessment). We have a program for adults, young adults, families and teens. We are located on Piedmont Avenue, in Oakland in the San Francisco Bay Area. Please review our website for detailed information about our intake process, skills class schedule, individual therapy, mindfulness programs, fees, etc...

Sometimes, things happen in life that cause us significant pain, whether this stems from early life experiences, life transitions, mental illness, interpersonal difficulties or unexpected crisis. Navigating through these experiences in a therapeutic setting can make the difference between tolerating the pain (or even resorting to methods of easing the pain that create more problems) and coming through it more resilient with the ability to live a life with meaning.

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.

I completed my Masters of Social Work at Smith College School for Social Work. I received my post-masters training at Kaiser Permanente Oakland Adult Psychiatry, where I practiced individual adult and group psychotherapy for six years before transitioning into private practice. Working at Kaiser afforded me experience with a wide range of client concerns and gave me the opportunity to work with clients from a wide range of socioeconomic, cultural, and relationship backgrounds. Before pursuing my MSW, I practiced as a corporate transactional attorney at two Bay Area law firms after completing my JD at Harvard Law School.

As a Columbia-trained psychologist and trauma specialist, I offer treatment for post-traumatic stress, addiction, grief, anxiety, depression, insecure attachment, and other trauma-related conditions. I utilize a combination of EMDR, internal family systems (IFS), cognitive behavioral (CBT), and dialectical behavioral (DBT) therapies to provide a somatic and source-focused approach to healing. I educate my clients on the universality of traumatic and addictive experiences. I define trauma broadly as any past experience that remains charged and disturbing, and thus has value in alleviating mental health challenges in the present.