EMDR Therapists in Oakland, CA

We all have work to do. We don't have to do it alone. In a safe, non-judgmental environment, I explore with my clients their dreams, artwork, relationships, and daily life experiences, to bring light and insight to blockages and barriers to their full experience and enjoyment of life. Such blockages can be past trauma, incorrect embedded beliefs, injured parts, and/or ingrained thought patterns and habits. Once these things are processed and/or healed, new ways forward can be nurtured.

Life is hard in our unpredictable, uncertain and rapidly changing world. It makes sense that you may be struggling try to find ground under your feet, a calm amidst the storm of intense emotions and distressing thoughts. Are you looking for practical tools to help steady the mind and effectively respond to life challenges? If you choose to work with me, we will work collaboratively to reduce suffering by meeting difficult experiences with openness and compassion. We will become curious and attentive to the present moment while cultivating a life that is vital and meaningful.

I care deeply about supporting my clients on their evolving journey towards healing and returning to the truth of who they really are, and I honor their autonomy and unique life experiences as essential to their growth and unfolding. Coming from a first-gen immigrant family, I know that our lives can often be impacted by layers of familial & cultural pressures, trauma, and childhood wounding. I hold compassionate space to explore these aspects of experience through a holistic and trauma-informed lens. As a relational and integrative therapist, I use a variety of approaches including EMDR.

I am a licensed psychotherapist using EMDR and narrative therapy to help young adults navigate identity exploration and development, address anxiety and depression, and heal from past trauma. I offer longer-term work with individuals as a primary therapist and can also provide adjunct EMDR therapy and letters of support.

People come to therapy with unique needs, concerns, and life circumstances. Through the process of self-inquiry, I help clients gain insight and develop effective coping skills to move through a challenge with greater ease and understanding. My therapeutic style is warm, compassionate and curious about one's experience. I use an attachment based, person-centered approach that offers individuals and couples clarity around repetitive patterns that cause pain, conflict, and limit growth.

Right now, you are doing something very courageous! You are taking the first step toward a more meaningful and rich life. You might sense that your thoughts and feelings are holding you back from truly living your life. You might have had traumatic life experience(s) that shaped your life in a way that is unfulfilling and terrifying. You might feel plagued by depression and/or anxiety, feel uncomfortable in your own skin or as if you are not performing to your best abilities. I want to commend you for taking this step and I would feel honored to be on this journey with you, helping you live a more satisfying, engaged and full life.

Clients I work with tend to have experienced developmental trauma that interferes with their relationships to themselves, partners and family members; have taken on shame, blame, guilt or distorted thinking/gaslighting from their family systems often throughout generations; and therefore likely experience issues around trust, intimacy, vulnerability and self love. I am committed to helping my clients to gain more peace and safety within their personal bodies, their homes, their relations and their family systems so they can experience more choice, empowerment and joy in their lives.

Life can feel impossible to avoid struggling and we often don't feel we have the skills to cope successfully through. Unfortunately, sometimes we don't have all the resources we need for a given situation. Parts of us take on desperate roles trying to help us to survive. This might look like anxiety, depression, PTSD, addiction, and relationship/family issues. I aim to help you process unresolved issues and feelings and find solutions.

Traumatic experiences, whether single incident or complex, can lead to relationship problems, shame, low self-esteem, problems trusting others, feeling unsafe, unhealthy relationship dynamics, maladaptive coping, anxiety, panic attacks, depression, and reactivity to trauma triggers (startle response, emotional numbing, intrusive thoughts, flashbacks, hypervigilance, dissociation, etc.). I treat clients whose problems have originated from traumatic experiences to help them heal from the past and to live a full life in the present.

I am skilled in treating clients with the following problems: work stress; depression and anxiety; post traumatic stress syndrome; domestic violence, physical, emotional and sexual abuse; issues of acculturation and inter-generational conflict; relationship and women's health; as well as aging, losses and bereavement.

Welcome! I understand the challenges of finding the right therapist. My aim is to provide a sanctuary where we address your concerns from a holistic perspective.My practice is tailored for individuals who identify as queer, trans, non-binary, or are exploring gender and/or sexuality. Embracing a trauma-informed approach, I acknowledge the experiences you've endured and can support your journey toward healing.With over two decades of experience, I specialize in mood conditions like Bipolar Disorder. Whether it's navigating identity or focusing on other essential aspects of your life such as relationships or career, I'm here to help.

Do you have relationships in your life that are not working, and no matter what you do, it doesn't seem to get better? Are you looking for a partner, but find that it never seems to work out? Do you feel disconnected from others and are longing for relationships that are solid and fulfilling? Relationships take work and psychotherapy is an opportunity to understand who you are in relationship and how to create and healthy and supportive connections. I work with both individuals and couples to explore, cultivate and sustain intimacy.

Do you feel alone in your emotions and challenges? Do negative thoughts, anxieties and worries sometimes seem uncontrollable and overwhelming? Or maybe you are curious about how your past experiences may be showing up in your present life. Grief, anxiety and life transitions can cause us to feel so many uncomfortable, difficult feelings that at times feel unbearable. As the world turns on, it can be difficult to find the time to understand how life's ups and downs impact how we show up for ourselves and others every day. Therapy is a great way to broaden this understanding.

I'm an integrative psychotherapist working with individuals and couples. My approach is warm and interactive, providing a supportive environment where you can reflect and develop new ways of handling the life challenges you are facing. The focus of my practice is twofold: relationship issues and life transitions (for example: changes in relationships, career changes, relocation, pregnancy, child birth and parenting, facing illness, trauma and loss, as well as seeking more meaning and deeper fulfillment in life). I have extensive experience working with people who immigrated to the US or are of diverse cultural backgrounds.

Are you anxious, out of control, or overwhelmed on the inside, yet work hard to remain competent and in control on the outside? If so, my work may be particularly helpful to you. I specialize in helping people recover/discover a calm, secure experience of life. Whether you struggle with fears, self-doubt, anger or self-sabotage; whether you've had trauma in your past, or experienced a recent loss, break-up, illness or accident - I will help you understand what is happening, resolve disturbing feelings, and apply new skills and solutions.

Are you struggling, feeling stagnate, having trouble moving beyond traumatic events or having relationship difficulties? I help people get past these all too common problems. I create a warm, safe, and nurturing environment using a client-centered and holistic approach. Together we will determine what the important issues affecting your life are. We will discover how you can resolve those issues so you can move on. For the past 20 years I have provided individualized, kind, solution-based therapy and life coaching for people of all ages.

Regular therapy hasn’t helped. You’ve tried talking about what happened to you. Maybe it helped, but only a little. You’re still struggling to keep your head above water when it comes to dealing with your trauma. Triggers and mood swings make your days an ordeal. You’re running out of hope that what you’ve been through won’t always dominate your life. Is there anything else out there that can help? EMDR helps you finally move through what's happened to you & come out the other side.

Feeling alone and overwhelmed? Do you want to make a change and don't know where to start? Are old wounds holding you back? Do you struggle with old habits and behaviors that keep you stuck? I can help you find what you need. I help clients find their voice and find their own unique path through an open and honest partnership. Clients gain self-awareness, self-acceptance, and the skills they need to continue to heal and grow in connection with others.

Whatever challenge or emotional pain has you considering therapy, our sessions will be tailored to your unique needs. Mind/body approaches such as EMDR, Emotional Freedom Technique and the newer Flash Technique are scientifically proven methods that can help resolve trauma or deep emotional wounds. If you struggle with depression, anxiety, or low self esteem, we might explore your judgmental self-talk or consider your limiting beliefs. If you are feeling troubled or stuck in a personal relationship or at work, we could look at ways to communicate that increase understanding and reduce conflict.