Female Therapists in Oakland, CA

You’re a conscious, sensitive person, committed to justice and healing - but you find yourself feeling alone and confused about why you are continually struggling in relationships, or worse - you're worried intergenerational trauma has made being in healthy relationship out of reach for you. You’re intelligent and thoughtful, but you worry you're not reaching your potential because you’ve spent your life taking care of others and managing your anxiety/self doubt. You have a hard time trusting/knowing your own voice, and/or setting boundaries for yourself and others. I am passionate about working with LGBTQiA+ / BIPOC folks.

I am a queer, disabled, cis woman of white and indigenous descent, well-versed in the nuances of navigating life with a disability. Often, nondisabled therapists either overemphasize or underplay its impact. In our sessions, we'll find the right balance for you, focusing on what truly matters—whether that's disability, queer issues, or other areas of your life. You’ll have a supportive space to discuss any topic without needing to first educate your therapist about your disabled and queer identities, ensuring our time is focused on your growth and well-being.

Taking the necessary steps towards mental, emotional, spiritual and physical well-being is not an easy task, and does not have to be done alone. My commitment is assisting and supporting you in finding the unique tool you need to move towards long term healing. My focus is on mind, body and spirit as we work together. I respect the unique and intricate experiences and identities you bring into the therapeutic relationship.

I work with people who are experiencing anxiety, depression, relationship stressors, and life transitions, as well as those who want to heal from childhood trauma and emotional neglect. I specialize in trauma focused therapy using Internal Family Systems (IFS), Somatic Attachment Therapy, and Expressive Arts Therapy. During individual sessions we will work together to identify and change the thought, behavior patterns, and beliefs that are keeping you stuck and suffering; help you gain greater access to your innate healing capacities and resilience; and grow your capacity for self-compassion, joy, creativity and connection.

Therapy provides a special opportunity to slow down and focus on what's most important to you, with skillful guidance and support. I create a nonjudgmental environment for you to explore the difficulties, heartaches, old wounds, stuck places, or joys and celebrations of your life. This process involves listening to the wisdom of your body and emotions as well as your mind. Collaborating with you, I will support you to develop a more intimate relationship with yourself and your many facets, to expand your capacity to satisfyingly connect with others, and to illuminate and transform what blocks you from living your best life.

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.

Everyone is doing the best that we can. It's not always easy to see this. Life is challenging at best. It drains hope from our lives at its worst. When we are able to hold ourselves in the best light, life and the world take on greater meaning and purpose. I work to help clients accept they are doing their level best, while facilitating them to develop more self-compassion. Accepting ourselves without judgement allows us to the see the gifts that we are, and use our challenges as points of growth.

Despite your successes, you feel unhappy, worried, overwhelmed, lonely and unfulfilled in your life. You may be seeking more satisfying relationships with family, friends and intimate partners. Perhaps your life is being touched by major changes and this time, you aren’t able to hold all the pieces by yourself. Or perhaps you need support with addressing the complexities and emotional strain associated with being a child of immigrant parents or navigating the world as a person of color. You may have found short-term strategies helpful in the past but are looking for more long term change and satisfaction.

Generally, what brings clients to my office are concerns related to work, relationships, and life. I offer both short-, and long-term therapy for individuals and couples. I welcome those from the Latino community. In individual therapy I will work with you to better understand your feelings and thoughts, find new ways for dealing with problems, and be more effective in recognizing and meeting your needs, desires, and aspirations. Couples often want to understand where their communication is not effective. We will work to improve your relationship by strengthening communication skills. I don't work with domestic violence.

Are you experiencing a loss, going through a life transition, feeling the impact of everyday stress, or just needing a space for someone to hold your feelings? Or are you an adolescent or young adult who needs the support of another caring adult, or a parent/caregiver who wants this type of support for your teen? Do you want to be able to share (unedited) your experience with someone who will help you navigate through it?

I specialize in working with high anxiety clients who wish to break people-pleasing patterns. I'm passionate about demystifying therapy and empowering clients to understand their underlying issues in order to transform from the root up. I aim to bridge the gap between sessions and help form a clear path for my clients' progress. My therapeutic approach is both nurturing and structured: I listen and offer support just as much as I offer appropriate challenges. If you are feeling eager to understand yourself, to see yourself fully, and to practice self-compassion while changing harmful behaviors/thoughts, we're likely a good fit.

It's possible to have a fulfilling, meaningful and joyful life. I create a safe space for you to explore how your life experiences shaped your view of yourself and others. As a result of childhood abuse or neglect, intergenerational transmission of trauma and ongoing injustice, we can develop negative beliefs about our worth and what the world will provide for us. These often unconscious thoughts and behaviors helped you survive and even thrive but may not work well now. As humans, we go through many times of growth where we shed what doesn't fit, so we can become even an better version of ourselves.

I am a somatic therapist who focuses on relational, attachment and childhood trauma issues. I work with individuals and couples to address relationship ambivalence, anxiety, major life transition, depression, stuckness, poor communication and conflict, among other issues. I help with building awareness of one's thoughts, feelings and physical sensations to develop greater insight and uncover new choices.

All too often many of us fall through the cracks in the systems we navigate, become othered and undervalued by society, and end up in a never ending race where we feel as though we are constantly catching up or at the precipice of falling behind - sometimes all at once! We carry this with us while we are held to the same standards as those who do not face the same barriers. This is where therapy can enter your life.

When you are in a relationship with a narcissist, you don't know what's real anymore. Somewhere along the way you have gotten lost in the cycle of toxicity and you are unsure of how to get out. You feel powerless and you try to explain to others what's going on, but they don't understand. You have a hard time explaining the manipulation, gaslighting, love bombing, and trauma bonding. You have a hard time hiding how you really feel behind your smile. You have lost yourself in your relationship, and what's worse - you don't feel happy or connected to anyone. You long for a safe place to unload your heavy burdens.

My passion lies in grief and transitions including aging and end-of-life. Exploring the multifaceted nature of grief that extends beyond traditional understanding, or life's ebbs and flows, in work, family, friendships, aging, illness, or loss. All are aspects we can navigate together. Whether you seek probing questions, support achieving specific goals, or simply a listening ear to help you find and hear your own voice. Each session is crafted to meet your unique needs and style. I specialize in a relational and client-led approach, tailoring each session to follow your lead and delve into the patterns or areas you wish to explore.

You don’t feel like yourself, you push through each day joyless and overwhelmed. Talking to friends, family, or even your partner about how difficult things are often makes you feel more alone. More than anything you want to be excited about this next phase of life, to feel like you can meet this moment with hope and resolve and be there for those who need you most, but instead you are barely treading water. Worse, you and your partner have never felt more out of sync.

Therapy is a journey that has the power to heal and to help you become your most true self. My approach emphasizes the importance of the therapeutic relationship, which I believe is the primary mechanism for change. I believe we may work well together if you are interested in a relational experience and value an approach that focuses on connecting with and understanding emotional experiences. I work collaboratively with my clients to identify old patterns of relating to others that are no longer serving them and move towards new and healthier ways of being.

Welcome. You have arrived. Now what? Something brought you here. Perhaps the burden of pain that weighs on your body, mind and spirit. What is the nature of this pain? How is it impacting different parts of your life, your sense of identity, your relationships, your sense and purpose as a human being? Psychotherapy is an offering, a kind of healing art, a form of medicine that may help transform various symptoms of pain, manifesting in unhealthy, hurtful or even harmful thoughts and behaviors into something more healthy, wholesome and functional.