Pregnancy, Prenatal, Postpartum Therapists in Oakland, CA

Many people want to change in some way: to feel more ease, more pleasure, less anxiety, more freedom, greater connection. I offer a reliably warm space for clients to discover what they want to feel and experience in their lives. With a balance of curiosity and direction, I partner with clients to understand their strengths and challenges, to take action in alignment with their desires. As clarity and agency develop, we stabilize and encourage the emerging self. I think of this process as cultivating the capacity to hold steady in ourselves to connect truly with others, so that we can feel a sense of vitality and ease in our lives.

It takes a great deal of courage to begin therapy, and thus I strive to create a space in which individuals feel truly seen, heard, and deeply understood. I believe that people are intrinsically resilient, and I will work with you to gain a deeper understanding of yourself so that you can make meaningful changes in your life. Together, we will work toward navigating difficult transitions, improving the quality of your relationships, and developing more effective coping skills. My style is warm and collaborative, and I always tailor treatment to individual needs.

Psychotherapy offers us an opportunity to better understand ourselves and to create important and meaningful changes in our lives. It also offers an effective way to address questions and feelings that we may find confusing or painful. I approach this work with empathy, warmth, curiosity, and a collaborative spirit. I tailor my approach to the particular needs of each client, offering both the opportunity to reflect and explore as well as down to earth, pragmatic tools to address difficult feelings or behaviors.

I aim to create a space where you feel recognized, understood, and safe enough to explore whatever pain or experience you need help with. My style is warm, collaborative, and compassionate. I use an individualized approach and tailor my interventions to your unique and specific needs. I combine down to earth, practical support with a depth-oriented approach focused on symptom relief and shifting long-standing patterns that have gotten in the way. I also focus on creating a strong therapeutic relationship in which each person I work with feels heard and understood.

The journey of becoming and being a mother does not always look like we imagined. This time can feel overwhelming, lonely, and uncertain. I specialize in supporting women as they navigate the emotional complexities of infertility and the challenges of adjusting to motherhood. Whether your journey includes fertility treatments, coping with the grief of pregnancy loss, contemplating alternative family planning options, or struggling with the transition to your new role as a mother, I'm here to provide a safe and nurturing space for you.

Transitions in our lives need to be marked and held to be integrated. The journey through can be dark and confusing, and how we adapt, grow, and who we look to for support, will illuminate our paths. I have had a focus on those contemporary rites of passage within my own experience, coming into adulthood, birth and parenthood, through relationships, my own identity, and facing our last goodbyes to loved ones. My work as a birth doula drew even more emphasis on the importance of our experiences around pregnancy and childbirth, and how celebrating the changing of our seasons was crucial to our sense of self.

My ideal client is one who is ready and willing to become the best version of themselves. I am a down to earth psychotherapist, that will meet YOU where you are! I work with individual adults ages 18 and up, who have issues with anxiety, depression, self-esteem issues, pregnancy, post-partum, mood disorders, trauma, family conflict, relationships and stress. I can also support those who have challenges with adjusting to new situations, and career stress.

I strongly believe that all of us are capable of connecting to an experience of profound well being, whatever the circumstances of our lives may be. My goal in therapy is to help you access that state within yourself. I aim to help you recognize and accept the many layers of your experience and to support you in acting skillfully and authentically in the world. My first priority is to create an atmosphere of safety and trust so that you are able to freely explore your challenges, concerns and desires. After we understand your difficulties, we can collaborate to create the desired change and growth.

My approach to psychotherapy is collaborative, empathic, and oriented toward achieving the results my clients desire. I provide skills to increase awareness of problematic patterns that can lead to feeling stuck. Left unaddressed, these patterns can take a toll on relationships, work, health, and self-worth. My goal is to create a non-judgmental and supportive space for exploration and change and to help people get back to living a more meaningful and enjoyable life. In addition, I emphasize a "strength-based" approach, in which I help clients identify and build from strengths and other positive qualities they already have.

I offer clients a comfortable space to be their authentic selves in a world that often doesn't support authenticity. I believe in the importance of exploring the various aspects of our identities, both visible and invisible. We talk about the impacts of culture and relationships on your emotional well-being. Together we might explore relationship and attachment patterns and identify ways to make shifts. With a background in expressive arts therapy, I utilize creative approaches such as writing and drawing to process emotions. I also introduce practical skill building, so that you have tangible tools to walk away with.

Sometimes the coping strategies that we use no longer work for us. And the usual support systems we turn to, are at times just not enough. Therapy can be an added support to help us figure out new strategies to cope with the challenges and times of transition in our lives. I provide a calm and reflective space, where together we will reach a deeper understanding of what holds you back and what changes you need to make to live your life more fully. Some areas of specialization include women's issues, perinatal and postnatal disorders, early parenting and cancer.

The decision to pursue therapy is often not an easy one. However, in working with a therapist, most people find a sense of relief that comes with learning that change is possible. Whether your concerns are long-standing patterns or new adjustments, through collaborative exploration within a therapeutic relationship, new ways of relating and coping can develop.

Therapy can be an opportunity to explore life experiences, reconnect with yourself and develop tools and strategies to help you better manage anxiety or worrying thoughts. I work collaboratively with you to uncover and make sense of confusing or conflicting desires, thoughts, and feelings and explore relationship patterns that are not working for you. I understand the need to find realistic solutions and move past critical self-judgments and unhelpful behaviors. I also support women and birthing people with worries during pregnancy, birthing process and postpartum and explore ways to maintain a sense of agency throughout.

I offer therapy services to help you understand challenges you are facing, learn ways to actualize your full potential, and overcome barriers that get in the way of living a happy and fulfilling life. I work with individual clients and couples who are facing anxiety, depression, life transitions, loss, trauma, and challenges at work or in relationships. As an interactive, solution focused therapist with over 20 years of experience, I am here for you.

Keeping your head above water, let alone thriving while navigating work, relationships, parenting, infertility or postpartum journeys is HARD. We’re often set up for what feels like an impossible task, with a shocking lack of a village to hold the struggle with. There is an old Celtic saying, "It is in the shelter of each other that we live". I work with many parents and those on the journey to parenthood to help form their village and bring some more intentionality, ease, and joy on that journey. I'm enthusiastic about collaborating with you to explore practical coping strategies while also fostering a sense of self-compassion.

I specialize in working with individuals suffering from symptoms of anxiety and depression, both circumstantial and life-long, perinatal/maternal mental health struggles, challenging life transitions and developmental stages, relationship building/separating, parenting, first-time, brave therapy seekers and an essential desire to be understood. It can be intimidating to begin the process of self-exploration. It is not a simple endeavor. Each individual is unique as is one's process of self discovery and improved mental health. With the right match between psychotherapist and therapy seeker, the process can feel immensely useful.

Difficult life transitions can lead to anxiety and/or depression, making it a time in our lives when we need support, guidance, and a holistic self-care plan. Therapy can provide the opportunity to discover what we really need to be our best selves. I’m a trauma-informed clinical psychologist, a certified yoga instructor, and a certified perinatal mental health specialist. I have extensive experience working with adults, facilitating groups and providing clinical supervision to graduate students. I use strengths-based interventions, and work through a multicultural lens.

I work with folks in the intersection of being neurodivergent, BIPOC and queer to navigate the oppressive structures that prevent us from expressing ourselves authentically. Together we can process intergenerational trauma to truly meet your needs. My areas of focus include conscious parenting, eating disorders, and postpartum/perinatal mental health. In our therapeutic relationship, genuine, empathetic care and connection come first. I understand that healing is not only individual but also systemic.

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.