Psychotherapy for trauma survivors young and old using EMDR, talk therapy, DBT and art therapy, Serving San Francisco Bay Area including Berkeley, Richmond, El Cerrito, San Pablo, Albany, Oakland, Piedmont, Pinole, and El Sobrante. Specializing in trauma recovery, substance abuse, child and adolescent therapy, and self esteem issues.

When life throws you more than you feel prepared to handle, the smart and courageous thing is to reach out for help.

People undergoing stress offer experience a number of troubling physical and mental effects. When they are under extraordinary stress, they might have anxiety attacks, trouble sleeping, mysterious aches and pains in their bodies, memory lapses, high blood pressure, depression, feelings of helplessness, and incessant worrying. Stressful events vary in severity, but when one's life or physical safety are threatened, people can also dissociate (leave their body and go somewhere else in their minds) and have intrusive flashbacks or re-experiencing of the event. (See the PTSD checklist on the Quizzes Tab for more examples of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder symptoms). If any of these applies to you, please keep reading.

Are you are looking for an experienced, compassionate therapist who can help you recover from past hurts? Then please consider calling me. I love to assist trauma survivors improve their relationships with other people, and with themselves. I help people recover from a number of overwhelming and troubling events, including:

Childhood physical abuse and sexual abuse (including incest)
Rape and sexual assault
Witnessing or experiencing a life-threatening event
Divorces or breakups that are very damaging and full of conflict
Serious or life-threatening illnesses (receiving the diagnosis)
Natural disasters like floods, hurricanes, earthquakes, etc.
Toxic parenting and emotional abuse from our families of origin
Car and/or industrial accidents
Unfinished grieving of a lost loved one

Adults, unlike children, may assume that they should be able to handle stress all on their own. Children often naturally accept that they need help with many things, since they don't yet have as much experience handling stress. When overwhelming events take place, it is vital to get help. Otherwise it can take a long time to get one's life back to normal. Talking to someone with experience in trauma and grief can be very helpful in re-establishing coping skills and building new resources for well-being.

I use Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) and Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), among other techniques, to help people cope with overwhelming stress and trauma. I have seen many people reclaim various aspects of their lives with the use of these skills and techniques. I am happy to hear when a client who was molested can now enjoy sex, or someone who was ashamed of their bodies can now enjoy food normally. Other people have reduced their cutting or acting out behaviors because they can now use other skills to deal with their pain. Together we can help you build a life worth living. Whatever trauma you may have experienced in your life,

We can get through this together!

I am a 38-year-old licensed psychologist who’s been helping young and old people for over ten years. I help trauma survivors in numerous ways. By providing a safe place to talk about what happened, I create a trusting, reparative relationship with my clients where they can gain a new understanding of what happened to them, and a new experience of themselves in relation to that event. I provide psychoeducation about trauma, depression, substance abuse, and anxiety. I also teach new skills to help you cope more effectively and make better choices. In addition, I help change thinking patterns by examining and challenging your old ways of thinking that don't work for you anymore. This provides the new understanding. By helping you access your inner wisdom and strength, I help you gain a new experience of yourself as strong, capable, and in charge of your life.

I also work with children and teens who have suffered trauma using play and art, as well as regular talk therapy, to help them come to similar conclusions about themselves. Please call 510-258-4431 to find out how I can help, or send an email through the "Contact Me" link below.

I hope you explore the tabs on the website to use the tools and questionnaires available. If I can help in any way with the use of this site please contact me. I am always interested in ways to make this site work better for visitors, so your feedback is welcome and encouraged.

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