Career Counseling Therapists in Oakland, CA

My greatest reward as a therapist is seeing children, adolescents, families and individuals work through the areas of their lives that prevent them from walking in their fullest potential and overcoming obstacles to get to know themselves on a deeper level. Therapy is a personal journey that is empowering and healing. I work to structure sessions that are warm, compassionate and nonjudgmental. I incorporate clients in the process when developing goals based on their current struggles.

I work primarily with relationships; your relationship to yourself, to others, to your future, and to your past. With over 30 years in practice, I use a collaborative style with my clients. Self esteem, depression, anxiety, parenting issues, infertility, life transitions, adult children of alcoholics, addiction recovery, trauma, and couples therapy are my expertise. I specialize in helping couples improve communication and intimacy while creating more secure relationships. I see adults and adolescents and supervise psychologists in training. I often see people who are stuck in negative patterns and struggling to change.

Is anxiety, depression, or trauma holding you back from being your true self? Do you feel stuck in managing difficult life transitions? Now, every little thing becomes super overwhelming. Those negative experiences reopen old wounds and cause new ones. You tried burying your pain hoping it would go away. You feel lonely and tormented. You feel exhausted, stressed, and angry all the time. You wonder how much more you can take. You are unsure of who or where to turn for help. In the midst of this painful journey, you do not have to go through it alone.

Navigating life's challenges is never easy, but reaching out for help is a brave first step to living a more genuine and fulfilling life. I have expertise in working with individuals struggling with childhood trauma and trauma-related symptoms such as grief, anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, and relational conflict. I believe every client is unique and deserves to be listened to and understood in an empathetic way. I am passionate about creating a safe, kind, collaborative and judgment-free space where clients can attain new insights, experience new feelings, and find a renewed sense of physical and mental well-being.

Seeking therapy takes courage and strength. Are you experiencing feeling stuck due to childhood trauma? I am here to provide you with unconditional support to process through your anxiety, depression, and other unresolved feelings at your pace. Sometimes we may need someone who is there for us and there are no problems in life that are too big or small. You have taken the first step to seek help, I can help you discover your inner strength to bounce back and deep inside you may be wishing for peace and equilibrium. As a therapist, I aim to help you reach those goals together to bring about inner peace.

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.

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.

Do you struggle with anxiety and depression due to your childhood trauma? Are you having problems with your partner or family members due to life transition issues? Are you experiencing increased stress, fears, and doubts around the future? I believe that we all have the capacity to heal our emotional wounds and create meaningful changes. My goal as a therapist is to offer you a safe place in which you can process insights, concerns, and emotions associated with trauma.

Hello! Thank you for visiting! I’m Maggie. Are you struggling with negative or anxious thoughts, feeling “stuck” in your life, or having difficulty keeping up with the day-to-day without it impacting your sleep, relationships, and self-esteem? Are you frustrated, irritable, feeling unheard and struggling to cope?

I offer effective and compassionate support to adult individuals and couples, as well as cofounders, coworkers, and adult family members. You might be struggling with anxiety or depression, a personal challenge, or a major life transition. As a couple, you may be facing a challenge such as infidelity, loss of intimacy, communication breakdown; you may be anticipating a major change - a move, marriage, starting a family; or you may be looking for a way to end your relationship as gracefully as possible. I also have extensive experience working with cofounders and co-leaders, especially those whose relationship extends outside work.

Hello, my name is Shawn Polivoi, a therapist licensed in California as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) residing in Northern California. My approach to therapy is to meet people where they are at with the goal of helping them where they want to be. I have expertise and comfort working with all age groups, most recently having worked with adults and the elder population. I am experienced in working with people struggling with anxiety, depression, and trauma.

My practice emphasizes integral, psychodynamic psychotherapy and consultation for a variety of psychological, relational, medical, cultural, and spiritual issues. I specialize in working with adults who grapple with anxiety, depression, loss, stress, health, disability, identity, sexuality, relationships, transitions, trauma, creativity, spirituality, life path/purpose/meaning and fulfillment. I also enjoy providing consultation to colleagues. Building on my fifteen years of private practice experience during my twenty years as a licensed clinician, it is my joy to combine private practice in Oakland with my teaching at CIIS.

I’m excited to meet you! Therapy is a relationship. I believe in empowering my clients and helping them to take a collaborative role in their mental health care. Listening and getting to know you is crucial. I work with Black clients, LGBTQIA+ clients as well as clients from diverse backgrounds and use my training and understanding of human development to inform my therapeutic work and help my clients identify and understand their challenges so they can set meaningful goals. I work from an integrative perspective that incorporates diverse evidence based practices.

I specialize working with trans, queer, bisexual, lesbian, questioning, and gay people of color (Black, Indigenous, Asian, Pacific Islander, Latino/a/x/e, Multiracial/Biracial), providing gender- and queer-affirming care. I can provide letters of support for gender-affirming surgery. I work well with folks who are self-aware but sometimes "to a fault." You find feelings hard but really want to work on "feel the feelings!" You are willing to take risks and be real when something is hard. You want a change but feel stuck, and are down to try both new and old things. You want to be a better person/friend/partner/coworker/child/etc.

I invite you to visit my website: drehrhart.com for a comprehensive understanding of how I can help you, of who I am, and how I work. In brief, we would explore the dynamic terrain of your relationships - to your self (your emotions, your thoughts, your behavior) and to others. This is done in a relationship of genuine curiosity and compassion, so that understanding and change, can take place. This productive and curious environment or relationship that we foster together, can be internalized and taken with you as one if the many tools for your life journey.

My ideal client is someone who is ready to commit to their journey of change. Having an awareness of what they desire to focus on and what it means to them to grow in that area is imperative to making consistent strides in our work together.

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.

Are you a gay or queer man feeling lonely and disconnected despite seemingly having good relationships, friendships, family, and/or community? If you find yourself confused about these feelings and wanting more support, you've come to the right place. I understand the unique challenges you face, not just as a gay man myself, but also as a therapist who is experienced working with gay and queer clients. I specialize in supporting people just like you: gay and queer men who are motivated to get to the bottom of things together and who want to be in authentic connection with others. With me, you will be in safe and capable hands.

Pain and discomfort are unavoidable parts of being human. The pain we face in our life can be sprung on us through a myriad of life events and triggers. These hard times can leave us feeling depressed, anxious, lonely, misunderstood, and impact our work and relationships.