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Therapists in Pleasanton, CA 94566

Kit Hill, Ed.D. LMFT
Mental Health Counselor/Therapist
Pleasant Hill, CA 94523
Preferred Member
Has Helpful Articles
Has Helpful Blog
Counseling & Executive Coaching
Therapy For Home & Coaching For Work
I lead a group practice of Christian therapists and consultants who are affiliated with New Life Network and New Life Ministries. We work with: -Depression, Anxiety & Anger -Adolescent & Children’s Issues -Adults & Teens Abused as Children -Dependency & Co-Dependency/ACA -Family & Marital Communication Problems -Special Treatment Options for Childhood Wounds -Spiritual Dryness -Post Divorce Issues -Identity Problems -Eating Disorders CONSULTATION FOR: -Work Conflicts & Management Difficulties -Poor Morale, Loss of Productivity & Burn Out -Boundaries @ Work Problems -Leadership Coaching & Development --------------------------------------------------- As a leadership coach, I have worked with leaders from such diverse organizations as the U.S. Coast Guard, SC Johnson & Company, Kaiser-Permanente, SpineCare-SOAR, and the East Bay Lutheran Youth Leaders Association. I've also worked with the Northern California Conference of Seventh Day Adventists and the media company, Live Nation. Trained in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) and other helpful forms of coaching that help clients get unstuck, I have helped many leaders get through impasses in their careers. As an academic consultant, I have consulted for Cal Berkeley’s, Graduate Department of Bioengineering, Cal’s Graduate Department of Public Policy and the San Jose State University, Department of Instructional Design. I have also worked with students on dissertation design and experimental implementation at Argosy University and The Wright Institute. I am currently a graduate instructor in leadership in the business department at California Pacific University in Pinole. Here is a list of services we provide through our leadership and organization development group: As Founding Partner & Consultant with The John Maxwell Team - The Six Core Learning Systems + Two ~ Delivered in seminar or workshop formats listed below: 1. Leadership Gold 2. Put Your Dreams to the Test 3. Becoming a Person of Influence 4. Everyone Communicates Few Connect 5. How to Be a REAL Success 6. The 15 Invaluable Laws of Growth 7. The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership 8. Sometime You Win, Sometimes You Learn Delivery 1) MasterMind Leadership Groups: Free or Low Cost Six to Ten Week Process and Discussion Groups Based on the content of the Six Learning Systems. These groups can be customized and set up for a specific organization, association, or group of leaders. 2) Lunch N’ Learn: Set up as a mid day seminar based on the content of the Six Learning Systems for a specific organization or sub-group that acts as a showcase for introducing leaders and others to leadership concepts and leadership development. 3) Partnership Events. These are designed to create a mutually beneficial situation where the John Maxwell Team coach provides a half day seminar for a fee that an organization can use to attract and invite clients or customers in to introduce or emphasize products or services. . Customized Consulting: I) Executive Coaching For 1. Derailing Leaders: Do you have a “Wrong Fit”, a “Burned Out Boss”, a “Personality Problem”, a “Work-Aholic”, a “Major-In-The-Minors” Manager, a “Hates Conflict” or an “Abrasive Abe”? 2. Tech-Head-To-Leader who is high on knowledge of the business but low on knowledge of the people and how they work. 3. Selection: Finding the next leaders and grooming them for leadership at the top tiers. Evaluations and interviews that get proven results create a highly desirable natural fit. II) Organization Development For: 1. Teams that need building and direction 2. Family-Owned Businesses that are in transition 3. Growing interests that are having trouble keeping up with their own change. 4. Any organization that needs a good evaluation and OD audit to help them get their bearings.
Gail Gabriel, LMFT
Mental Health Counselor/Therapist
Pleasanton, CA 94566
Experienced Professional Collaborative
Psychotherapy benefits are abundant when you share your experiences with a professional and experienced therapist. Trust, respect and open dialogue are the cornerstones of effective therapy. Psychotherapy benefits are abundant when you are safe to be yourself and then explore and discover the broader and deeper landscape of the issues that concern you. You will learn to identify, process and utilize the richness of your emotional experiences. By proposing different ways of thinking about your situation, offering questions that call your attention to the overlooked or utilizing your emotions to identify the bigger picture, you see opportunities to change. You may learn how to alter the dance in your relationship dynamics. I may provide you with questions that direct your attention, lessons in communication skills, or a language to articulate your core values. I may serve as a guide to develop more satisfying relationships or to provide effective parenting. I will help you identify innovative strategies that unlock and improve your personal, familial, social and professional relationships. Helping you identify your goals and then becoming more proactive in reaching them is a fundamental outcome of good therapy. Clients appreciate that I am insatiably curious, active, and encouraging as they pursue their goals. My years in business and as a high school counselor assist me in understanding the many roles and circumstances we must navigate in today's culture. My practice has served teens, men, women, and couples in the Pleasanton Tri-Valley for over twenty years. My life has been enriched by knowing so many so well.
Therapy2Thrive™of the Ruby Hill Counseling Center, Inc.
Marriage & Family Therapist
Pleasanton, CA 94566
Family, Couples & Individual Counseling to Help You Thrive!
Creating hope for healing so you can reach your goals.
The mission of Therapy2Thrive™ is to provide clients with a therapeutic relationship that provides thoughtful, caring foundation that builds trust and safety for our clients. Therapy2Thrive™ works with our clients with practical research based counseling skills and interventions to assist people in making choices to lead to more joy and less distress in their lives. We offer: 1) Research and evidence based theory and interventions. 2) Practical solutions that support positive change. 3) Guidance that supports helping people to help themselves. 4) Relatable therapists who provide services of quality, value and worth. Life brings challenges and how we care for ourselves is important. Our goal and Therapy2Thrive™ is to move you toward self value and self care. Imagine yourself standing on a beach, as the waves crash upon you. Each wave nearly knocks you over. You feel breathless as the waves continue to roll in. You tire, you feel worn, your zest for each day dampens and what once was a joyful view of the sea has now turned into a stressful experience. Holding yourself, day by day in order to make it through the daily grind your passion diminishes and you feel worn. At Therapy2Thrive™ we work with you to implement the tools and strategies that allow you to stabilize your feet in the sandy beach. We work with you to strengthen you stance and the muscles inside of yourself to sustain the waves that crash upon us as the tides of life pass in and out. We work with out clients to feel re-refreshed, so they can feel breeze and not be blown over by the wind that comes off the waters of life. We work with you to not just sustain but to thrive again to find the joy of playing on the beach in your life. Embrace the fun and laughter again and let go of the burnout and apathy of stress and despair. We work with your courage of all you have survived and move you with hope to thrive again. We offer services that include individual counseling, couples counseling, family counseling and group counseling. We provide services for adults, youth and seniors. Individual counseling is one of the most common ways people participate in the counseling process at Therapy2Thrive™ Pleasanton. The individual counseling relationship between client and therapist becomes a vehicle for positive change as you gain awareness regarding the issues that are brought into therapy. Couples counseling is different from Individual Counseling because the focus of the counseling relationship is the relationship between the two partners rather than the therapist with each individual. We work with evidenced based therapies for couples counseling. Child play therapy is an important area of treatment at Therapy2Thrive. Developmentally, children often communicate their fears and worries in largely a non-verbal way. Your Therapy2Thrive™ therapist interacts with your child’s inner world through the strategic use of imaginary play, art, games and, other symbolic activities. This process of “Play Therapy” helps children cope with difficult emotions, create solutions to their problems, and develop healthy self-esteem. Therapy2Thrive™ child counselor understands the important role parents have in their child’s life. Therapy2Thrive™ works with teens to support their development of themselves while still maintaining their relationship to their families. The Therapy2Thrive™ family therapist supports the family’s overall health and well-being through skill development and shared growth. Group counseling provides a setting where a group of people come together, usually on a weekly basis, to explore, learn and grow through the collaborative sharing of the group’s members. Come join us at Therapy2Thrive™ to Thrive Again!
Lorna Sadusk, MFT
Mental Health Counselor/Therapist
San Ramon, CA 94583
Better Relationships!
For ten years, I have counseled families in the east bay area ranging from 3 years old on up to 74 years old. My experiences have been with PTSD, Bi-Polar, and ADHD children,child and teen anger management,anxiety and depression,adjustment to change, attachment and separation-anxiety, domestic violence and child abuse, family mental health problems, foster care-to-adoption,blended families/multi-generational families. A focus for me is attachment work with parents who are either in transition of adopting a child or who have already adopted. I have a strong appreciation for the hard work that is necessary for parents to promote healthy attachment in their new family member! To arrange a time, send an email to Lorna Sadusk Client focus * Ethnicity: Any * Gender: All * Religious Orientation: Any * Age: * Adolescents * Adults * Children Specialties * Adoption * attachment/bonding issues * Anxiety or Fears * Issues: * ADHD * Anger Management * Child or Adolescent * Depression * Divorce * Domestic Abuse * Domestic Violence * Learning Disabilities * Loss or Grief * Parenting * Relationship Issues * Trauma and PTSD * Mental Health: * Impulse Control Disorders * Thinking Disorders Treatment Preferences * Orientation: * Cognitive Behavioral (CBT) * Family Systems Therapy * Family/Marital Therapy * Gestalt * Humanistic * object relations * biofeedback * eclectic * Modality: * Individuals * Couples * Family
Paul Ginocchio, MFT, CSAT
Marriage & Family Therapist
Danville, CA 94526
Couples and Individual Therapy
Specializing in Sex Addiction and Couples Counseling
Paul Ginocchio, MFT, CSAT is a licensed marriage and family therapist and certified sex addiction therapist with a private practice in Danville, California. Paul works with both individuals and couples with such presenting issues as anger, addictions, and relationship issues. He is a certified Relational Life Therapist - a model of working with couples developed by couples expert Terry Real, author of "The New Rules of Marriage". - Paul is a certified sex addiction therapist - a model of treating sexual addiction developed by addiction expert Patrick Carnes, author of "Out of the Shadows". Paul specializes in couples therapy and the treatment of sexual addiction. Paul has been helping individuals and couples to have more authentic lives and relationships for many years. Whether you're depressed, anxious, suffering from low-self esteem or addictive behaviors, Paul can help you with the emotional pain that keeps you stuck in your life. It takes courage and strength to ask for help. I can guide you to the truth of your inner most wants and needs. I connect with my clients through extensive listening, probing questions, and direction. My work with you will be supportive at times and gently challenging at others. I believe that it is important to educate my clients beyond the traditional “here and now” psychotherapy. I use a variety of materials to teach deeper self-reflection and communication skills in interpersonal relationships. Psychotherapy provides a confidential place where deeper feelings can be expressed, truths can be revealed, and new relationships with self and others can be created. Paul works with clients of all ages, genders, and sexual identities and with treatment for: · depression and anxiety · trauma · marriage and relationship issues · addictions · anger management · men's issues · affair and sexual addiction recovery
Mical Akullian, M.S.
Mental Health Counselor/Therapist
Oakland, CA 94619
Counseling for Mental, Emotional, and Physical Wellbeing
My counseling approach is informed by my training as a marriage and family therapist, ten years of exploring alternative forms of healing therapy, and most importantly, by my own path of healing. In 2001 I was diagnosed with a chronic disease called Ulcerative Colitis. Though I was placed on an ulcerative colitis treatment plan, I was told there was no cure for this disease, and that I would be living with U.C. for the rest of my life. After eight years of struggling with this digestive disease, I discovered the tools and techniques that addressed the root cause of my illness. Through a gentle process of bringing more awareness to my thoughts, healing emotional wounds, and changing my relationship with my body, I have been fully healed from Ulcerative Colitis for over 2 years. If you are suffering from any mental, emotional, or physical imbalance, there exists a systematic approach to understanding why this imbalance is manifesting in your mind, emotions, and body, and to begin healing. As we uncover the root cause of imbalance, we then have the choice to change our thoughts, emotions, and actions, allowing more love into our lives and reconnecting with our hearts. We regain balance within, and healing occurs naturally within us. Counseling sessions take the form of traditional talk therapy, nutritional consultation, guided meditations, visualizations, as well as movement, art, and sound therapy. Healing is a unique journey, and I work with clients to uncover their own path towards emotional healing, deepening the connection to their intuition, body, and heart. I offer my services of counseling and energy healing in peace, love, and for the highest good of all. Holistic counseling can help those dealing with: Anxiety, depression, grief and loss, compulsive thoughts and behaviors, addiction, anger, irrational fears, unresolved emotional pain, relationship issues, emotional blockages, trauma, lack of meaning or life purpose, fear of intimacy, physical limitations, disease and illness, spiritual crisis, destructive patterns and behaviors, and feelings of isolation. Benefits of holistic counseling include: Increased feelings of peace, joy, self love, meaning and purpose in one’s life, contentment, greater intimacy in relationships, ability to create a life one desires, increased physical health, greater self awareness, increased ability to handle stress and make healthy life choices, and greater compassion for oneself and for others. I offer holistic counseling sessions at my offices in Oakland and Berkeley, California. I also offer counseling sessions over the phone and by Skype.
Christopher Fenaroli, MFT
Mental Health Counselor/Therapist
Walnut Creek, CA 94596
I specialize in Imago Relational Therapy for Couples in my office in Walnut Creek, CA. I also have a mobile practice in Oakland, CA. I use Imago, based on the work of Harville Hendrix in his best selling book, "Getting the Love that you Want - A Guide for Couples", to help couples understand the unconscious blocks that keep them from relating in healthy ways. These challenges often are related to developmental wounds that both partners share. I help partners become more conscious of these challenges that lead to defensive behaviors between them. Imago works and I love using it to help my clients grow. I also work with individuals from a psycho-dynamic approach. This means that many difficulties can be related to childhood developmental milestones that were not reached, usually because the emotional environment did not allow for it. I always integrate aspects of Imago Relational Therapy into my individual work as relationships are usually a part of the issue. I use creative expression in my sessions using art and client specific assignments that will help unlock repressed energy and release old wounds. I have experience with all kinds of childhood loss and trauma. I have experience with addiction issues, especially sexual addiction, and I am always looking for men who want to be part of a men's group. I also run couple's groups for those wanting the value of community with other couples.
Debora McManus, LCSW
Clinical Social Worker/Therapist
Lafayette, CA 94549
Child and Family Therapist
7/25/2012 I came to see Debora when I was feeling over whelmed by the tasks of motherhood and as my role as wife, I needed some guidance with parenting. In one session I felt immediately better because Debora taught me ways handle my daily stress and how to work with my kids so that they would respond to me in a positive manner. We also saw Debora as a couple and my husband also felt the positive effects of one session with Debora, everyday we use tips Debora taught us to be a better husband and wife and also parents. I could not be happier with the results thus far. -Lafayette Mom 7/23/2012 Debora brought my family back into the warm sunshine after months of living in a cold and disconnected home. After feeling desperate watching my relationship with my young son spiral into a dark whole, she gave both us tools to help focus our daily interactions with each other so that we could once again grow together and learn to navigate our ever changing world of mother and son. My son enjoyed his time talking and playing with Debora and she always gave me a chance to review the previous week and hone my new skills during our weekly check-ins. For us, she is our safety net for the future should the need arise again. - mother of a seven year old son 7/18/2012 Debora's play-therapy practice is interactive, fun, and well loved by the children who receive services. We are more than pleased with her program, and are so happy to be working with her. Play-therapy, as opposed to talk therapy, uses play and active processes to help children express feelings and learn new behaviors. It's like they are going to play with a friend who helps, rather than going to a "therapist". We (as parents of a child ) couldn't be more pleased. R. Pleasant Hill, CA 3/27/2012 Upon adopting our son from foster care suffering from a lot of trauma, I started researching for a therapist with a lot of experience dealing with high-risk children and found Debora. Debora has been my family's therapist for two years now. Debora has been a lifesaver to me. I could not have made it through all the trials which come from adopting a child from foster care had it not been for Debora and her expertise. Debora is very professional and goes above and beyond what is expected. Debora is always there when needed providing her help and guidance. I cannot thank Debora enough. S. (Alamo, CA)
Meri Levy, LMFT
Marriage & Family Therapist
Lafayette, CA 94549
Psychotherapy for Parents and People in Pain
Specializing in Prenatal and Postpartum Depression/Anxiety
Are you feeling stuck? When you’re depressed, anxious or overwhelmed, it feels that life is always difficult. Taking the time to work through challenges in therapy improve your life in ways you never imagined. I am a therapist who helps clients manage anxiety and break through depression. I also work with couples to help them communicate and parent more effectively. My style is warm and nonjudgmental, and I work collaboratively with a wide range of clients. Using insight-oriented psychotherapy and mindfulness techniques, I will help you find a way to stop feeling stuck and move forward. I have personal and professional experience working through depression and anxiety. I help clients examine thoughts that are holding them back, and learn new ways to cope with anxious feelings. I work collaboratively with medical professionals for clients taking antidepressant medication, and help clients find alternatives to medication when they choose to do so. I’m also a parent of three children. I enjoying working with single parents and couples who are learning to establish boundaries and parent effectively. Sometimes improving parents’ self-care is as important to the well-being of the family as improving parenting skills. Other areas I address as a therapist include grief and loss, chronic pain, life transitions and postpartum stress. I lead a postpartum depression support group called the Postpartum Emotional Recovery Circle, which meets at my office in Lafayette.
Christopher Chiochios, LMFT, ATR-BC
Mental Health Counselor/Therapist
Palo Alto, CA 94301
It's Good to Have An End to Journey Towards,
But It's the Journey that Matters in the End
I am a licensed marriage and family therapist and a board certified art therapist. I am located in Palo Alto. My office is easily accessible, located on the first floor of the building with 2 entrances, one that connects directly to the small parking lot of the building and the other to the courtyard, which has multiple bathrooms and water, as well as a waiting room. I provide individual and family therapy for children, adolescents, and their parents, as well as adults. I offer the additional service of home visits or in-home therapy. My office hours are Monday through Thursday, while home visits or meetings can be scheduled throughout the week. I can schedule appointments for the evenings on an as needed basis, in which we can discuss the options available. My office is welcoming, open, and grounding with the hope of offering a sense of peace, inspiration, and calm. As I am an art therapist and work extensively with children, I have space dedicated for art making, play, and sandtray work. I employ my experiences and training, my background, my understanding and curiosity to better help and support your growth, change, and resiliency with the current issues that bring you in to begin working with me. I use a relationship and strength-based approach, which include active curiosity, empathy, and collaboration in the process of therapy. As much as therapy can often stigmatize and label, I work to identify and utilize the strengths, values, and skills already present, but maybe not yet apparent. Patience, acceptance, kindness, resilience, motivation, respect, and other such necessary values and skills, are integral to my approach and therapeutic work. These values and skills will be the very ingredients necessary to mobilize change and healing for you and your family.
Andrew Gottlieb, Ph.D.
Mental Health Counselor/Therapist
Palo Alto, CA 94306
Has Helpful Articles
Short Term Science-Based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
C.B.T. for Lasting Change in Thinking and Feeling
I will use my 25 years of experience with Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) to help you learn new thinking and feeling skills to solve problems and create lasting change. With training at Yale, Stanford Medical School and the University of Washington, I offer effective CBT approaches for a variety of difficulties including: stress, anxiety, depression, OCD, marriage and couples problems, and other issues facing adults and older adolescents. In my practice, I primarily use Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). This is a scientifically-based therapy approach that has lots of research into its effectiveness with a wide variety of psychological problems. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is a modern system of psychotherapy based on the age-old idea that what we think influences our emotions (how we feel), our behavior (how we act), and our physiology (our body reactions). According to this view, automatic thoughts that are distorted, exaggerated, mistaken, or unrealistic contribute to the negative emotional feelings that accompany many common problems, such as depression, anxiety, and stress-related disorders. In other words, cognitive therapy assumes that people become depressed or anxious because of the way in which they interpret the events in their lives. It's not what happens, but how you view it, that determines how you feel.
Nina Poletika, LMFT
Mental Health Counselor/Therapist
Palo Alto, CA 94306
I am a Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist who works with adults, couples, adult families, and groups in my general private practice. I know that there are confusing and difficult periods in anyone's life when a person may find he or she needs support/help from someone other than their friends or family. At these times, it can be a strange process to seek such assistance from a virtual stranger. In an effort to help you with this process let me share my approach to my work. My experience as a therapist has made me come to trust that individuals, with the help of another, have the capacity to know themselves better than anyone else, to access their own answers and wisdom, and attend to their own wounds. My belief is that people can grow and heal no matter how intense their difficult experiences, defenses and hurts may be. I view myself as the skilled and committed partner in this internal journey of exploration and emotional resolution. Specialized Areas of Interest & Training * I understand and know the experience of Depression and can sit with a person's deep pain as he or she explores its components and begins to heal. * For the past eight years I have been on the emotional journey of caring for my mother, who is living with dementia. As a result, it is my strong wish and intention to support other families who are dealing with the Alzheimer's disease process with a loved one. Currently, I offer a weekly Support Group in my private practice setting for any individual who is helping and relating to a person who is living with any type of Dementia * I have extensive training and interest in helping people with Bereavement & Loss in their lives. Whether the grief is the result of a divorce, the loss of a job, or the death of a loved one, it can be very helpful to work with a compassionate and experienced therapist who can accompany you through this often lonely and isolating process.
Varida Kautner, Ph.D., LMFT
Marriage & Family Therapist
Alameda, CA 94501
Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist
I am an independent practitioner in Alameda, CA. My specialties are marriage counseling, individual counseling, and facilitating "Dream Appreciation Groups". In individual and marriage counseling, we address the stumbling blocks affecting your current life circumstances. Our sessions are client-centered, lively conversations. During the first and second sessions, we usually talk about what you'd like to accomplish in your therapy, as well as historical information that will help paint a full picture of your life journey to the present time. Of course if you are in crisis, we will concentrate on this situation first, and then we will tackle the less critical, but just as important, reasons for your decision to enter therapy. My approach is humanistic in that your sessions are individually tailored to You, the only person(s) like you on earth. I've found that EMDR, a therapeutic approach, has been extremely effective for alleviating painful struggles (including for trauma, depression, anxiety, and substance abuse) more quickly than traditional or psychodynamic methods—but, once again, you will be able to decide how you want your sessions to move forward. I also do non-psychotherapy dream groups for people who would like to explore their dreams in a confidential and safe social environment. Although the groups are not psychotherapy, they are usually very therapeutic—people participating in these groups have experienced growth on many levels, that is, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. If you believe that you would feel comfortable in any of these settings (individual, marital, or group), I would be glad to meet with you so that we can see whether we're a good fit together. I hope to hear from you soon!
Gene Grossman, Ph.D., CA-LMFT
Mental Health Counselor/Therapist
Oakland, CA 94611
Feel understood fast
for Doubters, Pouters and Everyone in Between
Many of us are reluctant to try psychotherapy until we have exhausted every conceivable means of coping with our problems. The reasons that we don't seek professional help is complex. But whether it is fear of change, pessimism or defensiveness the root may be not wanting to face ourselves. Effective therapy is about facing things about ourselves that we either can't or don't want to see. There are obvious reasons for our lack of success in love, work and relationships, yet we remain blind to them. We know that angry communication never works but we continue to act as if it does. We withhold our true feelings not only from others but ourselves. We wander through our lives sometimes dazed, sometimes confused and often disconnected. We are hurting but act as if we are invulnerable. We can be pleasant, polite to a fault, generous and kind, but, alas, feel empty at the same time. Media about movies about aliens, robots and the undead reflect the alienation from self that is so prevalent in contemporary life. We look away from ourselves. We think that problems are outside of ourselves not within us. Learning to solve the problems within us is a major goal in psychotherapy. “You have every right to expect psychotherapy to be a force for personal growth. An effective therapist will help you see your problems clearly, so that solutions become emotionally apparent and therefore, accessible. Successful therapy will address your anger and anxiety. will diminish your shame, self-blame and self-doubt. It will help you to face yourself in ways that you have avoided or been unaware of. Effective therapy makes change inevitable. If therapy does not succeed in addressing of deep frustration with self and others, it's not working. Interventions are designed to raise self-esteem, self-respect, personal authority and improve interpersonal communication underlying feelings of loneliness and isolation. I have been a licensed therapist for over four decades. My expertise is based on a wealth of personal as well as professional experience. I am familiar with every phase of the life cycle and the particular issues that arise in each phase of your journey. I encourage you to take the first step toward self-exploration. I hope to aid you in your self-affirmation.
Eleanor Ruckman, MFT, ATR
Mental Health Counselor/Therapist
Oakland, CA 94610
Eleanor Ruckman, MFT, ATR
I help people to listen to and understand themselves in order to have more satisfying relationships with others and to increase their ability to feel good and to do well at work and in school. I see clients of all ages, ethnicities, sexual orientations, genders and income levels. I work with individuals, families, and couples, and sometimes run groups. Adults usually come to see me due to high stress, anxiety and depression related to work, finances, family interactions or relationship challenges. What we do in therapy depends on a person's needs and stated goals. Generally we combine discussion, relaxation and mindfulness, practicing communication skills, and creating art. Clients appreciate my careful and compassionate listening, my expertise, and my laughter and sense of humor. I work with many teens who are coping with pressures of peers, family and school. I support them to stay safe while exploring who they are and who they want to be. Teens often are relieved that creating art allows them to express themselves without having to explain themselves. With younger children, I combine art, talk and play to help them learn to identify and express their feelings in appropriate ways. Kids might come to therapy because of difficult behavior, problems in school, or family conflicts. I have provided mental health services in a variety of school settings, and am able to support parents struggling with children’s behaviors and school performance issues. I have special expertise in trauma treatment, and the ways that trauma can manifest as mood disturbance, anxiety, hyperactivity, addictive/compulsive behaviors, and dysfunctional relationships. My clients express that they experience significant symptom reduction, improved mood, decreased anxiety, and more peaceful relationships at home and at work as a result of therapy. Typically, even after the first session, clients leave my office stating that they feel better and more able to cope. Sometimes I work with people over many months, and sometimes just for a few sessions. I frequently offer suggestions of art projects to help people express themselves and explore their current situation. Some clients come to me specifically for art therapy. Others are referred through employee assistance programs or other sources. The most common reaction is that making art is relaxing, fun, and very useful. People are often concerned that they "don't know how to draw." No art experience is necessary - art therapy is about using the creative process to help us get a different perspective on our problems and visualize solutions. My office is wheelchair accessible, with easy parking. It is a clean, comfortable, relaxing and spacious room, with separate entrance and exit for increased privacy. I love what I do! I hope that I might have an opportunity to support you as well. Please email or call me if you would like further information, or if you have any questions.
Julie Levin, MFT
Mental Health Counselor/Therapist
Pleasant Hill, CA 94523
If it's not one thing, it's your mother.
Learn to love yourself in all the ways she couldn't.
If you had a mom (or dad) who was critical, emotionally cold or distant, demanding or dismissive, you probably struggle with feeling not-good-enough. You might find you work way too hard to prove your worth. You might be overly responsible - to everyone but yourself. You might feel anxious about being judged or rejected. But no one judges you as harshly as your own inner critic. And that might be leaving you exhausted and depressed. Having a parent who can't convey that you mean everything to them, all the time, without ever having to earn love leaves us scrambling to earn love, respect and approval in every area of life - work, love, and friendship. It's terrible to feel we can lose respect, admiration and care if we make a wrong move. What's really true is this: You can't earn love (and don't have to) to feel valued. It is being loved without limits for no good reason that makes us feel secure in the knowledge that we are lovable. If you didn't get this kind of love as a kid, no worries. You can have it now. The key is learning how to give it to YOURSELF. My job is to teach you HOW. When you have your own love, everything else changes. It becomes easier to say no to situations and people who don't feel right for you. You feel empowered to set the boundaries you need. It becomes easier to ask for what you need without worrying about burdening others. You become your full, real self, discovering who really loves YOU (not what you do for them). If this sounds like you, please contact me to schedule a free consultation.
Franci Smith, MFT
Marriage & Family Therapist
Brentwood, CA 94523
Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist
Individual, Family and Couples Counseling
Today you are one step closer to a new you where you feel empowered and on a positive path to growth and well-being. As a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, my goal is to help you uncover your true potential and lead a life that is worth celebrating. While we can't change difficult situations of the past, we can work together to better understand and resolve challenges in your life. By applying complementary therapy approaches and techniques, we will unearth long-standing behavior patterns or negative perceptions that may be holding you back from experiencing a more fulfilling and meaningful life. I provide counseling and marriage & family therapy to individuals, couples and families. I have specialized training in couples counseling/intimate relationships, anxiety, depression, teen issues, and life transitions. My main goal in therapy is to promote an environment of safety and support, so you and your loved ones can feel understood in a non-judgmental, accepting atmosphere. You can set your goals and we will work collaboratively together to help you progress towards them. My approach to therapy is built upon the effective formation of trust necessary for lasting, positive change. My personal style is interactive, warm and engaging. Through therapy, you will have the opportunity to expand your perspective, make positive changes, and grow throughout the process. I provide an open and caring atmosphere where you can feel safe, respected and, most importantly, understood. Presently, I maintain a private practice with locations in Brentwood and Walnut Creek. I am committed to ongoing professional growth and development as a psychotherapist, and I regularly attend trainings and workshops. If you're looking for extra support and guidance through a challenging situation or you're just ready to move in a new direction in your life, I look forward to working with you to achieve your goals. Please call or email me for an individual, couples or family therapy consultation today.
Esther Lerman, MFT
Mental Health Counselor/Therapist
Oakland, CA 94618
Has Helpful Articles
Couples Counseling and Brief Therapy for Individuals
An Experienced, Supportive Therapist.
Do you have the relationship blues? Relationships are the basic fabric of our lives, but they can be so hard. You may be struggling with feeling distant or overly involved, with not knowing how to get your needs met or deal with others' needs. I can help you discover the underlying blocks to having a more fulfilling relationship. We’ll unpack your “personal baggage” from the past, improve your communication skills and dismantle your repetitive negative cycles of relating. I have worked with individuals and couples to improve relationships with self and other for 25 years. I can help you to overcome the stumbling blocks that keep you from having the satisfying relationship that you want. Couples usually come to therapy shut down, hurt, and/or angry. Through counseling you can open up and regain connection. I'll help you identify and change dysfunctional relationship patterns, learn new ways of communicating and understand how you are bringing some experiences of the past into the present. You'll build your communication and intimacy skills, deal with issues such as becoming parents, escalating arguments, infidelity, walls of silence, fear and anger. You will learn to see your relationship problems as about the dynamic between you, not one person's or the other's fault. BRIEF INDIVIDUAL THERAPY In brief (10 -12 weeks) individual therapy, you’ll gain insight by looking deep inside at what is blocking you or driving you in the wrong direction. We will strive towards self-acceptance, which also leads to better relationships to others. You need understanding of what is going wrong and why, in order to do it differently in the future. When you know where your problems are rooted and how they show up, you have the opportunity to change. With both couples and individuals, I work collaboratively to help you gain insight, to look deeply and understand what is blocking you or driving you in the wrong direction. You need understanding of what is going wrong and why, in order to do it differently. I am interactive, empathic, respectful, warm and at times, humorous. Experience is the best teacher, it's true. In 30 years of practice, I've gained much experience with clients of all ages, ethnicities, sexual preferences and class backgrounds. It's an honor to share in your journey and to have you courageously allow me into your private world.
Noah Oderberg, Ph.D.
Mental Health Counselor/Therapist
Oakland, CA 94618
Supportive, Experienced Psychologist Rockridge/Oakland
Individual, Couples, and Divorce Counseling
INDIVIDUAL PSYCHOTHERAPY I work with adults and adolescents who have a wide range of emotional and interpersonal difficulties. My approach to psychotherapy is to create a safe environment through supportive listening and empathy that will enable my clients to talk about patterns in their lives that are causing them distress. I help my clients understand how their problems developed and what will be required to work through their difficulties. One important aspect of psychotherapy involves accessing the unconscious mind through the exploration of one's thoughts, emotions, relationships, and behaviors, and through the interpretation of dreams. This opens the door to resolving difficulties that my clients are having, and to developing healthier relationships and new sources of self-worth and life satisfaction. I work with individuals in Psychodynamic Psychotherapy with the following treatment goals: Overcoming Depression & Anxiety Enhancing Self-Esteem Improving Intimate Relationships Resolving Work & School Difficulties Reducing Stress & Health Problems Controlling Destructive Habits with Hypnosis Coping with Loss & Life Transitions Addressing Type "A" Personality Issues Controlling Attention Deficit Disorder Resolving Issues From Childhood RELATIONSHIP & MARITAL THERAPY I work with couples with a wide range of problems on improving the quality of their relationships. I create a safe environment where couples can explore frustrating patterns in their relationships, work through their specific conflicts, and deepen trust. I use practical exercises and techniques to helps couples improve relationship skills and decrease patterns of relating that cause frustration and emotional upset. I teach couples how to express feelings constructively and how to listen compassionately in order to increase mutual understanding. I help couples create a healthy balance between togetherness and independence and work out many types of conflicts such as: sexual difficulties, power imbalances, monetary struggles and family conflicts. I do intensive work with couples by looking at each partner's intimacy issues as seen in their prior romantic relationships and their childhood experiences. This enables each partner to come to a greater understanding of him or herself and to participate in the relationship with enhanced romance, and greater enjoyment and intimacy. I provide the following services for couples: Relationship & Marital Therapy Pre-Marital Counseling Separation & Divorce Counseling I work in Couples Therapy with the following treatment goals: Improving Communication & Assertiveness Learning Conflict Resolution Skills Deepening Trust Decreasing Power Imbalances Enhancing Emotional & Sexual Intimacy Resolving Individual Barriers to Intimacy
Esther Lerman, LMFT/ Oakland Couples Therapy
Marriage & Family Therapist
Oakland, CA 94618
Has Helpful Blog
Couples therapy
Get help with communication problems
Has your relationship become like roommates or a war zone or you just feel that something's missing but you don't know what it is? Maybe you feel the connection is lost. You may both feel isolated, hurt and angry. In therapy I'll help you to improve communication. We'll unpack "old baggage" from the past to understand its impact on the present. You may be longing to get your needs met and to feel heard. We'll tackle issues such as escalating arguments, walls of silence, infidelity, shame and anger. I offer you interactive, nonjudgmental guidance. I use my insight, empathy and sense of humor to help you. Let's talk. I offer a free 15 minute phone consultation, For struggling couples it's rarely just one person's problem, it's the dynamic between you, and it can change. In working with me, you'll each feel heard and learn to truly listen. You'll develop greater empathy for each other. Intimacy that you've lost can return. We may unravel the pain of old or new relationship wounds still affecting both of you. Every couple is different and I strive to meet you where you're at. In my 30+ years of experience, I have helped a great many individuals and couples of varied ethnicities, religions, classes, gender identities and sexual orientations. By working with you interactively, empathically and respectfully, I can help you too.
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