Berkeley Therapy
for Adults & College Students

There are two easy options. By BART: the Richmond–Fremont or Richmond–Millbrae line runs direct to Orinda Station in roughly 20 to 25 minutes from Downtown Berkeley. By car: Highway 24 through the Caldecott Tunnel takes 20 to 30 minutes depending on traffic. The office at 23 Altarinda Road has easy parking and a private entrance. Many Berkeley clients also choose online sessions, either by preference or when the commute isn’t practical.

This is one of the most common things I hear from Berkeley clients. The approach here is relational and depth-oriented, which means the work happens in the relationship between us, not through skills or structured techniques. I’m working with what’s underneath: the emotional layer beneath the insight you already have, the patterns that form in the body and in relationship rather than in the mind alone. If previous therapy felt like a good conversation that didn’t shift anything fundamental, this is designed to go where that work couldn’t reach.

The most common presentations are anxiety, including high-functioning anxiety that runs beneath a productive, thoughtful exterior, relationship patterns that repeat despite genuine self-awareness, burnout from the emotional labor of living by strong values, life transitions for both younger adults and those in midlife, and a persistent sense that something is off that insight alone hasn’t resolved. Many clients describe understanding their patterns very clearly and still not being able to shift them. That gap between knowing and feeling is often where the work begins.

No. Most of my clients aren’t in crisis. They’re carrying something — a pattern that keeps repeating, an anxiety that won’t quiet, a sense of disconnection from themselves or their lives, that has been present long enough that they’re ready to work on it. You don’t need a dramatic reason to reach out.

For most of the work I do, online therapy is just as effective as in-person. The depth of the work depends on the approach, not the format. I’ve worked with clients online for years and find the relational quality is fully present in video sessions. For Berkeley clients with irregular schedules, academic calendars, or a preference for meeting from home, online therapy is frequently what makes the work sustainable. If you’ve had surface-level online therapy before, the difference is the approach, not the platform.

Trauma-informed therapy recognizes that many of the patterns we develop — anxiety, people-pleasing, difficulty trusting, emotional reactivity, disconnection from ourselves — often have roots in earlier experiences of overwhelm, loss, or not feeling safe. It doesn’t require a dramatic trauma history. It means I approach your experience with an understanding of how early adaptations still live in the body and in your relationships, and I work with that in a way that doesn’t push or re-overwhelm. For psychologically literate clients who already know something about trauma, it means the work goes to the experiential layer beneath the conceptual understanding.

It varies depending on what you’re working on and how long it’s been present. Some clients work with me for six to twelve months; others stay longer because the work continues to deepen. I’ll always be honest with you about how things are progressing. The work ends when you feel genuinely different, not just better informed about yourself.

I’m an out-of-network provider and don’t bill insurance directly. A superbill is available for clients who want to submit for potential out-of-network reimbursement. For current fee information, visit the Fees & Insurance page.