Oakland Berkeley East Bay Area Therapy for Anxiety and Stress - LGBTQ Queer Counseling - Somatic - Queer Therapist
 
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About Me

Hello! I'm Jessi, a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and Brainspotting practitioner offering online therapy to adults, adolescents, and couples throughout California and Florida, including the San Francisco Bay Area.

Many people come to therapy when something inside them is asking for change. Maybe you feel disconnected from yourself, stuck in old patterns, or unsure how to trust your own voice. My work is here to help you slow down, listen inward, find more clarity, and reconnect with the inner guidance you already carry.

I take a holistic, client-centered approach that weaves together trauma-sensitive care, mindfulness, body-oriented practices, and attachment-focused work. Depending on what feels right for you, we might also include guided visualization and intuitive exploration. Together we'll notice the beliefs, dynamics, and habits that cause you suffering, and gently release the patterns that no longer serve you.

My style is warm, engaged, and collaborative. I see you as whole, and I'm here to hold space for your full experience as you find your way toward more ease, meaning, and satisfaction.

One of the places I love doing this work most is with couples and families on the path to parenthood, including fertility journeys, donor and surrogacy decisions, adoption, and the emotional ups and downs along the way. I'm passionate about supporting all kinds of families as they grow, and I bring particular knowledge and experience to the unique paths queer couples and queer families take to build theirs.

As a queer, second-generation Iranian therapist, my practice is LGBTQ+ affirming, and I welcome you exactly as you are, with all of who you are.

Whether you're navigating a major life transition, healing from past wounds, building a family, or simply longing to feel more at home in yourself, I'd be honored to walk alongside you as you reconnect with your innate wisdom, resilience, and wholeness.

If you want to geek out on psychological theories, these are some of the lenses I use:

 

 
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Who I Work With

I specialize in working with:

  • Individuals struggling with self-criticism, shame, low self-esteem and self-worth, including perfectionists, workaholics, people-pleasers & over-thinkers

  • Individuals suffering from depression, anxiety & stress

  • Couples and families working on communication skills, intimacy issues, conflict resolution & navigating life transitions

  • Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Queer (LGBTQ) and Trans adults, adolescents and couples

  • Family planning, infertility, parenting and queer conception.

  • Individuals who experience social marginalization, including People of Color (POC), first & second-generation immigrants, and clients from SWANA backgrounds (Southwest Asian and North African).

  • Individuals who are exploring spiritual, existential & personal growth interests

  • Individuals working through illness, grief, & loss

  • Issues related to cultural & religious identity and intergenerational trauma

We can work on any of these issues and more.


 

 

My Background

I have enjoyed supporting clients in private practice, hospital, and agency settings, and my background includes:

Education & Trainings

  • Brainspotting with Lisa Larson Phase 1 & 2, Online.

  • Sensorimotor Psychotherapy Training, with Janina Fisher & Kelley Callahan, Berkeley.

  • Somatic Attachment Therapy training with Karen Rachels, Oakland.

  • Non-Violent Communication training with Ali Miller, Berkeley.

  • Certification in Clinical Pastoral Education, California Pacific Medical Center, San Francisco.

  • Research published on marginalization, meaning in life, and mindfulness in the International Journal of Existential Psychology and Psychotherapy

  • Certification in Mindfulness-Based Substance Abuse Treatment, and training with Mindful Schools

  • MA in Counseling Psychology from John F. Kennedy University; specialty in Holistic Studies, emphasis in Queer Consciousness & Buddhist Psychology

 

"My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor and some style."   

Maya Angelou

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