LGBT therapists in Berkeley, CA

I’m a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (NY & CA) with an MSW from NYU and a BA in Communications from Northwestern. With 14 years as a professional actor and teaching artist, I incorporate creativity into my eclectic therapeutic approach, which includes CBT, mindfulness, expressive arts, and psychodynamics. I specialize in supporting clients with anxiety, depression, identity exploration, relational challenges, and personal growth.

For the past 20 years, I've worked across private practices, youth development centers, schools, and mental health clinics. My passion is to work with adults navigating major life transitions. Whether you are a college student or approaching retirement, my hope is to walk alongside you during this time of change and uncertainty; to help create the conditions for you to reconnect with your authentic self and remember what lights you up. We can explore ways to recognize and acknowledge your anxiety that moves beyond words. Incorporating expressive arts, guided imagery, and embodied exercises to help you strengthen your awareness with your emotions and rewrite old narratives.

Anxiety and perfectionism have turned your mind into a battleground. Your inner critic nitpicks every interaction, leaving you exhausted by thoughts of “Damnit, why can’t I just be better!” Painful memories get louder, no matter how hard you try to ignore them. Daily invalidations of your Latina, queer, or immigrant identity sting, and you feel isolated as you keep your suffering to yourself. You’ve tried everything: doom scrolling, drinking, and self-help books, but nothing has worked. You're left feeling hopeless and weighed down.

Are you struggling to have harmony in your relationships? Does having ease in your life seem like a far-fetched dream? Are you feeling overwhelmed with the state of the world and all you have to do? Welcome, you're in the right place! I have been in your shoes and the first (or twenty) step is always the hardest. As someone who has learned to balance multiple cultures, I know what it can feel like to straddle various parts of your identity. I have first hand experienced feeling overwhelmed, frustrated, angry, and at a complete loss for how to navigate the intensity of my emotions. This has informed my practice and work with clients where I strongly believe that our emotions guide us to understanding ourselves in a new light. Asking for help can be difficult, especially in a culture that values productivity over personality.

Hi, I’m Jessica. I specialize in helping individuals and families navigate anxiety, depression, behavioral challenges, family conflict, relationship issues, life transitions, stress, self-esteem concerns, codependency, and women’s issues. Using a humanistic, cognitive behavioral, and client centered approach, I create care that is compassionate, practical, and tailored to your unique goals.

I’m a licensed clinical psychologist with a PsyD in Applied Clinical Psychology from The Chicago School and a master’s degree in Forensic Psychology from John Jay College of Criminal Justice. I provide individual therapy to adults from a culturally informed and collaborative perspective. My clinical experience includes providing individual therapy and psychological assessments to children, adolescents, and adults across community mental health and group practice settings. I work with individuals with a variety of presenting problems including anxiety, depression, trauma, life transitions, relational difficulties, identity challenges, stress management concerns, and cultural and ethnic issues.

Before entering the mental health field, I worked in community-based roles within the nonprofit and education sectors, including three years working with children and families in Kuwait. These experiences have strengthened my ability to connect with individuals from diverse cultural backgrounds and foster an accepting, adaptable therapeutic approach tailored to each client’s unique needs.