Seeking therapy can be a difficult process. Often we are motivated by an idea of how we would like to feel or be in the world, by parts of our self that have been hidden or ignored, or by the simple sense that "something is just not quite right." Seeking help can be both exciting and scary. This is normal.
It is very common to feel conflicted about beginning therapy. Please do not let this stop you. This is an opportunity to heighten your sense of purpose by focusing on meaningful aspects of your life. It is an opportunity to increase motivation by the mere act of allocating time and energy towards your challenges.
It is very common to feel conflicted about beginning therapy. Please do not let this stop you. This is an opportunity to heighten your sense of purpose by focusing on meaningful aspects of your life. It is an opportunity to increase motivation by the mere act of allocating time and energy towards your challenges.
Services
Elise is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (CA # 27710) who has been practicing in the East Bay since 2005. During this time, she has provided therapy to individuals and families in various community based, non-profit agencies such as the East Bay Agency for Children, Kaiser's Psychiatric Department, Seneca Center, and the Westcoast Children's Clinic, as well as, maintaining a private practice in Oakland.
When we enter the world, our first experiences of self are through the relationships and reflections that we have with other people (usually our parents or caregivers). Our sense of self is intimately tied to other people. Thus, it makes sense that later on in life, as we continue our growth and search for self, we can make use of other people in this process.
Each of us is different. We have various temperaments and diverse experiences, we carry different stories, and each of us makes meaning of the world in unique ways. The conclusions we have drawn lead our engagement with the world whether we realize it or not. Individual therapy works to explore and rewrite the often unconscious meanings that come to rule our lives.
I enjoy engaging with other mental health professionals in thinking deeply about the people they serve, the work they do, and the settings they work within (both symbolic and real). I approach the work from a social, psychodynamic, relational lens. Over the past five years, I have been lucky enough to deliver mental health trainings to various types of providers and professionals across the nation.
Reviews (1)
Hillary R.
Mar 04, 2015
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Elise is insightful and kind. She is excellent at creating a safe and open space for exploring your emotions and moving forward. I am so thankful for her support in helping through an extremely difficult family situation. I can not recommend her highly enough. I have worked with many therapists and it has often felt like chore and very forced. My sessions with Elise are always flowing and productive.
