The Wright Institute in Berkeley is a great place to receive affordable mental health services…read more It is a private graduate school of psychology specializing in educating clinicians and giving them real world experience before they become professional therapists. These students have done all the course work and need hours in the field of psychology before they get their licenses. I have a therapist I see once a week for part of their semester and it resolves in July. These students are educated and can help you through phase of life challenges. This is my second time receiving counseling and previously I received therapy 10 years ago. They charge on a sliding scale and offer some stability during challenging times. They also offer group therapy sessions and you may drop in whenever your schedule permits and the cost is $15 per session. Although I have not partaken in the group therapy sessions, I have heard many good things about them and considering joining a few. What I like a lot about the Wright Institue is I feel as though the students really try hard and seem to care very much with what you're going through and are very helpful to help you process what your priorities are and what you hope to gain from the therapy sessions. Finding a therapist in the real world is as challenging as finding your partner in life so it can take a while. That's why I feel that the Wright Institute is a great way to get started in therapy. They're located near UC Berkeley campus and the parking can be challenging. But there is affordable metered parking up and down Durant Street and the duration is for 2-4 hours.

I can't give more than two stars for what is, unfortunately without a doubt, the biggest financial…read moreand temporal mistake of my life. But it is not all the WI fault, it is more the field. I'm writing this for the prospective student considering application. Please deeply consider your options. It's what you think you want until you get it, and let me tell you why. When you get out, which is not your whole journey, (you still have post doc work to do), there is not a plethora of opportunities. Again, it's not just the WI- the value of the education is vastly overpriced. If you don't get a job at Kaiser, you will be swallowed by them. Private practice, and the prices you will need to pay back your loan, CEUs, and live in this area, are virtually (figuratively and literally) a thing of the past. It is not possible to compete with the low rates a therapist from Kaiser charges, and the unethical practices (group therapy for individual presenting problems, HIPPA legally thrown out the window, etc) they get away with. Apps like Better Help will have you making just above what a Door Dasher makes as they saturate the field with the most minimum license above dog catcher to populate their therapist offerings. Because of the ethics of the field, you cannot effectively advertise, and getting clients from senior psychologists comes at the price of a referral fee. You're coming into a field that sees us as pawns. I don't agree with other reviews about it being white- centric. When I went applications to internships on them said "People of color STRONGLY encouraged to apply." Mm hm. If you cannot find whatever solace you need dead-center in the most liberal city in the most liberal field in the nation/world, may I recommend applying instead to a kindergarten program. I had some beautiful kind souls that taught me here, and one or two who were not a good fit. But some glaring gaps- it never taught me the DSM, and it didn't prepare me for licensure. I passed, but that was all on me; perhaps that is the final test to see if you are ready, but I would have preferred a smoother bridge to licensure. Please learn from my mistake: I was once you.

I came across Annie Wright from the positive reviews on Yelp and Google. She said she did sliding…read morescale sessions based on income, and her minimum rate was $250 per session. I tried her out because she did EMDR, which I read about as useful for processing trauma. We did a thorough intake(and many intake forms) where Annie confirmed she would be a great fit as my therapist. Yet after a few sessions she suddenly said she lacked the expertise to continue providing care, rendering all the time and money spent for the previous sessions a waste. I asked her for a refund. She tried to make me sign a lawyer document. It turns out she got upset over a cancellation(a cancellation she agreed to personally cancel) and decided to schedule another session just to charge me the extra money and terminate the therapy relationship.

Disappointing experience with Annie. I contacted Annie based on the positive reviews but my…read moreinteractions with her showed that she was a cold and unapproachable therapist. She upsells and overcharges, and her fees seem to go more towards marketing than her actual practice. She spent a lot of time talking about how great of a saleswoman she is. It appears that she cares more about running her business and exploiting her patients to make money than helping her patients. If you're in search of a therapist, you're much better off looking for a more affordable and less money-hungry practitioner who genuinely cares about their patients. There are many of them in the Bay Area and with some effort you'll find one. Good luck.

I'm learning a lot about my childhood and early adult trauma from a great book on NARM and it's…read morerefreshing after being shut down whenever I tried to get help.

I've known Ivan professionally for over decade, during which time we've done a number of…read moreprofessional trainings together. In that context, I've seen his work first hand, and find him to be a skilled practitioner with a strong sense of presence and compassionate attention. He has studied some of the more cutting-edge modalities in our field, and is adept at integrating them in a way that the technique becomes background to the client's experience of self-observation and exploration. I am always confident that people will be in good hands when I refer to him. Jeff Cohen, LMFT

I referred a dear friend in crisis to Evergreen Counseling, and she told me that her experience was…read morelife-changing, and exactly what she needed at that difficult moment in time. I wasn't surprised at all--I've known the director of the center, Annie Wright, for years. Annie is an expert in relational trauma and recovery, a human who truly cares, and I knew that any therapist she hired would be top-notch and more than qualified to help. You can feel confident when reaching out to Evergreen Counseling that you're going to receive the care that you need.

I worked with Elissa Crandall and ultimately experienced a significant rupture in our therapeutic…read morerelationship. When I gave her direct, respectful feedback about something that had hurt me, she was unable to take any accountability. Rather than asking a single clarifying question or showing any curiosity about where I was coming from, she went straight to defensive-- and then, on top of that, reframed my feedback as an attack on her, saying 'I feel like you're attacking me.' Later, with no real warning, she reversed course entirely and told me she could no longer work with me. I'd caution others, especially those doing relational or attachment work, to be aware this could happen if you bring her direct feedback-- she did not handle it well, and the relationship ended abruptly as a result. This is irresponsible: she knows how I feel about the damage this has caused, and the experience was the opposite of emotionally corrective. Patients deserve a provider who can stay in the relationship through friction, not one who exits the moment they're challenged.

I didn't care for my time at New Bridge. The place is old and cold. Drafty windows and only a few…read morebathrooms. I did get sober but had a lot of medical issues in which the nurses on duty have no medical training on. The nurses only know how to take blood pressure and temperatures and give out meds that's it. One nurse Miquel who isn't a very sympathetic person doesn't care about the people there and it shows. The food is horrible they tend to cook alot of fish and Asian vegetables. Alot of people bring their own food to eat. If your spending good money to go to this place you would think they would have better food. A more rounded menu. This place isn't good for handicap people because it's not ADA . Lots of stairs. There was one nurse who was awesome there, his name was Feral not sure on the spelling but thats how his name sounds. He was the night nurse and he really cared and loved to talked. I won't miss this place and this wasn't my choice to go to. Kaiser made me go to this place. Just do your homework before jumping into any rehab.

oNew Bridge Yelp Review sent to the New Bridge Foundation…read morein 2017-2021 by the Department of Veterans Affairs. This stay was very traumatic. First off I was sexually assaulted multiple times at the direction of the staff. Multiple times while I was living at Aisha house my medication that I kept in my drawers were switched. At night I would take them and I was assaulted multiple times. On one occasion I remember being passed out, more like paralyzed. I remember my face being held into a pillow while being r@ped. I can still remember the pain till this day. After this, the head counselor at the time Richard was making fun of me in group laughing indirectly saying that it was one of the roommates at Aisha house at the time Ricky. Ricky was one of the Federal Clients. In the Bridge One Program people who are facing serious Federal time undergo "Behavioral Modifications". The experience I had made me realize the extent to which the Federal Government holds control and the 'keys to freedom' for these people. I can only image what else goes on behind closed doors. This program can only be described as government experimentation and exploitation and all the staff are complicit. Bridge One follows a cult like format in which everyone refers to each other as "family" like Manson or something And they have to be completely obedient and submissive to all the staffs desires. In addition to this I had been fighting the VA for my pension and disability at this time. Whenever I went to the VA after these assaults, they would just write me off, Strange. None the less, I would not suggest going here at all. Especially if it's on the governments dime in someway. In sharing my experience, hopefully others that I know are also being exploited at this very moment feel safe enough to come forward. YOU KNOW WHO I AM. -Tyrone

Amy helped me turn my life around!…read more I was originally very apprehensive about the idea to seek help in a life coach, but this year I realized that at the age of 30, if I'm not happy with where I'm at, then I must be doing it wrong. I knew that I shouldn't feel like I should spend most of my days without passion, happiness, and energy on a daily basis. I felt like a was going in the wrong direction with my career, and really had no plan of how I could get out of the rut I was in. My first session with Amy was so valuable, that if I never had another, I believe that it would have still changed my life. Amy didn't tell me what to do, but instead helped me identify what I really wanted to do with my life, what was stopping me, and what to focus on to be happier. She helped me focus my disorganized thoughts and ideas into a cohesive and actionable plan that I could take step by step. Nine months later I've never been in a better place in both my professional and personal life, and the best thing about it is that I know that I had it in me to do it with her help.

During my first session with Brandy, I immediately felt home. I don't know what it is, but her…read morecoaching style is one that's rooted in peace, freedom, and sincerity. I felt like I can tell her anything, and it's almost as if I were talking to a life-long friend. Her coaching doesn't stop at the end of the hour either. After each session, Brandy's always there to help or serve when I text or email her with something I'm having trouble with. Initially, I went in for her to uncover my blind spots, and even though she didn't say, "Josh, X, Y, Z are your blind spots," after each session, I'm always amazed at what I haven't been able to see myself. That being said, she's definitely given me what I was looking for, but more importantly, she's transformed my emotional, mental, and spiritual life. One thing to remember, though, is coaching is really a two-way street. At the end of the day, YOU have to put in the work and effort to further your own growth. If you don't care about your own growth, it doesn't matter how great your coach is... you will never grow. Brandy's job is to be the guiding light for your life, but it's you who still have to walk the path at the end of the day. That being said, Brandy will do whatever it takes to serve you, and it's something I always take comfort in whenever I go in to see her.

My initial disorder was sleepwalking and terrible migraines (migraines related to sleep issue). The…read morefirst practitioner, a doctor I saw at BTI prescribed a rather heavy drug that helped me sleep through the night for a couple of nights but then I found myself sleep walking in a very heavily drugged state. I tried talk therapy with the doctor who I found too brutal and not effective for me plus the doctor no longer took my insurance. The practice suggested Amy the NP and she and I had a couple of sessions but the patient therapist relationship did not take at that time. I left therapy expecting my primary physician to prescribe the drugs given to me at BTI. She refused saying they were narcotic and addictive. OK, so I stopped all drug therapies for a couple of years. Perhaps there is a time in life when one is more receptive to talk therapy. My PCP would not prescribe the drugs BTI gave me but encouraged me to try to talk to somebody to help with what she saw as major depression. Now my insurance covered BTI and I returned to see Amy. When she clarified that an individual in my particular life situation would be wholly insecure and depressed just as a matter of human need, I realized I'd found someone to whom I could relate. I thrive best with a gentle nurturing therapist and I am very grateful to have found this lovely person who helps me on my journey to understanding why the heck I respond in certain ways and how to make my life better. She is a nurse so she can give practical medical advice. Clearly I am an anxiety ridden individual. After over 60 years of living with myself, one would assume I would have known?? But no, I did not have that perception. Amy suggested attention to breath and nourishment (eat breakfast - thanks Amy) habits to combat being controlled by fear. It seems so simple but nobody, general doctors, psychiatrists or psychologists had ever given me that insight. Yes, early life trauma will do a number on one's emotional and mental health but those issues were decades ago - not completely irrelevant, but after many attempts to fix myself through therapy, I came to Amy's practice, cynical & hopeless. Amy has made my life better. I come to each appointment with issues that we mutually consider; maybe consider further, and end with some resolution. There is a contentment and peace to my life in this therapy. I highly recommend Amy,for those of us who need a sensitive and sensible practitioner. Wishing all who read here, good mental health. Thank you wonderful Amy.

I went here to get diagnosed as having ADHD at 53 y.o. Kaiser would not even assess me, because "I…read morewas not diagnosed by age 12." As a woman, and turning age 12 in 1981, that was nearly impossible, because the belief back then was that it only affects boys. I emailed back and forth with the retired Chair of Behavior Sciences for UC Berkeley (forgot his name) who's specialty is females and ADHD. He and his colleagues recently did a review of all the studies done on Females and ADHD, and they cite the very first small study even asking the question: "Can girls have ADD (what they called it then)?" done in 1979. It was the first study ever to include females. And it was small. The next study addressing the same question was done in 1982, one year after I turned 12. So Kaiser's policy was ageist and sexist--there was literally no way I would have been diagnosed by age 12. And also, research has shown that ADHD exacerbates in perimenopause. So I reached out to this clinic and they accepted me as a patient on a sliding scale. It was affordable. I had a fully psychiatric assessment. The grad student I worked with was great. I was diagnosed as having ADHD, combined type, moderately to severely. Kaiser finally, after me screaming about their sexist/ageist policy did do an assessment. They said I "likely" have it, but it's "inconclusive," because I was not diagnosed by age 12." Ugggg. They just can't let the Sexism go, again. But the diagnosis from this clinic forced them to treat me. So I am very grateful. Thank you!

The 'Love Made Simple' Couples Therapy Workshop was invaluable to my partner and me. The keen…read moreperception of these two professionals blew us away; how they really 'saw' into who we each were, after hearing just a few details that we shared about our parents. Gal and Liron are highly intelligent and world class therapists. If you want to meet a major milestone and turning point in your relationship, while getting to know yourself better, take this class. Highly recommend!

As a therapist, I am always looking for useful and inspiring work to continue my education. Love…read moremade Smple has been a comprehensive training that provided both for me. Gal and Liron have created a Intergrative approach to couples therapy that is transformative for and couples alike.

I tried a number of times to make an appointment? I have never had this much of a problem. I did…read moreget responses but the procedure for connection was faulty and now i have given up on them without even knowing wht they have to offer.

They asked for my weight before I could sign up for their 20 week program when I disclosed that I…read morehad previously gotten treatment for an eating disorder (already a red flag, you don't ask someone with an eating disorder their weight) but I complied because I wanted their help. They literally said my weight was a reason I wasn't healthy enough for their program. No fatties allowed apparently, have to be thinner for their program. This is absolutely fatphobic, discriminatory and harmful. There were other red flags too. RUN.

When I started seeing Karen, I felt like a pin at Albany Bowl on a busy night. My wife had passed…read moreaway, I had two teenagers, and my doctor had told me in rather uncertain terms to quit drinking. I suddenly had a million issues and no one I could talk to. I am very grateful to have been introduced to Karen. She has helped (prodded, forcibly perhaps) me into an active recovery program. As the fog lifted, she has helped me work through my grief. She has been invaluable as a guide through the charming little minefield called "raising teenagers." I regard it as a tribute to Karen that one just turned twenty and we are both still alive. And sober.

I highly recommend Dr. Karen Kaufman for couples or individual therapy. She is extremely…read morethoughtful, intelligent, and sensitive. She does a great job of remembering what we said in prior sessions and carried threads easily from one session to the next. My (now husband) and I saw her when we were trying to decide whether or not to get married. She did a great job of listening to both of our perspectives without making the other feel alienated or "wrong." She is easygoing and nonjudgmental while at the same time having some definite and clear insights. We saw her for about a year before I finally decided to take the plunge and get married!