Counseling/Therapists in Berkeley, CA

At kaiser I literally had to cry repeatedly to get them to give me an outside referral for therapy. It was not an easy process and you definitely have to follow up and advocate for yourself, which is so frustrating if someone is having a mental health crisis! They will tell you to go to group classes and you basically have to say no a thousand times. Anyway, Kaiser has gotten a bunch of criticism lately for not providing strong mental health options (my 1:1 session consisted of me taking a stupid online quiz that determined, shocker, that I was indeed anxious so they could prescribe me medication.) I would repeatedly ask for an outside referral until they give it to you. That being said.. the therapist I ended up getting was dreadful (told me I didn’t need therapy because I was so self aware.... hello yes I know I have anxiety and I somewhat understand the roots of my anxiety but not how to cope with and manage it!!!). But, that was just bad luck that I happened to choose a bad one. Also, i still had to pay around 50 bucks per session for a copay, but that’s cheaper than completely out of pocket.

Blue Oak Cooperative in Berkeley is how I found my therapist and several of my friends have found theirs thru them as well. They do scaled pay as most of their people are still on internship hours, the difference being that they actually get paid for their time which is different from most internship spots. Look em up!

Check out the Open Path Collective. You sign up, pay a $49 fee and you get access to a therapist at a reduced rate. My therapy sessions are $60 instead of $180. [https://openpathcollective.org/](https://openpathcollective.org/)

Kaiser contracts with a third party insurance provider called Magellan to cover outside psychiatry and mental health service referrals because their services are so lacking. Like others have said actually getting the referral from the psychiatry department at Kaiser is kind of a pain but doable. I would recommend finding an available provider through Magellan who you want to work with, then let Kaiser know.

Check with Social Services at the county level. They might be able to refer you to a sliding cost therapist.

Ed Malek is great if you're at all interested in Reich or Jung especially... Mid range in terms of price

If you can make it to SF, this is a great org: https://www.ciis.edu/counseling-and-acupuncture-clinics/center-for-somatic-psychotherapy

I go here, and they do sliding scale — [http://www.axismundicenter.org/](http://www.axismundicenter.org/) — although their low end has recently gone up. I know there's a place behind the church at Harrison & Bay (across Harrison from Whole Foods) that does sliding scale, and my therapist tells me they go down to $35. I don't remember the name of it (JFKU moved out of there last year and this is a new outfit). I'll try to find out and reply.

To add to the varying stories about what Oakland Kaiser does cover, five years ago they led me to believe group classes were my only option. Last year they did schedule appointments with a therapist--intake session was an hour but others were 20 minutes. All scheduled one month apart in a way that the therapist first pretended was his availability, then pretended was a way to "activate" me to work a lot on myself between sessions, but was really their way of limiting sessions. It was completely unhelpful for me, but that could just be me.

You can usually find some kind of MFT or LCSW student looking to make their hours doing counseling and therapy. They typically offer a sliding scale, especially if you are paying cash out of pocket. I’ve seen it go for $20/session. It’s mutually beneficial because they need to do therapy hours for their licensing and you get a discount. Try Craigslist?

Does anyone have any recs for UCSF psychotherapists? I left a message on their main line, but I haven’t received a call back yet.

what is "affordable" ?

Totally admire that you’re willing to go even without insurance! That’s awesome. You rock!

actually asking for a friend, but is there any insurance-covered group therapy in Oakland?

A couple of recommendations: 1. Wright Institute Clinic in Berkeley. They offer individual and group tx. Sliding scale is available. 2. I've been using online tx through betterhelp.com ... it's basically video calls (like skype). It's been working for me. I like that I can do my therapy in my own home instead of having to travel. So far so good. It's out of pocket, but fairly affordable compared to in-office therapy.

[https://www.ocf.berkeley.edu/\~ahsleep/depression-treatment-study/](https://www.ocf.berkeley.edu/~ahsleep/depression-treatment-study/) \- I did this and it was helpful for me. Not sure what kind of therapy you're looking for. It's free they focus on CBT and give you a little incentive gift card for helping them evaluate the effectiveness of the program afterwards. ​ Depending on how low-income you are there are other options as well such as taking courses at CSU, UC, or community college and then using their services. However, especially at the community college level I'd reserve this for more low-income folks. Otherwise check out Wright institute or other LCSW/MFT student clinics nearby they tend to do sliding scale from like $20+ an hour.

Kaiser has therapist, I was covered...

I pay out of pocket for therapy. I have a great therapist I respect a lot and it has been worth it. I know not everyone can afford that, and I'm lucky I can make it work. I hope you can too, however you can. Keep taking care of yourself.

You're a good person. Occasionally you make a bad decision, but don't beat yourself up over that. Everyone does that from time to time. Just be honest with yourself about what happened and keep trying to improve yourself.

Kaiser referred me out to another company for mental health care when I talked to their psychiatric department. It's kind of a pain in the ass to figure out but it opens up a lot of options.

Are you sure Kaiser doesn’t cover it? I’ve used their mental health facilities in the past (at Oakland) and had a good experience with both group classes and 1:1 sessions.

I have a pretty shitty Kaiser plan and I've gotten therapy covered. But a good sliding scale option is Blue Oak Therapy: http://blueoaktherapycenter.org LOL never mind I literally just had an interaction with Kaiser that made me change my mind. Fuck Kaiser.

I'm pretty sure that they're required by law to cover some minimum level of mental health care. If you're with Kaiser you should ask your primary doctor about treatment options for your mental health issues and see if they can refer you to someone. https://www.dmhc.ca.gov/HealthCareinCalifornia/GettheBestCare/MentalHealthCare.aspx#Know%20Your%20Rights

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Liberation Institute in SF is students getting their hours and highly affordable

https://www.jfku.edu/jfk-universitys-oakland-community-counseling-center-provides-essential-services-to-alameda-county-residents/ sliding scale at JFK university

Jaime is near us rather than in the financial district, but I highly recommend her: https://therapists.psychologytoday.com/rms/name/Jaime_M_Bardacke_LCSW_San+Francisco_California_99920

I have about 10 I recommend in that area, but in particular www.wildwomantherapy.com or www.thecouplescenter.org (does indiv counseling and has some incredible therapists, in particular I like Raia Kogan or Sergio Rodriguez)

Michelle Horton http://www.michellehortontherapy.com

Thank you Abby, https://www.facebook.com/213653935477497 Michelle Horton Therapy, will you please pm me a few good times to chat on Fri? # 650 270-3911

Shena'a number is 831-252-5221

Aline LaPierre. She taught in my PhD program. http://www.dralinelapierre.com/contact.html

Honestly, this man is the ultimate somatic therapist: http://therapists.psychologytoday.com/rms/prof_detail.php?profid=38917&sid=1388730632.1757_24292&city=La+Verne&county=Los+Angeles&state=CA&spec=494&tr=ResultsName&trow=11&ttot=41 Gurucharan Khalsa founded InnerWorks also: http://innerworkswellnesscenter.org/dev/index.php/home

I'd be happy to welcome the sisters as well, have had experience that would support the work. Use attachment theory / EFT + non violent communication + family systems theories. www.therapywithnatalie.com

I have an opening or two. Half of my practice is couples as I am part of The Couples Center in SF. I have experience with inter-racial couples and LGBTQ couples. My website is http://therapyoflife.com

https://www.jacobinmag.com/2014/02/the-labor-of-social-media/ https://www.dissentmagazine.org/article/girl-geeks-and-boy-kings http://thenewinquiry.com/essays/hate-sinks/

Susan Bell at Tang Center is wonderful.

check out doctors at the Wright Institute on Durant

Susan Rhodes at tang is wonderful

Jane Kaplin is amazing.:)

Amelia Davis check this out.