Therapy for Men and Gender Non-Conforming Professionals in Emeryville, CA
As a female therapist, people sometimes wonder why I help men and gender non-conforming professionals. The answer is simple: because you are human and often profoundly overlooked in the therapy world.
You are the ones who were told to “toughen up,” even when they were hurting. The ones who were quiet as children because the world didn’t feel safe or welcoming. The ones who were told they were “too sensitive,” and carry shame from past trauma, complicated families, or the pressure to be someone they never felt they were allowed to be.
Many men have grown up with the message that emotions are a liability. That asking for help is weakness. That their value lies in performance, stoicism, or sacrifice. And yet, under that armor, there is often a thoughtful, perceptive, and deeply feeling person who’s longing to be seen without being judged.
I intentionally work with men and gender non-conforming folks because therapy, when it’s done right, helps rewrite these scripts. It gives men a safe place to be vulnerable, without shame. It’s where they can talk about the things they’ve never said out loud: the anxiety that makes them freeze in social situations, the exhaustion from keeping it all together, the silent grief of feeling like they never quite belonged.
What Therapy Can Look Like
Therapy with me isn’t about analyzing you to death or forcing emotional disclosure. It’s about curiosity, safety, and clarity. We go at your pace. We explore what matters to you. And we work with your nervous system, not against it.
I use trauma-informed, science-backed approaches to help men and gender non-conforming professionals feel more connected, calm, and confident not by turning them into someone else, but by helping them reclaim parts of themselves they had to hide to survive.
The Men I Work With Often Say Things Like:
“I’ve spent my life trying to please others and ignore myself.”
“I’m so hard on myself, I don’t know how to stop.”
“I’m exhausted from pretending I’m okay.”
“I feel like an outsider, even in a room full of people.”
If any of that sounds familiar, you’re not alone. And more importantly, you’re not broken.
You’re someone who’s learned how to survive.
A Space Where You Don’t Have to Perform
This is your space to be exactly who you are, without needing to impress, explain, or prove yourself. My role isn’t to fix you. It’s to walk alongside you as you begin to understand yourself more deeply, reconnect with your inner resources, and move through the world with more ease.
There is strength in introspection. There is power in softness. And there is healing available when you’re ready to take that first step, even if you’re not sure what it looks like yet.
You Belong Here
If you’re a man who’s stressed, sensitive, anxious, burned out, depressed, or quietly struggling this practice was made with you in mind. Therapy can be a place where the masks come off and your real self gets to breathe.
Let’s begin the conversation, on your terms, in your timing.