Therapist in Oakland, CA

Finding Relief with a Therapist in Oakland

You've always been able to handle what’s on your plate by working harder and longer. You are so burnt out and it’s nearly impossible to catch your breath. You feel like you're running a marathon from the time you wake up until when you go to bed. Your brain is on overdrive, trying to make everyone happy while feeling not enough for anyone and everything. 

You used to feel like you had it all together at work…

It’s getting harder and harder to focus at work and you’ve lost motivation - deadlines, meetings, it doesn't feel meaningful these days.  So you procrastinate and the to-do list never ends. You get stuck in a loop of prioritizing, paralysis, shut down, and avoidance. All of your self-worth has been tied up in being a high achiever and you feel guilty for letting everyone down.

You struggle to trust and feel connected

Even in your close relationships, you long to feel connected but doubt that your worthiness of being loved. You can't ask for help as you worry constantly what others will think of you or that you will be rejected. You don't enjoy the things you feel like you are supposed to - whether that's parenting or friendship, because you never feel like you are enough or can do the right thing. So you avoid or fake a smile and people please just to get through the day.

Are you too busy in to see a therapist, or avoiding what scares you?

You stay busy out of fear that if you were to stop, you might just never get going again or your intense feelings will overtake you. You look like you have things under control, but inside you feel so much anxiety and sadness, filled with over-worry and fear. Yet no one has a clue.  The adrenaline that you used to thrive on has now worn down your body and what you used to be able to handle and push through now feels like a tidal wave about to crash down on you. You can't relax. You don't sleep well. Your body is talking to you—constant tension and anxiety in your muscles and your gut.

You are ready for a change, but how do you find a therapist in Oakland who gets it?

You know that you can't continue living in fear of judgment, not being enough and tied to perfectionism and anxiety.  You worry that you are too sensitive, but you feel like you are going to crack as your thoughts are relentless with all the planning and keeping up the facade. 

Hi, I’m Lara Clayman, a therapist in Oakland who gets how living in Oakland is both hard and great.

I help anxious, intelligent overachievers who are depleted from working so hard at doing everything “right” to catch their breath -to regain control over their lives, and find renewed energy and motivation at work and at home.  My clients are sometimes surprised by how quickly they feel a shift in the stress and anxiety they carry in their bodies and minds. Those who feel like they’re never enough often see improvement in their relationship with themselves and their loved ones without feeling they have to say ‘yes’ to everything. You are not alone. 

I specialize in online therapy in California and anxiety therapy with multiracial and first-generation adults.

What does therapy with me look like?

We will meet for 50 minutes each week so you make progress and feel better as soon as possible. Therapy is expensive and big time commitment, but I don’t want you be in therapy forever!  Homework isn’t part of therapy with me. People who are overwhelmed need stuff taken off their plate–not more to do! But if you are motivated or would like “more” to work on in between sessions, the proud social worker in me would be happy to offer suggestions and resources that can fit into your busy life.  Therapy with me can also bring joy and feel really good (or so I’ve been told :).

If you are ready to get help with your anxiety and to experience how good life can be without all of the worry and panic, call or contact me here for a free consultation to schedule your therapy in Oakland, CA.