Online Therapist in Oakland California.

About Lara Clayman, LCSW

You’ve struggled with anxiety for as long as you can remember, and you are ready to find relief with a therapist in Oakland. 

Searching for a therapist can feel daunting, especially when there are SO many. Maybe you’re wondering how you will ever find an online therapist in Oakland, California that really gets what you’re going through and that you connect with. Perhaps you’ve had a mediocre or even negative past experience in therapy so you decided therapy isn’t for you and you wouldn’t go back. Maybe you gleaned something from past therapy, but it wasn’t enough or the kind of help you were really needing.  Or it’s possible that you had a really great past experience in therapy, but now you are ready to do more work or curious about working with someone else. 

Hi, I’m Lara an online therapist in Oakland California

As a client and therapist in Oakland, I know navigating finding a therapist can be rough.  I love talking to potential clients, friends and family about therapy and helping them navigate the system. No matter the pedigree, license or method, you have to trust and connect to your therapist for therapy to work.  I became a licensed clinical social worker to help people heal from pain inflicted by family, culture and systems and find new ways to move through the world without shame and suffering. I hold an intersectional lens, meaning I care about all of your identities, lineages, cultures and experiences. I use intake tools that are affirming and I seek to create safety with the people I work with by using language and strategies that are not pathologizing, blaming or oppressive. I have my own mixed ethnic and religious identities and am a POC with white privilege.  

I got my Master’s degree in Social Work in Community Organizing and Children and Families. Through my work as advocate and organizer working to address systemic injustice, young people and adults would often seek me out  for emotional support in their work and school environments.  I discovered that I had an ability to connect with people and help them reconnect to their own resilience as a result.  And I realized how important mental wellbeing is to quality of life and the health of our communities. This led me to pursue post-graduate training in psychodynamic psychotherapy at the Psychotherapy Institute in Berkeley.

  • The therapeutic relationship is like no other relationship in your life.  It is weird and wonderful, intimate and mysterious. By listening to you and your emotions with an open heart and mind, I will work to understand what makes you you and what you are needing to heal, grow, live well and embrace your precious life. I see us as partners in the therapeutic process.   We will collaborate and communicate throughout the therapy process to support your needs and goals in your healing process and to build on your strengths.  Though I may have a sense of where we are heading, I invite your feedback.  I'll make sure to check in with you somewhat regularly to see how my approach is working for you.  If something doesn't feel right, we'll talk about it and see if there's something I can do differently to better meet your needs.  If it turns out that I'm not the right fit, I'll always support you with finding another therapist who is.    

  • I believe every person has the right to mental health, as mental wellbeing is essential for individuals and societies to be physically and spiritually whole. The lack of support for mental healthcare in our country is a crisis with a deep and enduring negative impact on families, communities and society. Since our healthcare system and the field of psychotherapy is rooted in the beliefs and ideas of white, European men, talking to a therapist may feel too vulnerable or simply disconnected. Many of my clients have had the experience of being harmed emotionally and/or physically from our healthcare system and are reluctant to trust other “helpers” who are in positions of power.  Maybe you’ve gone to see a doctor for a physical ailment and your complaints were dismissed, not taken seriously or you were told “it’s all in your head”. 

  • I come from mixed heritages, identify as multiracial, and hold white privilege.  I see myself as a learner, and continually strive to examine my privileged and oppressed identities in the dynamics between you and me and within my profession.  I approach working with people through a psychodynamic and social justice lens.   I’m curious about how both nature and nurture shape what we feel, think and do in our lives and try to bring more awareness to what you are experiencing on both the inside and on the outside.  I listen deeply in search of expanding our understanding of who you are, what matters to you and the roots of your emotional suffering.

I specialize in providing online therapy in California to multiracial and adult children of immigrants with anxiety, depression and trauma.

Contact me here for a free 15-minute phone consultation for online therapy in California if you are a California resident.

Get started with professional online therapy in California that really works.

 

Education, training + memberships as an online Therapist in California

  • California Board of Behavioral Sciences, LCSW# 26495

    • National Association of Social Workers (NASW)

    • California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists (CAMFT)

    • California Society for Clinical Social Work (CSCSW)

    • Coalition for Clinical Social Work (CCSW)

    • The Psychotherapy Institute (TPI)

    • Climate Psychology Alliance North America (CPA-NA)

    • Advanced clinical training, The Psychotherapy Institute - Berkeley, CA

    • Masters of Social Work + Bachelor of Arts in Spanish, University of Michigan - Ann Arbor, MI

    • Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

    • Child Training Institute (CTI) -Jewish Family + Children’s Services

    • Bay Area Nonviolent Communication

    • Brief Strategic Family Therapy Training

Frequently Asked Questions about Finding an Online Therapist in California

  • This can be tricky as online therapists in California can be under several different titles. Your online therapist may be licensed as a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC), Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW), Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT), or Psychologist (PsyD). I am an LCSW.

  • Honestly, it depends. Not all online therapists in California are worth it. In fact, some people practice illegally without any training and are even listed on therapist directories! Some well meaning people are working with people and issues they can’t truly help with. And sometimes online therapy isn’t appropriate for more serious mental illness or high-risk situations. For me, it is about helping connect you to support you are needing and reducing barriers to getting help. It’s important you find the right fit with someone who is qualified to help you.

  • “FTC alleges online counseling service shared consumers’ sensitive data with third parties after promising to keep it private” You can learn more about the fines and banning here.

    This is just the management of BetterHelp. Unfortunately, there is no oversight in terms of the quality of therapy provided by BetterHelp therapists. Some are great. Many are seeing too many clients because of the low pay and aren’t providing quality care. Big telehealth (and insurance) companies profit-driven and not focused on the client’s best interests.