The Bay Area Center for Children, with offices in San Francisco, Marin, the East Bay, the Peninsula, the South Bay and Anywhere in California via Zoom, is a multidisciplinary group of clinicians who provide treatment for children. We provide assessment, medication management, therapy, and educational counseling in order to provide our clients with the best treatment possible. Our work is guided by the latest research on adolescents and we use effective treatment interventions. Below is a list of the psychologists, psychiatrists, and educational therapist who are part of the practice.
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Davida Cohen, MFT
Davida Cohen works with families, couples, children and adults and has been teaching, training and supervising for 20 years. She has worked at the Family Institute of Pinole in the positions of Director of Training, and Clinical Director. She also holds an MA in Art and works with adults and children to bring out their potential in mindfulness, creativity and relationships. Her specialties include ADHD, spirited, acting out children as well as overly constricted, anxious or depressed children. Additionally, she works with trauma and stress, adoption issues, and children and teen's behavioral difficulties. email: [email protected] |
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Lianne Warren, MFT - Marriage and Family Therapist
Lianne Warren, MFT is a Marriage and Family Therapist who received her Master’s in Counseling Psychology from University of San Francisco and Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from University of Oregon. Her experiences as a school based therapist have provided her opportunities to work with children, families, couples, and adults. During her clinical experiences, she has addressed a wide variety of concerns, including troubled relationships, parenting, behavioral modification, anxiety, depression, loss and life transitions. Lianne’s own life experiences have provided her with an understanding that life at times can be challenging, and that having support during difficult times can be helpful. As a result, she strives to develop therapeutic relationships that are based on trust and empathy in order to assist clients to identify solutions and to make positive change in a collaborative manner. In recognition that clients enter therapy with their own unique set of experiences, strengths and goals for therapy, she utilizes an integrative approach that includes evidence based practices such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Structural-Strategic Family Therapy, Solution Focused Therapy, Emotionally Focused Therapy, Gottman’s Couple Therapy, EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing), and Mindfulness based psychotherapies. email: [email protected] |
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Laura Petracek, Ph.D.
Dr. Laura Petracek is the best-selling author of The Anger Management Workbook for Women (New Harbinger Publications Press, 2004.) She received her Doctorate in Psychology from California Institute for Integral Studies (CIIS) in San Francisco and her Master’s in Social Work (MSW) from Yeshiva University in New York City. She has worked in the field of Psychology and Social Work for over thirty years. She has served as Executive Director, Clinical Director, and held the positions of Psychologist/LCSW at many different non-profit agencies including New Leaf: Services for our Community, Centerpoint, Inc., and A Women’s Path. She has supervised Ph.D. Post-Doctoral, ASW, and MFTi students. She has also held the position of Associate Professor, Assistant Professor, and Adjunct Professor at Bay Area Graduate Institutions such as Alliant University, Dominican University, and National University. Her areas of interest are injustice and racism in the Criminal Justice System, Feminist/Women’s Issues, Gender Issues, LGBT Issues (specifically drug and alcohol abuse in the LBGT community, suicidality in LGBT teenagers), and trauma (specifically complex trauma). Alcoholism/Drug abuse among women, Meditation, and Yoga. She has worked exclusively with Children and Adolescents, who are diagnosed with ADHD, Anxiety, Depression, and/or Oppositional Defiant Disorder at local elementary and middle schools in the Bay Area for the past 5 years. Dr. Petracek specializes in helping people with anger dyscontrol issues and recovery from alcohol and other addictions. She currently maintains a private practice in the San Francisco Bay Area. Email: [email protected] |
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Liliana Casas Hernandez, LMFT - Marriage and Family Therapist
Liliana Casas Hernandez, Licensed Marriage family therapist considers it a great honor to be able to serve kids, children, teens and parents. For the past 17 years, she has been providing comprehensive counseling services to children and teens, parents and groups from diverse cultural backgrounds in different settings. This has included all levels of education from preschool to high school, hospital settings, non-profits, outpatient programs and victims of crime. She uses an integrative approach that includes EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing), Emotionally Focused Therapy, and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. With children, she has used Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT) for preschoolers and Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT). Liliana understands that the gift of parenting brings both tremendous joy and challenges. She strives to support parents in exploring and identifying opportunities that invite their children in experiencing the best of who they are. Liliana works collaboratively with parents in understanding their child's strengths and temperament in order to address barriers that are impacting their child's ability to maximize their potential. Liliana believes that learning is continuous throughout life; there is always the possibility of growing and overcoming challenges. Being in a family means collaborating as a team, learning from each other and discovering what each member brings to the family. Email: [email protected] |
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Yi Zhao Martins, LMFT - Marriage and Family Therapist
Yi Zhao Martins, LMFT is committed to helping clients get in touch with their own reality, to accept their unique personality and that of others, and to successfully integrate the client(s) into their family, social circle and society at large. Yi has extensive experience working with children in school settings, during transitions, and between households. She is highly intuitive in seeing the inner child in her clients with compassion, warmth, and clarity, and supporting them to integrate all parts of the self. Yi is a lifetime learner, who holds a Bachelor of Arts in Law, a Master of Arts in Law, and a Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology. She graduated from Dr. Alicia Lieberman’s one-year training program of Parent-Child Therapy by UCSF Child Trauma Research Program. She is actively learning and practicing Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT), and System-Centered Therapy (SCT). Yi loves getting to know her clients and developing individualized therapeutic plans towards clients’ goals. Her areas of specialty include ADHD, PTSD, and anxiety. She uses an integrative approach that includes Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Solution-Focused Therapy, Somatic Psychotherapy, System-Centered Therapy (SCT), Parent-Child Therapy (PCT), Play Therapy, Developmental Transformation, Expressive Arts Therapy, Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), and Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT). As a long-term meditation and yoga practitioner, Yi uses mindfulness practices to nurture her own physical and emotional wellbeing. Her invaluable intuition and calm demeanor will surely be of benefit to her clients. Email: [email protected] |
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Raven Westhoelter, MFT - Marriage and Family Therapist
Raven Westhoelter is a Marriage and Family Therapist. She completed her M.A. in Marriage and Family Counseling at Argosy University and her B.A. in Psychology at the University of Missouri – St. Louis (UMSL). She has worked with survivors of domestic violence, substance abuse, homelessness, anxiety, depression, trauma, and a variety of other therapeutic concerns such as parenting skill, relationships, and major life adjustments. Raven works from a collective of evidence based therapeutic orientations including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Solution Focused Therapy, Emotionally Focused Therapy, Family Systems, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, and Mindfulness meditation. email: [email protected] |
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James Keim, MSW, LCSW - Licensed Clinical Social Worker
James Keim, MSW, LCSW is a psychotherapist, author, and clinical supervisor who specializes in therapy for oppositional-defiant difficulties. He is co-author of one book and a contributor of chapters to eight others on topics including family therapy, child and adolescent behavior disorders, and marriage therapy. He previously served as the Director of Training for Jay Haley at the Family Therapy Institute of Washington, CD, worked at the Mental Research Institute in Palo Alto, and directed a small conference series, including the conference Oppositional Youth, which was hosted at the Bethesda campus of the National Institutes of Health. Email: [email protected] |
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Karrie Stafford, Ph.D, LMFT
Karrie Stafford is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and holds a doctorate in Art Therapy Psychology. She has practiced psychotherapy for nearly 20 years, providing evidence based treatment for couples, families and youth. In addition to Structural and Strategic Family Therapy and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Karrie has extensive training and experience with Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT). DBT focuses on the development of mindfulness skills, distress tolerance, emotion regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness. Her work supports individuals, couples and families through difficult transitions, managing challenging behaviors and coping with mental health symptoms. Karrie has taught Marriage and Family Therapy and Art Therapy students at the Masters and Doctoral levels at Notre Dame de Namur University, and has provided continuing education and licensing preparation trainings for MFT Interns and Associate Social Workers. She has worked as an administrator and clinical supervisor for a Short Term Residential Treatment Facility serving adolescents with serious mental health issues and complex trauma. Karrie's approach is curious, non judgmental and skills based. Email: [email protected] |
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Cristina (Tina) Carter, LMFT - Marriage and Family Therapist
Tina is a bi-racial native to San Francisco who completed her graduate degree in Portland, OR. She works with adolescents and adults to provide individual and family therapy in a variety of situations. Tina has experience working in high schools, providing therapy to children and families in Wellington, New Zealand, and in mental health services at the YMCA of SF for youth and families. Tina values authenticity in her approach to supporting a range of issues including transition and change, trauma (specific, complex, intergenerational), anxiety, identity, family conflict, depressed mood, and motivation. She draws from a combination of therapeutic models to increase a sense of control and find peace through adversity, and works from the foundation that people exist in their relationships to others. Email: [email protected] |
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Kellie Brown, LMFT - Marriage and Family Therapist
Kellie Brown, LMFT, gained her degree from the CAMFT accredited program at Touro University. She sees clients all over the state via telehealth, providing services to individuals, couples, and families, having served under-represented clients for the last three years. With a strong commitment to support clients who struggle with anxiety, depression, major-life transition, trauma, parenting questions, and relationship instability, she has been focusing on developing her skills in treating those with the unique challenges of ADHD. Enjoying a blended family of her own, Kellie understands that our relationships end up shaping our view of ourselves and others in both beautiful and broken ways. She endorses any therapist who can help you align your values and your choices, to live more resiliently and more compassionately, so that you are able to pursue the relationships you want with the integrity you desire. Kellie’s ambition is to collaborate with clients toward the outcomes that best resonate with their journey of healing and wholeness, leading individuals and families to a life of vitality and fulfillment, and producing enduring relationships. Choosing to engage in therapy can be the first step toward claiming the life you deserve. Email: [email protected] |
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Ruby Wara-Goss, LCSW - Licensed Social Worker
Ruby (she/her/hers) is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker who brings a decade of experience supporting youth, young adults, caregivers, families, and individuals navigate loss and attachment ruptures, anxiety, depression, ADHD, trauma, family conflict, life stressors, and the life cycle. Ruby approaches her sessions with warmth, humility, and a strengths-based lens, valuing collaboration, authenticity, and creativity. Ruby draws upon multiple therapeutic approaches including cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), psychodynamic therapy, attachment-based science, family systems, eye movement desensitization reprocessing (EMDR), Internal Family Systems (IFS), mindfulness practices, harm reduction principles, non-violent communication, Gottman methodology, emotionally focussed therapy (EFT), the nurtured heart approach, and play therapy. Recently, she has also been SPACE trained. SPACE is a caregiver-based treatment for childhood and adolescent anxiety and OCD. Ruby received her Master of Social Work from the Silberman School of Social Work at Hunter College-CUNY in NYC. Ruby has primarily worked in community mental health and forensic social work, with a strong focus in family therapy, individual therapy, caregiver support, and crisis intervention. Ruby has blended family, mental health, and social/economic justice roots in the Bay Area, which have contributed to her guiding belief that through the process of healing ourselves and each other, the healthier and more equitable our communities and world can become. When not relishing in her steadfast love of the Bay, Ruby can be found gardening, crafting, attending live music performances, playing non-competitive soccer, watching documentaries, petting dogs, and trying to leave the world a little better than she found it. Email: [email protected] |
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Brittany Woodward, LMFT - Marriage and Family Therapist
Brittany Woodward, LMFT, specializes in working with adolescents, young adults, and adults, providing individual and family therapy. With a client-centered approach, Brittany values and respects each individual's autonomy, empowering them to create positive changes in their lives. She integrates evidence-based techniques and theories, including cognitive behavioral therapy, dialectical behavioral therapy, motivational interviewing, and is currently undergoing training in eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR). These approaches allow her to effectively support individuals in healing and growing from past traumatic experiences, managing and overcoming anxiety and depression, breaking long-standing family patterns, and gaining a deeper sense of self and meaning in their lives. Through these modalities, she has been successful at working in high acuity settings for the treatment of depression, anxiety, substance use, trauma, relationships, and self-esteem. Brittany firmly believes in the power of science and human connection to bring about transformation and change. In her practice, she brings warmth, a genuine desire to fully understand her clients, and the occasional crack at humor. Recognizing that therapy is not a one-size-fits-all approach, Brittany is dedicated to fostering a therapeutic environment that allows individuals to see and recognize their potential and bring about a sense of empowerment within their lives. Email: [email protected] |
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Asher Kaufman, LCSW - Licensed Social Worker
Bringing together a blend of therapeutic methods, Asher Kaufman, LCSW, is dedicated to supporting children and families on their journey to healing and growth. With a compassionate and family-centered approach, Asher focuses on creating a safe and nurturing space where children can express themselves and develop healthy coping skills. Through tailored interventions and age-appropriate techniques, he helps children navigate their emotions effectively, fostering resilience and emotional well-being. With a master's degree from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Asher is committed to providing high-quality teletherapy, ensuring accessibility for families across California. Together with families, Asher aims to strengthen bonds, foster understanding, and promote lasting connections that support overall family harmony and growth Email: [email protected] |
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Carly Mentlik, LPCC - Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor
Carly Mentlik, LPCC is a licensed psychotherapist and child development expert with over 20 years experience working with children, teens, parents and families. Carly is highly intuitive, creative and uses a holistic approach to support her clients in mind, body, and spirit. She specializes in supporting children and teens with anxiety, depression, school and relationship issues, and is LGBTQ+ allied. Carly has a Bachelors in special education, Masters in counseling and has completed PhD work in feminist developmental psychology at New York University. She blends her background in humanistic and evidence-based therapies like CBT, with mindfulness and other holistic practices to offer an integrative approach to healing. Carly has a gift of personalizing her approach to meet the unique learning style and personalities of her clients and creating a safe, non-judgmental space, where children and teens feel free to share their truth and explore their inner worlds. She’s also the founder of the Inner Rainbow Project, a platform for children's mental health and wellbeing that uses an innovative fusion of education and psychology along with chakras and yoga to teach social-emotional learning to kids. Carly has been passionate about helping people to connect to their true selves for as long as she can remember. She is honored to support her clients in connecting with their inner wisdom, building healthy relationships and empowering them with the tools they need to live their best, most authentic lives just in the way they envision. Email: [email protected] |
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Matthew Rensi, Ph. D., LPCC - Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor
Matthew T Rensi, Ph. D., LPCC. is a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor who also holds a Ph. D. in counselor education and supervision. He has extensive experience providing therapy to people struggling with ADHD, anxiety, trauma and ODD. In addition to this, he provides trainings throughout US on various aspects of mental health treatment including assessment, individual therapy, and safety/crisis situations. He is an adjunct professor at Western Seminary. Matt also actively researches the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders using linguistic analysis, as well as how AI can be used in the counseling field. Email: [email protected] |
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Elizabeth Goodman Gurfein, Psy.D - Psychologist
Elizabeth Goodman Gurfein, Psy.D., is a licensed clinical psychologist who graduated from the PGSP-Stanford Psy.D. Consortium. Dr. Gurfein brings a compassionate, integrative approach to her practice, utilizing evidence informed principles derived from Cognitive Behavioral Therapies (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), and Internal Family Systems (IFS) to help clients understand and overcome their challenges. She helps clients with problems related to ADHD, anxiety, trauma, sleep, and mood disorders. She has a special interest in supporting healthcare providers and conducted her dissertation at the Stanford University School of Medicine, focusing on teaching Compassion Cultivation Training as a preventative tool for empathic burnout in medical students. With her warm, collaborative style, Dr. Gurfein works closely with clients to tailor treatment to their unique needs, fostering resilience, self-awareness, and emotional well-being. Her approach allows clients to build effective coping skills, process their experiences, and create fulfilling lives based on their values. Dedicated to professional development and providing effective psychotherapy, Dr. Gurfein continually expands her expertise to provide the latest in evidence-based care and contributes to the field through research, writing, and presentations. Email: [email protected] |
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Jessica Decker, LMFT - Bilingual Licensed Marriage Family Therapist
Jessica is deeply committed to helping clients of all ages feel heard, understood, and empowered. She specializes in intercultural and health psychology and has a real gift for creating a warm, non-judgmental space where her clients can work through their challenges. Whether she’s supporting individuals or families, she makes it a priority to truly connect, listen deeply, and tailor her approach to meet each person's unique needs. Jessica earned her degree from the University René Descartes in Paris, France, and is fluent in French, Spanish, and Portuguese. She works from a strength-based and attachment perspective, always considering the role of family and community in a person’s life. She has a special passion for working with families, especially mothers and children, and is dedicated to helping them advocate for their rights and navigate life’s obstacles with confidence and resilience. Jessica also integrates her belief in the mind-body connection into her practice, often incorporating somatic techniques to help clients feel more grounded and connected to themselves. Her approach draws from a variety of therapeutic models, including cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), and somatic practices, allowing her to personalize her work to each client's journey. She has extensive experience working with young children and uses play therapy and parental involvement to help manage and resolve childhood anxiety. She believes in the power of early intervention to promote emotional well-being and resilience. Above all, Jessica is committed to making therapy a space where clients feel safe, supported, and empowered to make meaningful changes in their lives. Email: [email protected] |
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Terri Moser, LMFT - Marriage and Family Therapist
Hello, I’m Terri M., a Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist in CA & UT dedicated to supporting individuals on their healing journeys. My ideal client often grapples with trauma, anxiety, or relationship issues, feeling overwhelmed and stuck. They need a safe space to explore their feelings and tools to navigate their struggles. Their goal is to find peace, regain control, and foster healthier relationships. They seek healing that transforms their lives—just as I experienced through EMDR. I’m here to guide them with compassion and expertise, knowing firsthand that the journey while challenging, leads to profound change & fulfillment. I specialize in trauma therapy, certified in EMDR, IFS, and A.R.T. I use these modalities to help clients heal from anxiety, depression, and relationship issues. My personal experience with trauma drives my passion for this work. Together, we’ll tackle the emotional challenges of therapy, creating lasting change for a healthier, happier life. While working for the White Mountain Apache Tribe, I worked with children and families, brought in children therapy programming, and taught parenting classes. In addition, I am trained with CEUs in children's play therapy, Childen's EMDR, and Sandtray, CBT, ADHD, and ADHD testing, which will allow me to better assist in helping children and their families in therapy. I understand that healing from trauma can feel overwhelming, and it's okay to seek support. With my training in EMDR, IFS, and A.R.T., along with my personal journey, I’m here to create a safe space for you. I genuinely invite you to reach out—together, we can navigate your feelings and find a path to peace and fulfillment. You deserve the support & healing. Email: [email protected] |
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Sarah Almaqousi, LMFT - Marriage and Family Therapist
Sarah Almaqousi, LMFT has served the San Francisco and East Bay communities since 2014. Sarah also has extensive experience with helping couples and families adjust to changes, help members improve workability and reach their highest potential together. She has specific expertise helping LGBTQIA+ couples and polycules develop healthier relationship skills, reconnect and/or transition to co parenting. Her therapy approach integrates a variety of modalities such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, Gottman and the Developmental Model and Structural Family Therapy. Sarah has served as Executive Director, Supervisor and trainer at Queer LifeSpace, a non profit devoted to queer mental health and to training upcoming Queer therapists. Sarah has held numerous board chairs on mental health nonprofits across the Bay Area. Sarah also serves as adjunct professor at bay area graduate institutions such as University of San Francisco, San Francisco State University and at The Wright Institute. She spends her free time gardening and chasing her darling daughters around the planet. Sarah has a decades long history of working with families and children, beginning in 2000 as a public school teacher. Her in-depth understanding of the educational system and its impact on children and their families is very helpful when it comes to dealing with IEPs, accomodations and helping children achieve. Sarah is also a parent and brings her lived experience into the room with her which is tremendously helpful when it comes to helping parents come up with more functional behavior plans to deal with difficult behaviors. Sarah also has lived experience with ADHD and has a very compassionate approach which aids in individuals, children and families building a higher functioning system in which all members can thrive. Email: [email protected] |
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Jeffrey Bettencourt, LEP, LMFT, LPCC - Marriage and Family Therapist
Jeff’s 30+ years as a therapist, evaluator and consultant provides his clients a pragmatic, compassionate, and integrated approach to life’s challenges. Jeff utilizes standardized assessments, therapeutic educational structure, proven clinical interventions and techniques, providing a nurturing, yet challenging sessions. Jeff’s supportive, yet direct approach ensures clients will experience a safe, structured, purposeful driven sessions, integrated with care, wisdom, and clinical expertise. Email: [email protected] |
BAY AREA CENTER FOR CHILDREN
Providing Trusted, Compassionate, Effective Therapy
Providing Trusted, Compassionate, Effective Therapy
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San Francisco • Marin • East Bay • Peninsula • South Bay • Anywhere in California via Zoom
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[email protected] |
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(415) 617-9587 |