Alicia Johnson, PsyD

I believe in the power of a warm, holding, and consistent therapeutic relationship as the catalyst for profound and long-lasting change. Working from a psychodynamic, client-centered, Healing Justice-oriented framework, I aim first and foremost to create an environment within which you can feel secure enough to enter into the journey of self-exploration that is the therapeutic process. My goal is to support you in building bridges between the past and the present, using the therapeutic relationship as a means for understanding internal patterns, and what may be keeping those patterns in place. This, in turn, leads to deeper self-awareness, paving the way for growth and the possibility of new ways of being and relating to the world. I earned my doctorate in Clinical Psychology from the Wright Institute in Berkeley, and trained in both community mental health and school-based settings. I then went on to complete my internship and postdoctoral fellowship with the University of California San Francisco General Hospital, where I specialized in working with children, youth, and parents of color who have experienced complex trauma. My experience has also included serving as clinical faculty at the Wright Institute Clinic in Berkeley, where I directed a community-based psychological assessment clinic while supervising and mentoring graduate students in training. I have also worked as a clinician in a group private practice, and I provide trainings to other professionals in the areas of Healing Justice and complex trauma. My approach to this work is rooted in an understanding of the impact that social marginalization and intergenerational trauma can have on mental health, and I am committed to helping clients identify this impact as it emerges in the work. I am passionate about working with individuals and couples across the lifespan, and of diverse identities and social locations. I identify as a Black, Queer, bicultural (Haitian and African-American), first generation therapist, and am able to provide therapy in English as well as French. It is my hope that through the therapeutic process, we can work together to support you in building greater self-understanding by making meaning out of your experiences. I believe that this can put you on the path towards becoming more fully yourself, living in a more integrated way, and standing more confidently in your own personal power.