Shelly Lev-Er, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist
Berkeley, California
Verified
My Approach to Therapy
Life is hard, and we all get stuck sometimes or find ourselves in places that push our limits. Perhaps you are struggling under the weight of perfectionism, self-doubt, burnout, or caregiver fatigue. Maybe you are grieving a loss, dealing with depression or anxiety, or navigating a life transition. Maybe you're feeling challenged in your relationships, or seeing yourself repeat the same patterns but not knowing how to get out of them. Therapy can bring more insight and understanding which can then help us create more choice and flexibility for new ways of being.
I take an active approach that is genuinely curious, warm, direct, nonjudgmental, and rooted in supporting your own exploration into your inner life. Through mindfulness, body awareness, and the relational container of therapy, we can explore what is happening for you and how to find your way towards more ease and freedom.
I work with couples and individuals and also have specialized experience in grief, loss, chronic illness, and end of life. Regardless of what is bringing you here, I would be honored to support you in finding your way to more joy and aliveness.
My View on the Nature of 'Disorders'
My view is that we all find creative ways to best survive our environments -- both in terms of our family systems as well as the larger socio-cultural and political environments that we find ourselves in. Often times strategies that were once adaptive start to become limiting, and that's when therapy can be really helpful. This is not to pathologize ourselves and our ways of being, but to understand how we found coping strategies that serve important functions and to then stretch into new ways of relating to ourselves and others that are more life-giving, nourishing, and empowering.
Expertise & Specialties
Age Groups I Work With
TeensAdultsElders
Groups I Work With
Artists, activists, queer folks, service workers, caregivers, people who feel they don't belong, immigrants and children of immigrants, neurodivergent people, people who are grieving, people with hard childhood experiences, folks who are trying to know and understand themselves better, and people wanting more connection in their relationships.
Therapy Services & Specialties
Concerns & Challenges Addressed
AbandonmentAbortion / Post Abortion IssuesAdjusting to Change / Life TransitionsAging and Geriatric IssuesAngerAnxietyAttachment IssuesBreakup
Therapeutic Approaches & Evidence-Based Methods
Emotionally Focused Couples TherapyEye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Therapy (EMDR)Mindfulness-Based InterventionsPsychodynamicSomatic Psychotherapy
Industries & Communities
BIPOCFirst Responder/Medical ProfessionalsLGBTQ+