Resources
While this is not intended to be an exhaustive list of available resources, I recommend the following books*, movies*, authors, and healers. I am really happy to help you find the support you need and try to include many of my trusted local colleagues here. Most are also available to provide online therapy or coaching in at least the entire state of CA and in some cases, beyond:
Low- or No-Fee Services
- Cancer Support Community, San Francisco Bay Area – Free to All
- Open Path Psychotherapy Collective Directory
- Axis Community Health Counseling Services – Pleasanton
- Earth Circles Counseling Center – Oakland
- Pacific Center for Human Growth Services for LGBTQ+
Testing/Assessment
- Amrita Mehta, PhD – Pleasanton, Berkeley
- Frank Davis PhD http://www.drfrankdavis.com/
- Lisa Tang, PhD – Pleasanton
- Matthew Wong, PsyD - South Lake Tahoe
- Susannah Feder, PsyD- Pleasanton, San Francisco, and Telehealth
Highly Sensitive People
- The Highly Sensitive Person
- The Highly Sensitive Person’s Workbook
- Angelena Gagliardi, PsyD – Pleasanton
- Julie Bjelland, LMFT – Pleasanton
- April Snow, LMFT – California Telehealth
- Dr. Elaine Aron’s Directory of HSP-Aware Therapists
- Dr. Elaine Aron’s Self-Tests, Research, and Comprehensive HSP Blog
- The Highly Sensitive Person’s Survival Guide: Essential Skills for Living Well in an Overstimulating World (Step-By-Step Guides)
- Julie Bjelland, MFT’s Brain Training Course & Related Books for Highly Sensitive People
- Self-Care for the Self-Aware: A Guide for Highly Sensitive People, Empaths, Intuitives, and Healers
- Too Loud, Too Bright, Too Fast, Too Tight: What to Do If You Are Sensory Defensive in an Overstimulating World
- Making Work Work for the Highly Sensitive Person
- Finely Tuned: How To Thrive As A Highly Sensitive Person or Empath
- Invisibilia podcast: Entanglement episode from 1/30/15
Introversion
- Susan Cain’s Quiet Revolution
- April Snow, LMFT – California Telehealth
- Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking
- The Introvert Entrepreneur: Amplify Your Strengths and Create Success on Your Own Terms
- Quiet Power: The Secret Strengths of Introverts
LGBTQ+
- The Trevor Project lifeline
- GAYLESTA.org Therapist Directory
- Bay Area Open Minds Therapist Directory
- Jesse Whittle-Utter, LMFT – Berkeley
- Diane Ehrensaft, PhD
- April Snow, LMFT
- Lindsey Kremmel, PhD in Pleasanton and Online
- Mind the Gap – Youth-Focused Gender Affirmative Providers Directory in the East Bay
- Gender Spectrum – Bay Area
- Pacific Center for Human Growth – Berkeley
- No H8 Campaign
- The It Gets Better Project for Young LGBTQ+ Members
- The Human Rights Campaign
- Helping Your Transgender Teen: A Guide for Parents
- Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG)
- The Gender Quest Workbook: A Guide for Teens and Young Adults Exploring Gender Identity
- You and Your Gender Identity: A Guide to Discovery
- Ultimate Guide to Resources for LGBTQ+ Students
- The Pride Institute inpatient treatment in Minneapolis MN
Addiction and Recovery (with many thanks to Makayla Jones for the first 4, which she researched and found to be particularly culturally competent for BIPOC individuals and their allies):
- Live Another Day - Live Another Day was founded with the purpose of providing equal access to life-saving resources. They offer dozens of resources for finding help for mental health and substance use.
- Detox Local - An excellent resource that features abundant information including mental health and substance use resources specifically for the AAPI (American Asian and Pacific Islander) community
- A Guide for Addressing the Loneliness Epidemic - In May, Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy issued a special report on the public health crisis of loneliness in America. T.R.U.E Addiction and Behavioral Health has put together this incredible guide with dozens of mental health and substance use resources that can help.
- The Summit Wellness Group - Recognizing the signs of drug abuse can save a life. This guide offers an abundance of guidance in recognizing and responding to signs of drug abuse.
- SMART Recovery – REBT for Recovery
- Lifering Secular Recovery
- Buddhist Recovery
- In the Rooms Online Meetings – All Kinds
- Center for On-Line Addiction
- Web of Addictions
- The Confessional podcast
- Last Day podcast – Season 1
- Dr. Gabor Maté’s book: In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts
- In Recovery podcast with Dr. Nzinga Harrison
- Alcoholics Anonymous – 12 Steps
- Alcoholics Anonymous Recovery Resources – 12 Steps
- Ways to identify early signs of mental health struggles https://www.detoxrehabs.net/identify-mental-health-issues/
Eating Disorders
- Jeanine Pontes-Boelter, PhD
- Christy Harrison, RD, Author & Podcaster
- Kirsten Graves, RD in Antioch/Online
- Intuitive Eating Online Community
- Intuitive Eating Full Website
- Health at Every Size recovery approach
- Info on the Relationship Between Social Media & ED’s
- Casa Serena – Concord
- Cielo House PHP/IOP – Pleasanton
- Eating in the Light of the Moon
- The Eating Disorder Trap
- Love, Food podcast
Parents
- The Highly Sensitive Child summary and test
- Sarah Ockwell-Smith’s Blog on Baby and Child Sleep
- Simplicity Parenting
- Hunt, Gather, Parent by Michaeleen Doucleff, PhD
- Susannah Feder, PsyD in Pleasanton, San Francisco, and Telehealth
- Jeanine Pontes-Boelter, PhD in Pleasanton
- Paige Leopold, PhD in San Ramon
- Lindsey Kremmel, PhD in Pleasanton and Online
- Dora Futterman, PsyD in Pleasanton
- Veronica Purcell, LCSW
- Evolutionary Parenting with Tracy Cassels, PhD
- The Possums Institute’s Holistic Approaches to Baby Sleep & Nursing Support
- Lauren Heffernan’s Baby-Led Sleep & Wellbeing Specialists Directory
- Janet Lansbury’s Respectful Parenting Approach
- Dr. Daniel Siegel’s Developmentally-Focused Parenting Advice
- Dr. Laura Markham of Aha! Parenting
- Parenting Without Power Struggles with Susan Stiffelman MFT
- Susan Cain: Parenting Sensitive Children (a.k.a. "Orchid Children"
Grief
- Shelby Forsythia & her Coming Back podcast
- Megan Devine’s Refuge in Grief
- Dr. Alexandria Hotmer
- Grief in Common with Karyn Arnold: support groups, extensive blog, & individual coaching
- Bearing the Unbearable by Joanne Cacciatore
Relationships
- Erin Findley, PsyD
- Janice Maurer, MFT https://janicemaurer.com/ - Pleasanton
- Dora Futterman, PsyD in Pleasanton
- Julie Bjelland, LMFT – Pleasanton
- Nonviolent Communication: A Language of Life, 3rd Edition: Life-Changing Tools for Healthy Relationships (Nonviolent Communication Guides)
- The Highly Sensitive Person in Love: Understanding and Managing Relationships When the World Overwhelms You
- The Ethical Slut: A Practical Guide to Polyamory, Open Relationships & Other Adventures
- The Introvert and Extrovert in Love: Making It Work When Opposites Attract
- Introverts in Love: The Quiet Way to Happily Ever After
Family Therapy
- Mark Purcell, PsyD – San Carlos & Pleasanton
- Jeanine Pontes-Boelter, PhD in Pleasanton
- Veronica Purcell, LCSW
For Therapists & Therapy Graduate Students
- Highly Sensitive Therapist Community by April Snow, LMFT of Expansive Heart Psychotherapy
- Jesse Whittle-Utter, LMFT – Berkeley
- Psychotherapy and the Highly Sensitive Person: Improving Outcomes for That Minority of People Who Are the Majority of Clients
- Business School Bootcamp for Therapists
- The Introvert Entrepreneur: Amplify Your Strengths and Create Success on Your Own Terms
- The Practice of the Practice with Joe Sanok
- Financial Success in Mental Health Practice: Essential Tools and Strategies for Practitioners
- Self-Promotion for Introverts: The Quiet Guide to Getting Ahead
- Building Your Ideal Private Practice: A Guide for Therapists and Other Healing Professionals
- What You Never Learned In Graduate School: A Survival Guide for Therapists
Spirituality
- Dr. Alexandria “Ali” Hotmer’s Spiritual Coaching Practice
- Starhawk
- Rebecca Campbell
- The Wild & Wise with Mallika Bush, LMFT
- Tarot for the Wild Soul with Lindsay Mack: Intuitive Tarot Medicine and Spirit Led Offerings
- LonerWolf Spirituality for Introverted-Types
- Nadia Bolz-Weber
Chronic Pain or Illness
- Susannah Feder, PsyD in Pleasanton, San Francisco, and Telehealth
- Cancer Support Community, San Francisco Bay Area – Free to All
Exploring Outside of Therapy Sessions
- What To Do When Your Therapist Isn’t There: A 24/7 Guide to Coping With Life on Your Own
- Running on Empty: Overcome Your Childhood Emotional Neglect
Alternative Education
- Fusion Academy
- Village High School
- Forest Schools
- Waldorf - El Cerrito
Suicide Awareness and Hotlines
- American Foundation for Suicide Prevention
- Suicide Awareness Voices of Education
- Suicide: Read This First
Depression
- Bipolar Disorder News Pendulum.org
- Depression and How Therapy Can Help
- Depression Screening
- Depression Test, Symptoms of Depression, Signs of Depression
- Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA)
Anxiety Disorders
- Answers to Your Questions About Panic Disorder
- Single, Shy, and Looking for Love: A Dating Guide for the Shy and Socially Anxious
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
- Beyond OCD
- International OCD Foundation
- Obsessive Compulsive Information Center
- Trichotillomania Learning Center
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
- EMDR with Zaria Garden, LMFT
- National Center for PTSD
- Give an Hour for veterans and their families
- National Center for PTSD Real Warriors (U.S. Department of Defense) for veterans and their families
- The Gift From Within
- Sidran Institute
- Disaster/Trauma
Personality Disorders
- Mt. Diablo Psychological Services – DBT Groups & Individuals
- Mental Help Net Personality Disorders
- Personality Disorders Focus Adolescent Counselor Services
Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
- ADDA Attention Deficit Disorder Association
- Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, NIMH
- Born to Explore: The Other Side of ADD/ADHD
Child Abuse and Domestic Violence
- Childhelp USA
- Questions and Answers about Memories of Childhood Abuse
- The National Domestic Violence Hotline Website
- Alameda County Children & Families – Abuse Report Hotline
Developmental Disorders
Body Positive Body Work
- Deb Malkin @ Radical Being Bodywork
- Tammera Espe
- BoPo Fitness
- Decolonizing Fitness
Inpatient Treatment Programs
- John Muir Behavioral Health
- John Muir Behavioral Health
- Roger’s Behavioral Health
- La Cheim Behavioral Health Services – Oakland
- The Meadows of Wickenburg – Arizona
Medication/Supplements
- ConsumerLab independent supplement and medication testing
- Examine.com independent nutrition and supplement information
- DrugWatch.com provides up-to-date information about prescription and over-the-counter medications, including details about associated side effects.
- RecallReport.org reports on the latest drug and product recalls to keep you and your family safe.
*I include links to certain recommended books and movies via the Amazon Associates program and Julie Bjelland’s affiliate program, through which I receive a very small percentage of profits should you decide to purchase the product. Please know that I would never recommend anything to you unless I absolutely love it for its content. I also have no personal or professional desire or need for you to buy these products; I only want you to do so if it will directly benefit your life.
Associations & Institutes
- American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry
- American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy
- American Counseling Association
- American Psychiatric Association
- American Psychological Society
- Association for Contextual Behavioral Science
- Center for Mental Health Services
- Mental Health America
- National Institute of Mental Health
- National Mental Health Association
- National Eating Disorders Association
- National Sleep Foundation
- National Womens Health Resource Center
- The National Child Traumatic Stress Network
- National Alliance on Mental Illness
- Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- World Federation for Mental Health
- Pleasantonpsychologist
Diagnosis
Medication
- DrugWatch.com provides up-to-date information about prescription and over-the-counter medications, including details about associated side effects.