More About Christy

Christy started her career working with children and families. She believes that in order to make sustainable change in the life of a child, it often takes a village - caregivers, educators and adults in a child’s life are a part of the therapeutic process. She works to ensure a child is successful at home, in school and in other significant environments. Her areas of expertise include working with children and teens with selective mutism, social anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), autism, ADHD, oppositional defiant disorder and developmental delays. She has helped develop and lead nationally-recognized, therapeutic programs for young children and teenagers with selective mutism, anxiety and ADHD.

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Christy also finds great joy in working with adults struggling with relationship issues, acculturation challenges, life transitions, and body image/food challenges. Also a 200-hour certified yoga instructor, Christy knows mental health is connected to every aspect of our self and our community, including our relationship with and awareness of our body. Christy incorporates mindfulness and the mind-body connection in her work, especially when supporting individuals with eating disorders and body and food challenges. As a first generation immigrant and a bay area native, Christy is familiar with how intersectional identities and culture play a role in mental health. She especially connects with womxn of color and is in the process of developing a wellness group devoted to womxn thriving. 

​In addition to her years of experience  providing individual and family counseling, Christy partners with corporations to provide wellness and social justice based workshops and trainings. In this work she incorporates evidence-based wellness interventions to support employees in showing up to work as their best self.  She has partnered with several companies and organizations along the West Coast to incorporate mental health and social equity values into their structure and practices. 

Outside of the therapy room, Christy loves to spend time with her family and stay active, whether it’s hiking in the Marin Headlands or running marathons in the redwoods of California.

About Daphne

Daphne Ng is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, who earned her Master’s degree in Counseling Psychology from Santa Clara University and her Bachelor’s degree from the University of California San Diego. She is a first-generation Asian-American, and she is passionate about working with acculturation issues around loss, emotional attunement, racial trauma, intergenerational shame, and achievement-focused stress. 

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Daphne is also a Certified Grief Recovery Specialist and aspires to normalize talking about grief, which is a natural emotional response to loss. There are over forty kinds of loss, including loss of trust and loss of a home, and Daphne works with clients to lessen the pain of their loss without diminishing its significance.

Daphne’s path as a therapist started on the receiving end as a client herself, and she recognizes that asking for help is hard and receiving it may be harder still. She supports clients in a non-stigmatizing, trauma-informed approach, and her priority is to facilitate a brave and compassionate space where clients can show up and get unstuck through this process. Her clinical experience includes providing individual and group therapy to kids and teens in school-based settings and residential care, facilitating workshops for teens on the intersectionality of their cultural identities and mental health, parent coaching, and providing individual and family therapy in community-based agencies. 

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About Amesha

Amesha Smith is an Associate Clinical Social Worker who enjoys working with people who are in need of support during challenging moments in their life. She attained her MSW from the University of Southern California and then worked in a transitional agency for foster care youth. From this experience, she gained in-depth clinical knowledge and a passion for working with children, families, and young adults. 

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Amesha has spent the last several years practicing within the Oakland School District as a mental health clinician. She has worked with children, families, and school staff providing individualized counseling and group counseling. She has also advocated for families with IEP and 504 plans to help support the emotional and educational growth of children in communities. Her areas of expertise include working with children, families and teens dealing with anxiety, depression, self-esteem/self-image, parenting support, grief/loss, and ADHD. She enjoys incorporating art techniques and mindfulness, while utilizing cognitive behavioral therapy techniques to help support positive outcomes for her clients. 

As a woman of color, Amesha identifies with the stressors of the world, and understands that “adulting” comes with it’s own challenges. She understands that everything from family, childhood trauma, work-life balance, finances, relationships and weight/ self-image can negatively impact everyday life. Although it can be difficult to navigate and manage these stressors, it’s not impossible. Amesha takes a holistic approach, working with every aspect of the individual and making it possible to confidently bring your “whole self” to work and life. She provides a safe confidential space that is able to support you and that is catered to your lifestyle.