Align. Heal. Live Fully.
Therapy, Counseling and Consulting Services in Alameda, CA
“A journey of 1,000 miles, begins with just one step.”
-Lao Tzu- Tao Te Ching
Grounded in mindfulness, compassion, and cultural awareness, Aligned Therapy & Wellness offers integrative psychotherapy that supports healing, resilience, and growth.
We focus on creating a safe, collaborative space where clients can explore life’s challenges and reconnect with their inner wisdom.
Welcome, I’m Susan
I help individuals across the lifespan who are navigating life transitions, questioning their identity, or feeling stuck in patterns shaped by cultural, familial, or internalized narratives. My work supports those who long to trust themselves, live more fully, and move through fear with courage and self-compassion.
My approach blends evidence-based practices with mindfulness and somatic techniques, all rooted in compassion, authenticity, and collaboration. I believe healing begins with connection - to ourselves, others, and the world around us.
If you’re looking for a welcoming, grounded space to begin your journey, I’d be honored to walk alongside you. Click the button below to learn more about me.
What I Offer
Individual Counseling
Individual therapy designed to meet you where you are - personalized support for all ages.
Family Counseling
Family therapy tailored to your unique dynamics - supporting connection, communication, and growth at every stage.
Wellness Groups
Wellness groups that foster connection, insight, and growth - because healing doesn’t have to happen alone.
Supervision
Reflective supervision and mentoring for clinicians, educators, and care providers - offering a grounded space to grow your practice, deepen self-awareness, and stay connected to the heart of your work.
Consultation
Consultation rooted in experience and cultural attunement - offering thoughtful guidance for individuals, families, educators, and organizations navigating care and development.
Guidance For Life’s Challenges
We all encounter moments when life feels overwhelming or out of alignment. Whether you're navigating a major transition, coping with intense emotions, or feeling stuck in patterns that no longer serve you, you're not alone. I offer compassionate, evidence-based support to help you move toward healing, growth, and a life that reflects your values.
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OCD involves unwanted, intrusive thoughts, sensations or images (obsessions) and repetitive behaviors or mental acts (compulsions) that are engaged in order to reduce distress. While everyone experiences intrusive thoughts, those with OCD can feel trapped in exhausting cycles that disrupt daily life.
How I help: I use Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) - the gold-standard treatment for OCD - along with mindfulness and ACT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy) to help you build tolerance to discomfort and regain a sense of freedom
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Anxiety disorders - including panic attacks, phobias, body focused repetitive behaviors, illness anxiety, and social anxiety - can hijack your thoughts, body, and confidence.
How I help: I offer exposure therapy, including interoceptive exposure for panic symptoms, paired with ACT tools like defusion and values-based work to help you shift your relationship to anxiety and live more fully.
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Depression can bring feelings of hopelessness, disconnection, and loss of motivation. You may feel stuck, numb, or unable to enjoy the things that once mattered.
How I help: I integrate behavioral activation, motivational interviewing, parts work from an Internal Family Systems perspective, and mindfulness and self-compassion based approaches to support you in reconnecting with what matters and cultivating energy for change.
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Trauma can fundamentally change how we view ourselves and the world. Whether from a single event, cumulative experiences or ancestral origin, symptoms like hypervigilance, avoidance, and flashbacks can take a deep toll.
How I help: I offer cultural and trauma-informed care that includes nervous system regulation, mindfulness, and somatic practices. I also use structured evidence-based approaches like Prolonged Exposure (PE) and Written Exposure (WE) therapy to support healing.
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Changes in work, relationships, health, or identity can leave us feeling ungrounded or uncertain. Even welcomed transitions can bring stress. Becoming a new parent, facing aging, injury or illness in oneself or loved ones, a career change or an empty nest - all can impact your sense of equilibrium and make you feel off center.
How I help: I take a relational, values-based approach to help you reflect, realign, and take meaningful and committed action. I offer individual, collateral and family therapy. We explore what matters most and co-create a path toward balance and intentional living. -
Behavior is shaped by environments. In schools and family systems, success depends on understanding the full context and working to build trust, understanding and finding shared values and goals among all stakeholders of the system.
How I help: I offer reflective, relationship-based consultation to educators, caregivers, and school teams. Through observation, collaboration, and team meetings, we develop strategies rooted in cultural humility and trauma-informed care and developmental science.