Hello,
I am closing my practice at the end of August and am no longer accepting new clients.
For referrals, please check out my esteemed colleagues in my Resources page.
Thank you so much!
Warm regards,
Fei
reintegrate the soul
"we cannot heal what we will not face."
mark gonzales
approach
Your life story: from your ancestors to the family you were born into, the culture and class system in which you were raised in, the gender you were assigned to, the sexual orientation you were assume to be, the benefits you received, the marginalization you experienced, the color of your skin, the physical features or mental presentation you embody, the friends or chosen families you make, the intimate partners you were with, the explorations, experimentations, confirmations, awakenings, the little joys, hopes, dreams, excitements, achievements, failures, disappointments, tragedies or traumas that affected you--- are all pivotal to how you see yourself, your worth, and how others see you.
We as humans, are social beings and our connection to one other is pivotal for our physical, emotional, and psychological safety and well-being. It may be tempting to completely depend on others to fulfill those components, or to avoid them altogether especially in times of suffering. This can take away one's personal autonomy, agency, determination or self-efficacy.
In each chapter, when a plethora of negative emotions and feelings from the past start to haunt your present, the mind and body may feel out of sorts. When the malaise consumes and reacts to your relationship to self and others, this may be your body and mind's way of voicing to you, to listen: is it time to challenge, change, reframe, resist, or interrupt?
I invite you to envision what a liberated, healthy, nourishing, and sustainable relationship with yourself could look like. What can happen when you are able to not just survive, but thrive? Then, imagine how it could be conveyed into building blocks that retrofits, adapts and reshapes your interactions with the world.
I strive to create an environment that encourages authentic communication, is trauma-informed, healing-centered, conscientious of cultural humility, inclusive and client-focused.
I receive you with compassion, warmth and humor because laughter can be, as the saying goes, the best medicine.
I will gently, but at times firmly, guide the sessions to explore concerns by inviting you to reflect from nuanced angles, deeper self-examination and cultivate a level of awareness.
Let us collaborate as a team to create a therapeutic experience with the approaches I offer, and connect it to your needs. I hope to provide a space where you can safely resource and find meaning in dismantling, unlearning, deconditioning or decolonizing what does not serve you anymore. The work itself can be fluid, structured or experiential depending on the topic.
I invite you to envision what peace, healing, growth and evolution from within can be, on your terms.
This is your story to write and your chapters to complete.
Treatment Approaches Offered
In depth Relational Cultural Psychodynamic orientation that interweaves:
Racial healing
Art therapy with somatic integration
Narrative reflection
Strength-based exploration
Object-Relation/Attachment/Family System roots
areas of focus
Individual Therapy
Adults (ages 18-55)
BIPOC Community
API Community
LGBTQIA+ Affirming
Intergenerational/historical trauma, trauma due to pressure to fit into cisnormative, heteronormative Eurocentric/Americentric ideals, immigration trauma and racial trauma that may contribute to experiences with:
Depression/ anxiety and other mental health struggles
Racial identity confusion
Vigilance around code switching
Chronic physical health concerns
Racial melancholia/Racial Dissociation
Self-worth and self-esteem issues
Body image issues: e.g. colorism, devaluing of facial features due to racial teasing, internalized weight stigma
Closeting of gender and sexual identity and expression
Stress management concerns
Burnout
Internalized oppression
Imposter syndrome
Life transition dilemmas
Identity struggles based on familial, class, gender, cultural/societal constructs
Complicated grief
Difficulty building healthy attachments
Disconnect /exclusion/ isolation
Voicelessness/invisibility
Shame/guilt
Cultural adjustment difficulties
Perpetual foreigner syndrome
Perfectionism
Addictions including self-harm and disordered eating
Domestic abuse/intimate partner abuse
Family violence
Employment or academic stress
*******************************************************************************
I also work with athletes experiencing lifestyle re-adjustments that are causing depression, anxiety, concerns regarding self-worth, self-esteem, burnout, grief, mourning or loss following injury, illness or transition in aging
Relationship Therapy
Adults (ages 18-55)
BIPOC Community
API community
LGBTQIA+ Affirming
Mixed-heritage/interracial/interethnic/multi- cultural relationship discord
Ambiguity in relationship
Intimacy concerns due to psychological, physiological, environmental and social stressors: e.g. financial, employment, physical or mental health conditions, infidelity, mid-life transitions
art therapy
Art therapy is an optional therapeutic modality that is offered as part of a session. Somatic mindfulness such as breathing, small movements, and meditation may be added to compliment the experience.
Art therapy is typically combined with traditional talk therapy. It utilizes visual art techniques such as drawing, collage, painting, craft, or writing to further encourage the mind and body to integrate through this creative process.
Topics such as trauma, depression, anxiety, or life stressors may at times be difficult to verbally articulate. Art therapy can be beneficial in processing and naming what's stuck.
Customized directives are implemented to promote deeper release of conscious or unconsciously held feelings and emotions to track the issues, assist in self-reflection and navigate the discoveries.
offerings
Experiencing individual therapy or relationship therapy is a brave step because it is not a linear process.
There may be breakthroughs one day and on another day, a more raw experience.
It could potentially take many deintegrating moments before the pieces can be reintegrated and improvement is felt.
I invite folks to be patient. Communication of feelings and emotions will be a vulnerable process that does require trust in the therapeutic collaboration, approaches offered, becoming attuned to one's intuition and being curious about investigating the origins.
Therapy is an invitation to explore the unknown or what is feared, and becoming comfortable with the uncomfortable by working with it,
rather than against it. I invite you to see my practice as a place to manage and learn more about how and what these parts mean and redefining the intent or impact these roles have in your lived experience in order to gain more insight, clarity and movement.
The healing, recovery, and reconnection journey is itself a personal commitment. Your dedication goes beyond the therapy space and should continue as an everyday practice.
I am here to walk with you and witness you on this journey.
You matter, you are validated, you are believed.
You got this.
individual therapy
50 minutes/ $150
If you are in crisis, please contact:
CRISIS SUPPORT SERVICES OF ALAMEDA COUNTY, CA
24 HOUR CRISIS LINE:
NATIONAL SUICIDE PREVENTION LIFELINE:
https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org
CRISIS TEXT LINE:
Text HOME to 741741
https://www.crisistextline.org
relationship therapy
75 minutes/ $200
In order for a safer and more fulfilling therapeutic experience, partners are invited to evaluate whether relationship therapy is a consensual agreement, or the goal of one person.
Relationship therapy is not recommended for relationships that may be experiencing domestic violence/intimate partner abuse. For more information, please see my resource page for sliding scale or free resources for survivors of domestic abuse/intimate partner abuse and survivors of sexual abuse
"i am no longer accepting the things I cannot change. I am changing the things I cannot accept.”
angela y. davis
fei da costa, lmft,atr
Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and Registered Art Therapist
Hello, my name is Fei (pronounced Fay), she/her/hers.
I obtained my Master of Arts degree at Notre Dame de Namur University in Marriage and Family Therapy with emphasis in Art Therapy.
My experience as a psychotherapist and art therapist began in 2010, ranging from a day treatment program working with adolescents, private practice setting working with a range of adult demographics, to community mental health working with adult and child survivors of domestic abuse.
As a queer East Asian cis womxn and immigrant, it shaped much of the way I analyze intersectional social constructs, power, privilege and the impacts of marginalization and invisibility.
The social justice framework, anti-racist and anti-oppression stance I developed over years in community activism (mental health advocacy, anti-racist training, and self-defense education), has been significant to my evolution as a therapist and growth as a human being.
Education is never complete and there will always be a healthy challenge to do better by remaining curious with new information, to listen, to empathize, and to be ok with not knowing, because a beginner's mind can be the most open and imaginative when it comes to envisioning positive change, no matter how big or small.
I practice martial arts and yoga as forms of self-care. These arts combined have, over time, become a way of
life, a spiritual practice, and helped inform my development as a healer and as a fighter.
“caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation, and that is an act of political warfare.”
audre lorde
f.a.q
what kind of payment do you accept?
I accept cash, check, debit, Master or Visa credit cards. Payment is always expected at the beginning of each session.
do you offer sliding scale or reduced rates?
At this time, sliding scale or reduced rates are reserved for folx of color, queer and trans folx of color or folx of color therapists in training who are unable to afford my full fee. Please inquire regarding space availability.
Please see my resource page for sliding scale and or free services available at various agencies serving Alameda County.
do you accept insurance?
I am currently only accepting referrals through Employment Assistant Program, EAP Claremont. Please inquire your employer for information.
I am an-out-of network provider for clients with insurance. A superbill (statement of service) can be provided for you to submit to your insurance. Reimbursement is dependent on your insurance policy. You are still required to pay the full fee for all services provided by me.
can sessions be once a month or bi-weekly?
Therapy is most effective when there is consistency in attendance, meaning at least once per week (with exception such as holidays or vacations). Outer predictability (as in a consistent structure or routine) is one of the many ways to create inner stability. Therefore I do not offer once a month or bi-weekly sessions.
can you provide testimony or psychological evaluation?
I do not provide services for psychological evaluation or expert testimony in contemplation of legal proceedings such as domestic violence, divorce, custody, discrimination or workers compensation cases. However, if during client treatment a situation arises where a subpoena for client records is issued, I will first hold the stance of client privilege, not releasing records unless there is client consent.
Are my sessions confidential?
The law protects client participation in therapy. Therefore the contents of client sessions are confidential. However, there are legal and ethical exceptions that would exclude confidentiality. Here are the main ones :
If a client disclosure reasonably indicates suspicion of child, older person or dependent adult abuse or neglect, it is the legal duty of the mandated reporter, meaning the therapist, to file a report to child and family services or adult protective services.
If the client communicates threats of bodily harm to self or others.
Additional considerations for clients to keep in mind: insurance, EAP, social security benefits or court mandated orders are examples that could effect confidentiality. Please check with your state, federal and or private agencies that you are obtaining benefits or services from, for clarification on your rights to confidentiality.
Do you offer teletherapy?
Teletherapy is offered on a temporary basis due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Please inquire for further information and updates.
contact
For a free 20 minute consultation, please contact me via email or phone to set up a time to chat to see if we are a good fit. I look forward to hearing from you.
(Note: Please be aware that there are inherent confidentiality risks in communicating via email. While safeguards are in place to ensure your privacy, you should not use email communication if you are concerned about any breaches of privacy that may inadvertently occur. It is advised that email correspondence be limited to logistics such as scheduling, and that identifying information be kept to a minimum)
Email and phone response will be returned within 24-48 hours
Serving South Berkeley, CA in the San Francisco Bay Area
(510) 371-0835
"if you have come here to help me, you are wasting your time. But if you have come because your liberation is bound up with mine, then let us work together."
aboriginal activists group, queensland, australia, 1970s
resources
CRISIS HOTLINES
CRISIS SUPPORT SERVICES OF ALAMEDA COUNTY, CA
24 HOUR CRISIS LINE
NATIONAL SUICIDE PREVENTION LIFELINE
https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org
CRISIS TEXT LINE
Text HOME to 741741
https://www.crisistextline.org
TRANS LIFELINE
(877) 565-8860
GLBT NATIONAL HELP CENTER
888-843-4564
SEXUAL ASSAULT HOTLINE
800-656-4673
NATIONAL DOMESTIC VIOLENCE HOTLINE
1-800-799-7233 or 1-800-787-3224 for TTY
sliding scale or free mental health resources
http://www.acphd.org/media/394696/mental-health-matrix.pdf
http://bancroft.berkeley-public.org/documents/uploads/mental_health_resources.pdf
https://www.scu.edu/media/jst/student-life/documents/sliding-scale-centers.pdf
https://alamedakids.org/resource-directory/search-resource-directory.php?by=service&id=12
https://creativegrowth.com/sliding-scale-clinic/
sliding scale or free resources for survivors of domestic abuse/intimate partner abuse and survivors of sexual abuse
http://www.acphd.org/media/88820/domestic_violence.pdf
https://centerfordomesticpeace.org
https://dv.aaci.org/bay-area-resources/
sliding scale or free older persons and disability advocacy resources
sliding scale or free health care resources
http://www.berkeleyfreeclinic.org
https://www.lifelongmedical.org
https://www.cityofberkeley.info/Health_Human_Services/Public_Health/Clinics.aspx
sliding scale or free lgbtqi+ resources
https://gaylesta.org/community-resources
http://pacificcenter.org/clinical-services/counseling-psychotherapy
https://www.sfcenter.org/resources/
http://www.queerlifespace.org/mission-statement/
https://www.oaklandlgbtqcenter.org/services
https://sf.gov/information/transgender-healthcare
https://www.ourfamily.org/resources/trans
https://www.gaypinkspots.com/event/trans-transgender-events
https://www.genderspectrum.org/we-can-help/support-groups/
sliding scale or free housing resources
https://www.achhd.org/documents/RAMP_HousingResourceGuide.pdf
http://everyonehome.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/HOUSING-RESOURCES-1.pdf
My esteemed colleagues:
(fees and services vary)
https://www.elizabethohito.com
http://www.ariellacookshonkoff.com
https://www.mackenziestuartmft.com
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists/maria-romero-jackson-oakland-ca/300447
https://eastbayplay.org/about-us.html
https://www.liberationandhealing.com/about.html
http://northoaklandtherapy.com/index/contact/
https://www.margiecohenlcsw.com
http://www.partnersinselfgrowth.com
https://www.therapywithred.com
https://www.yumiiwaicounseling.com
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists/cara-frankel-san-francisco-
https://www.sjcreativecoaching.org
https://www.jchenspeckmanlcsw.com
http://www.doorwaytherapeutics.com
https://www.sandyhuynhtherapy.com
https://berkeleyholistictherapy.org
https://leadingwithconsciousness.com
https://laura-mui.clientsecure.me
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists/elizabeth-cover-berkeley-
https://www.jchenspeckmanlcsw.com/about-jenn-quan
Additional Recommended Therapist Directories
Indigenous Land Acknowledgement
As an immigrant, I recognize that I settled on the territory of xučyun (Huichin) (Hoo-Choon), the ancestral and unceded land of the Chochenyo (Cho-Chen-yo) speaking Ohlone people, the successors of the historic and sovereign Verona Band of Alameda County.
This land was and continues to be of great importance to the Muwekma (Muh-wek-muh) Ohlone Tribe and other familial descendants of the Verona Band.
I recognize that I benefit from the use and occupation of this land. By offering this Land Acknowledgement, I affirm Indigenous sovereignty and will work to be more accountable to the needs of American Indian and Indigenous peoples.
thich nhat hanh
"peace in the world starts with peace in oneself. If everyone lives mindfully, everyone will be more healthy, feel more fulfilled in their daily lives and there will be more peace."
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