Therapy for Young Adults in Oakland, CA and Online
"Who am i, and where am i going?"
Making sense of yourself, your choices, and your path forward.
Feeling Stuck, Lost, or Unsure? You’re Not Alone
Young adulthood comes with endless possibilities—but also pressure to have everything figured out. What if you’re unsure? What if the choices you’ve made don’t feel as meaningful as you hoped?
Maybe you’re questioning your major, job, or future, unsure if you’re on the right path. You might feel socially disconnected—even if you have friends, you don’t always feel seen or supported. Or you’re working hard, but to what end? You feel pressure to achieve, but aren’t sure what success even means to you.
It’s okay not to have it all figured out.
Therapy helps you find clarity, not by giving you answers, but by helping you understand yourself in a deeper way—so that your choices, relationships, and path forward feel more aligned with who you truly are.
Making space for your own way forward
Imagine moving through life with more confidence in yourself, less pressure to meet expectations, and a stronger sense of what really matters to you. Therapy isn’t about giving you a map to follow—it’s about creating space to explore what feels right, what feels true, and what feels possible.
Clarity comes from understanding, not rushing.
Therapy can help you recognize the external pressures shaping your decisions, the deeper emotions underneath your uncertainty, and the patterns that may be keeping you stuck. It’s not about rushing toward an answer—it’s about understanding yourself fully so that the next steps you take feel meaningful and real.
Therapy is a Safe Space to Explore, Reflect, and Grow
Hi, I’m Dr. Elizabeth Stuart—you can call me Elizabeth. I’m a psychiatrist and psychoanalyst, based in Oakland, offering insightful, depth-oriented therapy for young adults who want a space to slow down, be heard, and make sense of what’s weighing on them.
I help young adults in Oakland, CA, who are:
Figuring Out Who You Are
At this stage of life, you’re constantly asked, “What do you want to do?” But the bigger question might be: “Who do I want to be?” You may have spent years focused on achievement, meeting expectations, or following a certain path—without ever pausing to ask what truly matters to you.
Therapy offers a space to step back from the noise and explore what feels right for you—not just what’s been expected of you.
- Who are you when you’re not proving yourself?
- What do you value when external pressures fall away?
- What kind of life feels meaningful to you?
Together, we can explore these questions, helping you move forward with a stronger sense of self.
Navigating Relationships as You Grow
Friendships, romantic relationships, and family dynamics all shift as you grow. You might be outgrowing certain dynamics, questioning family expectations, or feeling disconnected even when surrounded by people.
Do any of these experiences feel familiar?
- Longing for deeper, more meaningful connections.
- Feeling like you’ve outgrown certain friendships or family roles.
- Struggling to break out of the same dating patterns.
In therapy, we explore how your past relationships shape your present, allowing you to build relationships that feel supportive, real, and aligned with who you’re becoming.
How Can I Support You?
I know how overwhelming it can be to hold so many questions without clear answers. But I also know that this time in life holds so much possibility—even when it feels uncertain. In therapy, you don’t have to figure it all out alone.
Together, we’ll explore the patterns shaping your choices, relationships, and sense of self—not just to analyze them, but to create real space for change.
This isn’t about finding the “right” path, but about developing a deeper trust in yourself. And because so much of this process happens in real time—in your emotions, in relationships, even in our work together—we’ll pay attention to what unfolds, allowing for new ways of moving through the world with more clarity, confidence, and ease.
Frequently Asked Questions
Therapy provides a supportive environment to explore the underlying causes of your anxiety and stress. By talking about past experiences and noticing unconscious patterns, therapy can help you gain insight into your emotional responses, leading to more effective coping strategies and lasting relief.
Absolutely. Therapy offers a space to process significant life changes, such as starting a new job, moving to a new city, or ending a relationship. By understanding the deeper emotional layers associated with these transitions, therapy can help you navigate them with greater confidence and clarity.
Therapy can help uncover the root causes of self-doubt and low self-esteem, often based in early experiences and internalized beliefs. By bringing these unconscious factors to awareness, therapy enables you to develop a more compassionate and empowered sense of self.
Yes, therapy provides a space to explore patterns in your relationships, including those with family, friends, and romantic partners. By examining these dynamics, therapy can help you understand and transform unhelpful patterns, leading to healthier and more fulfilling connections.
In therapy sessions, you’ll have the opportunity to discuss whatever is on your mind in a confidential and non-judgmental setting. The therapist will help you explore your thoughts and feelings, uncover unconscious patterns, and work collaboratively with you towards greater self-understanding and personal growth.
