MFT
Emily Berner, LMFT (MFT81533) is an expert in pediatric anxiety, OCD, and related disorders, and she now focuses on parent-based interventions for these problems. After more than a decade working directly with kids and teens, Emily came to see that children and adolescents get well and stay well when the whole family system is healthy, which often means making changes at the parent level. She also recognized that parents of these children often struggle profoundly themselves, and they don’t always have the support or tools to encourage change in their child while accepting their child for who they are. Her favorite parent-based treatment is SPACE, or Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions. Emily was a member of the first international cohort to receive certification in SPACE through the Yale Child Study Center’s Anxiety and Mood Disorders Program, and she now partners with their team to provide consultation to other therapists learning SPACE treatment.
An Oakland native, Emily completed her undergraduate degree at the University of California, Santa Barbara, and attended graduate school at the University of Hawaii and at Cal State East Bay. Emily has extensive training and experience treating a wide range of problems in children, adolescents, and adults including OCD, depression, perfectionism, social anxiety, separation anxiety, generalized anxiety, panic disorder, agoraphobia, specific phobias, ADHD, and struggles with intense emotions and behaviors. She draws on many evidence-based treatments including cognitive behavioral therapy, exposure plus response prevention, acceptance and commitment therapy, mindfulness, self-compassion, dialectical behavioral therapy, and behavior modification. Her first priority is the relationship she builds with her clients and she brings her core values of compassion, collaboration, humility, and humor to her work.
Aside from her clinical practice, Emily enjoys presenting at national conferences on topics related to pediatric OCD and parenting anxious children. She stays current on treatment advances and remains an active member of her professional community. At home, Emily is a parent herself and finds parenting the best and most humbling job of all. She and her family live in the East Bay and love spending time camping and exploring California in their 1995 Toyota campervan. Emily is also an avid yoga practitioner and recently completed her 200 hour yoga teacher training.
If you’re interested in SPACE treatment with Emily or you’re a parent of a child who’s struggling (and you’re struggling yourself), please inquire for Emily’s availability.
Emily Berner, MFT (she/her/hers)
Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist MFT81533
San Francisco Bay Area Center for Cognitive Therapy
5464 College Ave Suite C Oakland, CA 94618
510-652-4455 ext 5