Janet

Janet Kass

Licensed Clinical Social Worker

“My practice is of psychoanalytically-informed psychodynamic psychotherapy. I'm also trained in somatic approaches: Sensorimotor Psychotherapy and Somatic Experiencing. I've studied Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction with Jon Kabat-Zinn, have workshopped (but not trained) in Internal Family Systems, and other modalities. My orientation to psychotherapy is to work through emotional, experiential, and somatically-based patterning without bypassing the power of understanding and mindful awareness to transform the suffering rooted in conditioned conscious and unconscious beliefs.”

About Me

Self-understanding and exploration of personality -- how we develop, how we learn to experience the world and our individual self -- has been a path for me through my life. I've been in practice since 1986, and find it as compelling now as it was at the beginning of my practice. My practice has evolved as I have grown, cognitively, emotionally, spiritually. My view has been expanded by the rich material of psychoanalytic study, spiritual path, my clients, and working through my own experience of everyday life.

Approach

Therapy, to me, is the process of exploring the developmental imprints that interferes with the freedom to feel more spontaneously and understand more deeply. Psychodynamic therapy explores the emergence of personality through processing early experiences, which result in our developing structures -- both creative and defensive -- that are meant to protect our vulnerability, but also lead to restrictions in our capacity to feel or perceive what actually is happening in the moment. A more expansive awareness of self and world opens up through talk, through observing emotional reactions and somatic patterns, and through exploring the therapeutic relational field.
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Basic Information

In-person & Online

Services

I'm a seasoned therapist and have worked with people experiencing depression, anxiety, grief, life transitions, feelings of meaninglessness, relational stress, and who wish to be more free. My decades of work have convinced me that we have an innate desire and capacity to find our way past the habits, beliefs, and inner structures that sometimes seem to take over our lives. I believe in the power of insight-oriented talk therapy to expand understanding, and its potential is realized when compassion and mindful presence informs the work we will do together.

Services Offered:

  • Mindfulness

    The practice of paying deliberate attention to the present moment without judgement, used to reduce stress and increase awareness of automatic reactions.

    Learn more about Mindfulness
  • Individual Therapy

    One-on-one therapy sessions between a client and a therapist, focused on that person's specific concerns and goals.

    Learn more about Individual Therapy
  • Psychodynamic Therapy

    A therapy that explores how past experiences and unconscious patterns shape current feelings, relationships, and behaviour.

    Learn more about Psychodynamic Therapy
  • Somatic Psychotherapy

    A form of therapy focused on the connection between mind and body, using body awareness and movement to release held tension, trauma, and emotion.

Works With:

  • Adults
  • Couples

Area of Expertise

Scope of Practice:

  • Life Transitions

    Major life changes, such as relocation, retirement, parenthood, or career shifts, that disrupt routine and require psychological adjustment.

    Learn more about Life Transitions
  • Anxiety

    Persistent worry, nervousness, or fear that is disproportionate to the situation and interferes with daily functioning.

    Learn more about Anxiety
  • Relationship Issues

    Difficulties in romantic relationships, including communication problems, trust breakdowns, conflict patterns, or uncertainty about the relationship's future.

    Learn more about Relationship Issues
  • Mood Disorder

    A category of mental health conditions, including depression and bipolar disorder, in which a person's emotional state is significantly and persistently disrupted.

    Learn more about Mood Disorder
  • Self-Esteem

    A person's overall sense of their own worth and value. When chronically low, it can drive self-doubt, avoidance, and difficulty in relationships.

    Learn more about Self-Esteem

Professional Title:

  • Licensed Clinical Social Worker

    A social worker licensed to provide clinical therapy, diagnosis, and treatment for mental health conditions.

Credentials

Registrations

California Board of Behavioral Sciences

Licensed Clinical Social Worker

Qualifications

Syracuse University

Service Areas

Janet Kass, LCSW

In-person & Online

South Berkeley

Berkeley, California

United States

South Berkeley, Berkeley, United States