My name is Allison Berwald, LCSW and I am a psychotherapist and consultant with 15+ years of experience specializing in the LGBTQIA+ community and folks of marginalized identities due to structural oppression. I am a neurodivergent (ADHD), straight, white, femme cis-woman and anti-zionist Jew, as well as defender of most vulnerable living things.

I am psychodynamically trained with a liberation-oriented, anti-oppressive lens. My approach is relational, which centers the idea that we are shaped by our social environment and understands the therapeutic relationship as a tool for healing. I encourage compassionate connection with oneself and others to support the difficult work of facing psychic burdens people often cope with alone for years before seeking support. Some of the ways I work with clients is to create a safe, trusting space to freely explore their identities within the context of their specific circumstances, become aware of unconscious links between past and present, identify interpersonal needs and ways to assert boundaries, understand the impact of systemic oppression and intergenerational trauma, and foster a personal sense of autonomy. I have extensive experience supporting folks who are questioning their gender or sexual identity, navigating a transphobic/queerphobic/white supremacist world as a queer/trans/NB person, and/or pursuing gender affirming care to meet eligibility requirements and provide advocacy. I work with people across the spectrums of non-monogamy, sex work, asexuality/aromanticism, and kink. In both private practice and previous community-based work, I have worked with individuals and families dealing with racial trauma, homelessness/housing instability, immigration issues, religious oppression, persistent mental illness, chronic illness, sexual trauma, and medical discrimination.

I take my role as a psychotherapist very seriously, and also naturally use humor to explore and connect. When you are in the room with me, you will find someone who is deeply interested in your inner world, wants to help you learn about yourself, and is intentional in understanding how my identities (particularly the privileged ones) are experienced by my clients. I will gently challenge avoidance by uplifting personal agency, and see conflict as an opportunity for growth and connection. Therapy needs to be a safe space to be messy and broken, but can also be used for playful curiosity and creativity.