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Nancy Carleton, MA, LMFT

Nancy was one of the founding interns present at the conception (in 1987) and birth (in 1988) of Blue Oak Therapy Center, and has served on its Board of Directors since receiving her MFT license in 1991. In addition to her psychotherapy practice, Nancy has over twenty-five years of experience editing books in the field of psychology, health, and spirituality, including works by bestselling authors such as Dan Millman, Lynn Andrews, John Robbins, Sanaya Roman, Terry Lynn Taylor, don Miguel Ruiz, and Deepak Chopra. She has a BA in Humanities from the University of California at Berkeley and an MA in Transpersonal Counseling Psychology from John F. Kennedy University. She was recognized by the Commission on the Status of Women as an Outstanding Woman of Berkeley in the year 2000, and has served as Chair of Berkeley’s Zoning Adjustment Board and as Vice Chair of its Parks and Recreation Commission, as well as on the boards of various nonprofits. She lives in Berkeley, California, with her dogs, rabbits, birds, and an occasional hamster, and can be contacted through her website.

Michael Murphy, MA, LMFT

Michael graduated from JFK University’s School of Holistic Studies in 1990 with an emphasis in Transpersonal Psychology. A former intern at Blue Oak Therapy Center from 1991 until his licensure in 1994, he has been in private practice in North Oakland ever since. His therapeutic approach draws from intersubjective and relational theories, as well as an interest in the application of mindfulness and Buddhist principles. Michael’s intention and hope is to assist clients with enlarging their sense of identity, placing past–often hurtful–conditioning into a context of acceptance and compassion, thus increasing the capacity for choice and presence.

Linda Haraguchi, MA, MFT

Information about Linda to come.

Adrian Reyes, MA, MFT

Information about Adrian to come.

Blue Oak Therapy Center was founded as a non-profit agency in 1987 in Berkeley. The vision of the founders was to create a counseling center in the East Bay that would serve the community. There was particular interest in serving the low-income individuals and families who were in need of psychotherapy services, but could not afford to pay licensed therapists. The creation of Blue Oak Therapy Center began when a few Marriage and Family Therapy Interns wanted to have the freedom to choose mentors and supervisors that embodied and worked from the psychological orientations that they found useful for themselves and their clients.

The founding interns also wanted to work at a place where they could maintain their relationships with clients as they became licensed therapists and shifted to private practice, rather than having to interrupt the therapy and transfer clients to other therapists, as so often happens. To stay in line with their vision, the founding members chose board members who would be supportive without a need to overly control the philosophy of the center.

Interns at Blue Oak Therapy Center take more responsibility for the running of the center than at other agencies. Rather than a top-down hierarchy where board members make policies and pass them down to interns, Blue Oak Therapy Center’s decision making process is one where interns make suggestions and requests, while the board reviews them and provides input and approval. This allows for change, fluidity, and responsiveness to the group of interns and clients who are at the center at any particular time, as long as the basic principles that Blue Oak Therapy Center was founded on are upheld.

In 1991, Blue Oak Therapy Center had become so successful that it outgrew its original space and moved to its present location on Prince Street. The large open space on the second floor was transformed into the current configuration of two waiting areas, five therapy offices, and a staff office.

Today Blue Oak Therapy Center is thriving. Our collective culture is strong and supportive. Present interns make decisions not only about the running of the center, but also about what new interns to take into the group, subject to approval from our clinical director. We look for thoughtful, heartfelt practitioners who are committed to serving and making a difference. We choose interns who are not only interested in expanding their expertise, knowledge and professionalism, but also who have a desire to be there for each other and the East Bay community we serve.

Blue Oak Therapy Center is deeply committed to supporting and participating in charitable activities in the Bay Area. One of the ways in which we support our community is through charitable donations to local organizations. Blue Oak Therapy Center gives a monthly donation to local community organizations. The following organizations are amongst those we have given to:

Bay Area Women Against Rape

Provides support services and a crisis hotline to women who have been sexually assaulted or abused.

Berkeley Youth Alternatives

Provides comprehensive services to children, youth and their families in South and West Berkeley and Oakland.

The Center

A San Francisco non-profit, which provides programs and services for the LGBT community; their mission is to unite and give visibility to this community, and to organize and plan for its political and cultural future.

Zen Hospice Project

Provides collaborative services and end-of-life care as well as trains and supports volunteer care-givers.