Therapy for Highly Sensitive People in Oakland, CA
Somatic therapy for people who feel deeply, in person in Oakland and online across California and Minnesota
Some people are born sensitive. Some became sensitive to survive, growing up somewhere reading the room kept them safe. Most are both.
Either way, you feel deeply, notice everything, and care a lot. Your sensitivity isn’t the problem. The problem is that you’ve spent years managing it on your own, or being told to toughen up.
The world asks you to toughen up.
Your sensitivity has asked you to slow down and listen.
Many highly sensitive people seek counseling because they’re:
Overwhelmed by emotions or sensory input
Exhausted from carrying others’ needs
Struggling with burnout or compassion fatigue
Feeling “too much” or “not enough”
Overthinking or feeling pressure to perform
Disconnected from their own needs
Longing for deeper connection and ease
None of this means you’re too much. It means you’ve been carrying a lot without the right support.
Meet Rachel
I'm Rachel Wilson, LCSW, C-IAYT, a somatic trauma therapist and certified yoga therapist in Oakland. Before private practice, I spent years in juvenile halls, schools, and community organizations, places where sensitivity was treated as a liability and, at the same time, was exactly what was needed.
With those young people and every client since, I've seen what happens when sensitivity is protected instead of punished: people come alive.
I'm honest, a little silly, and I'll stay with you while we sort out what's yours to protect and what's ready to change. You don't have to become less sensitive to feel steadier.
Therapy that works with your sensitivity, not against it
Born sensitive, sensitive to survive, or both. Some sensitivity is temperament: you came in noticing more, feeling more, needing more quiet. Some is learned: you grew up somewhere that reading every face kept you safe. They can feel identical from the inside, but they need different things. We sort out which is which, so we can protect what's simply how you're built and soften what was only ever about survival.
Capacity, not toughening up. You've probably been told to grow a thicker skin. That's not the goal. The goal is a nervous system that can feel a lot without getting flooded or shutting down. This is where my yoga therapy training comes in: breath, movement, and small practices you can use after a crowded event, before a hard conversation, or when you're lying awake replaying the day.
Energy is practical, not woo. If you're scanning every room and absorbing everyone's moods, you've spent a day's worth of energy before lunch. So we get specific: which places, people, and tasks drain you, how much recovery you actually need, and what fills you back up. Most sensitive people have been ignoring their limits for years. Building a life that fits how you're wired isn't indulgent. It's maintenance.
Knowing where you end. When you feel other people's feelings this strongly, it's hard to tell what's yours. We work on that at the body level, so a boundary becomes something you can feel, not just something you know you should set. That's what makes "no" possible without the guilt spiral.
Your depth is welcome here, and I'll still be honest. You won't be told you're too much. You also won't get endless reassurance. I'll notice when you're managing my feelings, or explaining something beautifully instead of feeling it, and I'll gently name it. That's often where things start to shift.
The world shapes what sensitivity costs you. Whether your sensitivity was allowed depends a lot on your family, culture, gender, and how much power you had. Some people got to be "artistic" or "intuitive." Others got called weak, dramatic, or a problem. We name that, so you're not carrying the blame for a world that rewards toughness.
And it's not all heavy. Feeling deeply means feeling the good things deeply too: music, beauty, connection, a really good laugh. Part of this work is making more room for that.
What becomes possible
Getting overwhelmed less often, and coming back to yourself faster when you do
Less sensory overload and burnout
Boundaries you can actually hold, without the guilt spiral
Feeling calm and clear in your own body
Relationships where you're seen, not just needed
More room for joy, rest, and being yourself
How to Get Started
1) Book a free consultation.
A 15-minute call to see if we're a good fit. Ask me anything.
2) Fill out a little paperwork.
Quick online forms, so our first session is all about you.
3) Begin our work together.
We start where you are and build from there, at your pace.