Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist
Berkeley Office
510/527-2100
It is a total privilege for me to work with you as your therapist. To share in your life in this way, and to assist you to heal old wounds and create new lives, is a collaborative process that is a gift for both of us. I know from my own life experience as a husband for more than 30 years and a father, and from working as a therapist with countless others, that we have the capacity to change and grow, to resolve and heal the issues that haunt us.
As Co-Director of the Center for Creative Growth and one of the Center’s senior therapists, I bring to my work with you more than 40 years experience as a therapist, counselor, and family business/organizational consultant. Licensed as a therapist in California since 1976, and a member of the Center’s staff since 1986, I provide expert and professional counseling and consultation with a specialty in these areas:
- Anxiety and depression
- Reclaiming and healing your inner child
- Grief, loss, and transition
- Addictive and compulsive behavior
- Pre-marital, marriage, and relationship counseling
- Adult men and women molested or incested as children
- Alcohol and drug dependency intervention
- Integrating 12-step work and therapy
- Shame and the inner critic
- Codependency
- Family issues with adult children
- Men’s issues
- Multicultural relationships
- Couples/Family therapy
- Spiritual growth
- Family business and organizational consultation
I’ve been trained by the John Bradshaw Center in state-of-the-art counseling methods pioneered and popularized by John Bradshaw, which focus on addressing and resolving the painful legacies of growing up in an abusive, dysfunctional, or enmeshed family. During my forty-year professional career, I’ve been trained in today’s most effective and innovative therapy methods including Psychodrama, Hakomi method, Contextual Therapy, Group Therapy for Adult Children of Alcoholics, Self-Acceptance Training, and others.
Demonstrated Record of Professional Excellence
As an author, Organizational/Business Consultant, TV Host, and Recognized Expert, I’ve:
- Published in professional journals and popular newspapers and magazines.
- Appeared as a mental health and recovery expert on national and San Francisco Bay Area television news and radio shows.
- Created and hosted cable-TV series, “The Community Health Connection,” a series of 10 half-hour episodes to promote community mental health and well-being.
- Editor, Journal for Psychological and Spiritual Integration (1991-96)
Family Business/Organizational Consulting
In addition to therapy services, I’ve provided breakthrough consultation and facilitated successful resolution of interpersonal conflicts in business settings ranging from large corporations such as Nextel to private professional practices and various kinds of family businesses. Over the years, I have has served as a consultant to CEOs of multi-million dollar enterprises. I actually grew up working in my own multi-generational extended family-owned hotel business, which was run by a group of siblings and their spouses, as well as their elderly parents. I know first-hand the difficulties and tensions that can arise when family members join together to run a successful family endeavor.
In my 40 years as a California licensed therapist and family business/organizational consultant, I’ve has also spent many years serving as an executive director, manager, and administrator in health-care related corporate settings. As a business consultant and seasoned family therapist, I combine a deep understanding of human relationships with practical and concrete problem-solving skills to rapidly resolve family business and organizational challenges.
Want to see what I can do for your family business, company, or organization? Take a look at a letter we received from Nextel Communications after I worked with one of their engineering teams.
My Guest Appearance on National Public Radio
I appeared as a guest expert on National Public Radio’s “Talk of the Nation” radio broadcast on December 17, 2003. The topic of that day’s program was on “ Family Secrets.” In this broadcast, the host of “Talk of the Nation,” Neal Conan and guests talked about the power of secrets: how families mask them, and the difference between keeping things private versus keeping things secret.
During the 20 minutes that I appeared on the broadcast, I shared my perspective on the potentially damaging and shaming effects of family secrets, and I responded to questions from callers around the country. Many people who heard this broadcast have told us that they found it extremely helpful in dealing with the negative effects of family secrets in their own lives. They found the callers’ questions and my responses and comments useful, relevant, and illuminating. To listen to the full audio of this broadcast on the National Public Radio website, please click on this link.
Education and Professional Affiliation
Master’s Degree in Clinical Psychology, Sonoma State University, 1975
Clinical Member, California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists
What My Therapy Clients Say About Me
“I found your professionalism, patience and warmth in working with us (as a couple) quite remarkable. In fact, you provided me with the most wonderful therapeutic opportunity I have ever experienced (and I’ve seen MANY therapists over the years). I would recommend you to anyone who needs a nurturing, insightful and experienced therapist. You are the best!”
“This guy knows what he is doing…I feel I have a very good resource to return to.”
“Jason is an excellent group facilitator and even in individual sessions, he does not ‘let you off the hook.’ You’re there to work and he gives you your money’s worth. He’s very insightful, caring and supportive.”
“Jason was/is wonderful. Great presenter. So in tune with the group and with each of us individually. I always felt very nurtured by him. Able to give so much.”
“Outstanding ability to ‘hear’ and make others feel heard.”
“Jason was very effective. Listens well, models well. I felt at ease with him.”
“…Many of the changes that have allowed me to enter into and understand healthy relationships with a woman resulted from our time together. The men’s group you founded and facilitated was one of the primary catalysts for the aspects of myself that I am most proud of…let this letter and its intent serve to honor you and the influence of your work on my life. Thank you for teaching me how to love more profoundly and for being a compassionate, innovative and masculine role model. You have my gratitude.”
“Absolutely one of the most skillful, compassionate therapists I have ever seen work…he was extremely perceptive and intuitive in working with clients’ personal affect and issues. I personally felt seen, valued, respected, and very supported by him. It was a pleasure to have his help.”
“I’m deeply impressed by the quality of Jason’s work and the person he is. He helped me a lot.”
“Jason is the best therapist I have ever worked with; I’ve had 3 or 4 previously. He has a great ability to be with people and their pain and still keep the larger picture…in mind. He was always kind, gentle, firm, and loving. Jason is the consummate professional.”
“Words cannot truly express what Jason did for me. His love and understanding carried me on a journey that returned my spiritual self and taught me to recognize the origin of some of my problems in my life.”
“Strengths include his ability to be so incredibly present, so validating and nurturing, yet clear of his own boundaries. He’s an excellent speaker, teacher, and educator, very thorough in thought and presentation…he has a gentleness about him that makes him feel very safe.”
What People Say They Gained From Their Therapy With Me
“I am not afraid of my feelings now…I see my life and my story clearer, hence I feel better about myself…before, I thought there was something wrong with me…I am more and more open to change.”
“I think it had the effect of releasing more denial and allowed me to open my heart to my self, in understanding what I have been through.”
“The ability to control my life; learning that I am not responsible for other people’s feelings unless I have abused them in some way; how to lead my life from a spiritual center rather than an intellectual analysis of what should or shouldn’t be done.”
“I got what I wanted and more…I wanted a means to learn how to put the past behind me, I wanted to learn better coping tools, and communication skills, and what I learned…will enable me to continue to grow in this way throughout my life…I wanted to build a good life with my husband, child, baby to be, and self, and now I know that this is possible…I feel like a new woman.”
“I also wanted to really thank you for all your support and guidance with my boyfriend. I felt very in tune with your strategies and the end result (breaking up with him) was what really needed to happen. I was so incredibly miserable and felt my spark fading fast. I almost feel guilty for seeming so gleeful, however my life is open to move toward a bright and welcoming future.”