Kruti Patel, South Asian therapist based in Oakland, California

As a second generation South Asian American, I understand the challenges of navigating mental health stigma within our family and community. It can feel isolating and painful. I have seen how therapy can be an opportunity to explore life experiences and find moments to reconnect with yourself and be seen and heard. Allowing for one to discover their path to a more meaningful and fulfilling life with freedom. 

I’ve refocused my work to specialize in perinatal experiences, such as navigating medical systems and birth trauma, and the lived experiences of adult children of immigrants. The way these experiences show up in relationships, work, school and the birthing experience, can create a story that may not be ours alone. My hope is that your voice can find it’s way through.

For the past 15 years, I’ve provided psychotherapy and art therapy to individuals, couples, and families of all ages throughout the San Francisco Bay Area, focusing primarily in trauma work. I’ve had the privilege of working with multi-generational, cross-cultural, and diverse families and I continue to deepen my knowledge in perinatal mental health, somatic based therapies, and art therapy.

When I’m not working, I’m practicing at a ceramics studio, pushing around a paintbrush, reconnecting with friends (because we all know the pandemic took a toll on all of us), or playing with my two young kids and partner on a playground or hiking trail.