Alexis Petrakis, Psy.D

Across my 15 years working in the field of psychology I have had the privilege of providing mental health care as a school-based therapist in elementary and high schools, an evaluator for psychodiagnostic assessment, supervisor and individual and family therapist. I have conducted services in various outpatient settings as well as the hospital and emergency department at UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland, where I completed my internship as well as post-doctoral training years. After finalizing my license, I worked for four years in Glendale and Inglewood providing therapy services in community mental health clinics and participated in the APA internship and training program as a supervisor. Returning to the Bay Area was always a goal for me and my family and for three and half years I provided mental health care to children, youth and families at the Kaiser Permanente Marin-Sonoma Department of Psychiatry before starting here at PsychStrategies.

My approach to therapy begins with an attachment, psychodynamic, and relational framework and incorporates behavioral interventions to achieve specific goals. Co-creating a space in which all parties feel respected and understood is one of my core values and will always be my intention. As an integrative therapist, it is exciting to find various ways of approaching the mental health needs of my patients. For instance, it has been rewarding to integrate Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Dialectical Behavior Therapy and Gender Affirming Therapy into my practice. I have a particular passion for supporting the LGBTQIA community and am a current WPATH member (wpath.org) with training on providing competent therapy for youth and their families as well as young adults as they navigate their gender and identity. I have expertise as a generalist psychologist, working with issues such as anxiety, depression, gender and sexuality, parenting, family relationships, feminist psychology, externalizing behaviors, self-harm, trauma, health psychology and adjustment to life stressors. I offer individual, family, and parent coaching therapy services and am privileged to share community with all of you.