You can take back control of your life.

Therapy for long lasting change.

Dara Javid: Specializing in the treatment of depression, anxiety, and family conflict—available in person in Berkeley and via telehealth across California.

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Mahdieh “Dara” Javid, JD, MA, LMFT

Thoughtful, in-depth psychotherapy

I am a licensed psychotherapist providing therapy to individuals, families, and groups throughout California. My style is frank. I believe that being honest is the kindest, most compassionate way to treat people—and that it brings about powerful healing and change. I work primarily with three groups:

  1. Professional Iranian-Americans who find themselves unhappy, even though they’ve done “everything they were supposed to”

  2. Individuals and families struggling with painful dynamics and feeling there is little or no hope for change

  3. Adult survivors of childhood abuse—physical, sexual, and psychological

Before becoming a therapist, I worked as a human rights attorney. I documented the stories of people who had endured torture and

government persecution in preparation for legal proceedings. I have heard the darkest places a person can be. And I also know the many ways the psyche bends to protect us from the unbearable. I know the path to healing—because I have walked it myself.

If you’re considering working with me, I think it’s important to know this: I believe mainstream U.S. culture is largely trauma-phobic. It tends to view those who’ve experienced significant trauma as permanently damaged, fragile, or incapable of living full lives. My perspective is different. Building on the work of Avgi Saketopoulou, I see trauma not as an endpoint, but as a potential site of becoming. Many people in the world have emerged through trauma—not untouched, but anew. I work from the belief that what we’ve lived through can be metabolized into meaning, complexity, and, not infrequently, as strength.

I work with busy people seeking real change.

  • We offer individual therapy as a one-on-one space to explore challenges, gain insight, and support you in creating a life that is meaningful to you.

  • We offer family therapy to support families in addressing conflicts, improving communication, and building stronger, healthier connections.

  • We offer group therapy as aunique opportunity for connecting with others facing similar struggles, fostering insight, and healing in a shared space.

We listen. We collaborate. We stay with you.

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Real care takes time. We take time.

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We listen. We collaborate. We stay with you. — Real care takes time. We take time. —