Robin Furner, MFT                    About Me

I am a licensed Marriage & Family Therapist and I have been practicing as a licensed MFT in California since 2007.  Prior to starting my private practice in Oakland, I worked as the Clinical Administration Director for Family Service Agency of Marin.   At Family Service Agency, I provided clinical supervision for interns and training in the areas of psychodynamic psychotherapy, substance abuse treatment and other topics.  I also assisted with general outpatient clinic management.  I have also worked in private practice in Kentfield, California and I worked as Clinical Director at La Familia Counseling Service in Hayward, California.

I provided clinical supervision to staff and interns at La Familia and helped facilitate clinical training.  I supervised a multi-disciplinary team providing comprehensive mental health services to clients in the local community diagnosed with serious mental health conditions. I also provided psychotherapy and other mental health services to a variety of clients while working at La Familia.  I spent eleven years participating in an intensive didactic training program focused on psychodynamic therapy, psychoanalytic theory and family therapy while working at La Familia.

I received a B.A. degree in Psychology from UC Santa Cruz in 1997 and a M.A. degree in Counseling Psychology from JFK University in 2003.   I am a member of the California Association of Marriage & Family Therapists (CAMFT), the East Bay chapter of CAMFT and I am a community member of the San Francisco Center for Psychoanalysis (SFCP).

My main area of expertise and clinical focus is psychodynamic / relational therapy with adults.  I have significant experience providing clinical supervision, training  and consultation for interns and licensed clinicians.   I also have experience providing structural family therapy, brief strategic family therapy, group therapy, harm-reduction counseling for substance abuse and addiction, intensive case management, assertive community treatment, strengths-based treatment, trauma-informed care and wellness/recovery approaches.  

I  really enjoy helping clients make changes to the patterns and obstacles that can get in the way of  their personal hopes and dreams.  I believe that therapy can help people find a greater degree of freedom in how they perceive problems and how they understand, perceive and relate to themselves and others.  I have experience working with artists, writers, musicians and others engaged in creative pursuits.  I also enjoy helping artists overcome mental health obstacles and patterns that might get in the way of artistic goals.

I  have significant experience helping clients with the following issues:

work stress
depression
anxiety
relationship stress
concerns about relationship patterns
parenting stress
career changes
co-dependence
substance abuse 
creative block
life transitions
social anxiety / social phobias
developmental trauma and complex trauma

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