Anke Kalaiah, LMFT
Stress, Anxiety
Relationship issues
Family conflicts
Trauma and abuse
Depression
Video
Phone
Live Chat
Messaging
About me
Hello there! Welcome to the pages of better help, and welcome to my counselor profile. My name is Anke Kalaiah, I am a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, and it is my pleasure to be able to introduce myself to you.
This year has been extremely tough for so many of us. Anxiety and depression seem to be on an all-time high. Every week or even every day seems to bring on some other uncertainty and challenge - from Pandemics to economic struggles, societal unrest, natural catastrophes like fires and storms, and questions about how to juggle all of our different responsibilities: working from home, caring for others and teaching our children. It seems to become more and more difficult to be able to find security and plan ahead, while at the same time self-care is becoming more important than ever before. All of these issues can feel very overwhelming, and it can feel like we have so many things on our plate that we do not even know where to start. Many people are experiencing sleeplessness, mood changes, stress related issues, relational stress and maybe even somatic symptoms like chronic headaches or pains brought on by the current circumstances.
In this challenging situation having a counselor available to reach out and to connect with from the comfort and safety of your own home, 7 days per week can be extremely helpful. I congratulate you for having been brave enough to take the first step in reaching out for help, and I'm looking forward to getting in contact with you to learn more about your individual situation and to assess together and collaboratively with you how I might be able to be of assistance.
I have a Bachelor degree in German and Socialpsychology from Ruhr University in Bochum (Germany,) and as an immigrant myself I am very familiar with issues related to immigration, expats, multicultural families and difficulties related to cultural assimilation. I completed my Masters degree in Counseling Psychology at Santa Clara University in CA in 2011, and I received my license as a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in 2014. I have in total over 12 years of clinical experience with clients in a variety of clinical settings, and I have worked with a wide array of clients from diverse cultural backgrounds and all age groups. My focus within the last years has been Trauma and Abuse, Domestic Violence, Sexual Abuse, as well as Family and Marital Conflict, Divorce, Coparenting Problems, Blended Families and Parenting Problems.
My approach to therapy is eclectic. I draw on a variety of therapeutic approaches and modalities to be able to provide my clients with tools and skills that they can use to be able to better master the challenges that they are facing. I work from a client centered perspective, which means that I believe that clients are the best experts on their own lives and should be able to determine the direction and depth of therapy. I utilize a strengths-based and solutions-focused lens to guide my clients in identifying strengths and developing treatment plans that accomplish their goals. Through Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), I assist clients in exploring relationships among thoughts, feelings, and behaviors to aid in discovering dysfunctional thought patterns leading to self-destructive behaviors and beliefs. Using Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), I support clients through developing skills: mindfulness, distress tolerance, interpersonal effectiveness, and emotion regulation with the goal of moving clients towards a life involving the capacity for experiencing joy and freedom.
Please reach out to me any time. I am looking forward to working with you.
Professional experience
12yrs in practice
Additional areas of focus: Addictions, LGBT, Grief, Intimacy-related issues, Parenting issues, Anger management, Self esteem, Bipolar disorder, Coping with life changes, Compassion fatigue, Adoption and Foster Care, Attachment Issues, Blended Family Issues, Codependency, Communication Problems, Coping with Natural or Human-Caused Disaster, Divorce and Separation, Domestic Violence, Drug and Alcohol Addiction, Expats, Family of Origin Issues, Family Problems, First Responder Issues, Immigration Issues, Infidelity, Isolation/Loneliness, Jealousy, Life Purpose, Mood Disorders, Multicultural Concerns, Panic Disorder and Panic Attacks, Polyamory / Nonmonogamous Relationships, Postpartum Depression, Post-traumatic Stress, Pregnancy and Childbirth, Process addiction (porn, exercise, gambling), Sex Addiction, Sexual Assault and Abuse, Sexuality, Social Anxiety and Phobia, Women's Issues, Workplace Issues, Young Adult Issues
Clinical approaches: Client-Centered Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Mindfulness Therapy, Motivational Interviewing, Solution-Focused Therapy, Trauma-Focused Therapy
License information
CA LMFT 88556
Reviews
These quotes represent just a few of the many positive reviews that we have received for Anke Kalaiah. We don't pay anyone to provide their review and they are all made voluntarily. Some people's experience receiving therapy with BetterHelp might be different.
Great and respectful
Written on Jan 28, 2023 after therapy with Anke for 6 months on issues concerning depression, stress, anxiety, addictions, lgbt, relationship issues, family conflicts, trauma and abuse, intimacy-related issues, parenting issues, self esteem, career difficulties, and coping with life changes
Anke is very knowledgeable and approachable. I feel very comfortable with her and feel that I have healed a lot from my sessions with her.
Written on Dec 26, 2022 after therapy with Anke for 3 months on issues concerning family conflicts, and trauma and abuse
Very patient and relaxing
Written on Oct 22, 2022 after therapy with Anke for 2 weeks on issues concerning depression, stress, anxiety, relationship issues, family conflicts, trauma and abuse, intimacy-related issues, career difficulties, coping with life changes, and compassion fatigue
Anke Kalaiah has been such an amazing therapist (and I feel as though that is an understatement!). She is the practitioner I have stuck with the longest and that is because she is incredibly knowledgeable and really great at what she does. In addition, Anke is highly professional in her work and always consistent. At the same time, she is kind, caring, gentle, and sessions with her feel very much client-focused and client-led. She has given me the tools to develop and maintain helpful healthy coping strategies that I will absolutely carry with me for the rest of my life. I cannot say enough good things about her as a therapist.
Written on Aug 27, 2022 after therapy with Anke for 1 year and 8 months on issues concerning depression, stress, anxiety, lgbt, family conflicts, self esteem, career difficulties, and coping with life changes
Anke has been a wonderful support as life has thrown me so many curveballs as of late she has been there and been easy to talk to kind and helpful. I really want to continue to speak with Anke as I feel she could really help me navigate my concerns and support me through them
Written on Aug 20, 2022 after therapy with Anke for 2 weeks on issues concerning stress, anxiety, relationship issues, trauma and abuse, intimacy-related issues, eating disorders, parenting issues, and adhd
This past year was a rough one for me and Anke really helped me through it. She helped me challenge my negative thoughts and replace them with more rational/realistic ones. She is incredibly supportive and resourceful and I am so grateful I was matched with her!
Written on Jul 17, 2021 after therapy with Anke for 9 months on issues concerning relationship issues, and parenting issues