Ready to feel more ease in dating and relationships?

Meet Elizabeth Dausch

Therapist in Oakland

Breakups & Divorce | Dating | Anxiety | Relationship Issues

You never thought you’d be here.

Calling your partner your “ex,” feeling tired and frustrated in the search for love, or experiencing your relationship as a source of stress.

therapist in oakland with short brown hair smiling in blue sweater

Hi, I’m Elizabeth.

Therapist in Oakland, AMFT #130432

I work with clients who are looking for solace and support along the unpredictable road of relationships. They want to reclaim joy in their lives through the ups and downs of dating. And they’re motivated to resolve whatever might stand in their way of having the relationship they want.  

therapist oakland green lotus candle holder

Working with me

There’s a lot of advice and literature out there on the topic of relationships—some of which I love and will recommend to my clients. 
But we live in a culture that promotes this idea: if you know something clearly in your mind and can comprehend it intellectually, then problem solved. Off you go into the sunset.

The reality is that our psyches are more complicated than that. Unconscious forces—such as unacknowledged feelings, self-protective beliefs, and subtle interpersonal patterns— exert much more influence than we might imagine.

But the good news is that therapy is uniquely suited to address this complexity. It helps you make the unconscious more known, metabolize what you find, and most importantly, have new experiences in the therapy relationship (and within yourself) that positively shift how you show up with others.

So, if you’re a lover of books and self-help, bring them in! Let’s use what they contain as a springboard for your own personal exploration.

therapist oakland with paintbrush and drawings on the floor

How I Work

Therapy will be a space just for you, where you can lay your burdens down and be 100% real. 

This can be liberating at times and uncertain at others. It’s a vulnerable experience to speak aloud your feelings, memories, wounds, and dreams to another person, and I don’t take that for granted when I’m sitting with you.

In sessions, I’ll listen with care, ask questions, and lead you into deeper inquiry. We’ll get curious about what’s happening inside of you in the moment.

To help you tune in, I frequently draw from Internal Family Systems (IFS), somatic, and mindfulness practices. If I think a specific tool or exercise would be beneficial, I’ll introduce it, and you have the option of trying it out together. And week to week, I’ll be keeping track of where we are in the process and where we’re headed.


While it’s a crucial element of growth, insight is usually just the first step toward lasting change. The approaches I use respect the mind while also inviting the intelligence of your body and your heart. Many of my clients leave with heightened self-awareness but also a more expanded experience of themselves.

The issues I specialize in are the ones I’ve lived. 


I know what it’s like to end a relationship with the person you thought you’d grow old with. To feel consumed by memories, questions, heartache, and self-doubt. To wonder if “that was it” for me, if I was ever going to get off the merry-go-round of dating and into the relationship I longed for.

And later, asking myself why it felt so hard to trust the love in front of me and so easy to get hijacked by anxiety. 


I initially sought out therapy to process the emotional challenges of the moment and just feel less overwhelmed, which was so valuable on its own. But those very challenges ended up becoming gateways to even deeper self-discovery, healing at my roots, and growth I never expected.


I continue to reap the benefits today, and it’s eventually what inspired me to become a therapist.

therapist oakland sitting on red steps in blue sweater smiling

When I’m sitting in my chair, it’s never “just a job” for me. I have real connections with my clients, and I love getting to know them and their stories. 

Clients describe me as warm, engaged, and nonjudgmental. I’ve been told my presence is gentle and often allows others to feel more relaxed. 

I’ll be your guide and make recommendations, but the destination is yours to choose. You get to say when we slow down, take a break, or stop off somewhere else. I will check in with you regularly about how it’s going and adjust as needed. 

We’ll be in this together.

therapist oakland with short hair smiling

Specializing in…

Therapy for

Breakups & Divorce

Therapy for

Dating

Therapy for

Anxiety

Therapy for

Couples

More about Oakland Therapist: Elizabeth Dausch

Education & Licensure

  • Registered Associate Marriage & Family Therapist #130432 (supervised by Chelsea Owens LMFT #100077)

  • California Institute of Integral Studies, M.A. in Integral Counseling Psychology

  • Fordham University, B.A. in Visual Art

Training & Certifications

  • IFS Institute: Level 1 Training (in progress)

  • IFS Immersion: Integrating Internal Family Systems (IFS) Across Clinical Applications

  • The Couples Center: Love Made Simple

  • Advanced Grief Counseling Specialist (CAGCS) Certification Course

Professional Associations

  • Member of the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists (CAMFT)

  • Member of the East Bay chapter CAMFT

It’s a gift to accompany my clients through the inner journeys that change their lives.

I’d be honored to walk with you on the road ahead. 

Guiding Principles


Innate Wisdom

I believe each one of us already has what’s needed to heal inside. Therefore, I see my role as facilitator of a process in which you learn to access and activate your own healing capacities.

Responsibility

As a therapist and fellow human being, I will mess up. When that happens, I will take time to understand its impact and own my mistake. I’ll do my best to make it right and repair with you.

Collaboration

I’m not a doctor, with you as passive patient. Nor are you expected to show up and do everything, with me sitting back. This is a co-created experience, and that’s where I think the magic of therapy comes in.

Systemic Awareness

I seek to continually consider the influence of power and privilege on my point of view. I welcome conversations about the forces that have shaped your experience like gender, race, money, sex, etc.

Balance

Therapy doesn’t always have to feel like going to the emotional gym (hard, but good). It’s also a place to celebrate your wins and invite humor, experimentation, and play.

Honesty

If I think something might be worth investigating, I’ll say so—e.g. an alternative perspective, a parallel between past and present, or a hidden strength.