Experienced

Compassionate

Effective

About David J. Frankel, Ph.D.

I am a clinical psychologist with an office in downtown Berkeley. My approach to therapy and consultation is collaborative and multifaceted. 

My experience and how I think about my work

I have over 25 years of experience in psychotherapy and consultation in a variety of contexts. I invite you to explore the pages on my adult, child, teen, family, school, and consultation work that are most important to you, to learn about my approach in each of these areas and the specific issues I can help with. Of course there are unique aspects to each area of my work, but they have always been unified for me. Put most simply, I find that people heal and change in an atmosphere of compassion, trust, and understanding. With this in mind, I spend considerable energy developing a strong relationship with each patient, and I strive to create an environment of respect and empathy, tempered by offering a fresh perspective on situations that seem stuck. 

My background and theoretical orientation

I was Program Director of the Ross Hospital Child and Adolescent Inpatient Unit, and I have consulted to many schools including Redwood High School, San Domenico, Marin Primary and Middle School, and Marin Country Day School. I have supervised psychology trainees at The Wright Institute and at the Apple Family Center, and I led a child consultation group for A Home Within, an organization that provides free psychotherapy to children in foster care. I am co-chair of the Child Colloquium Committee of the San Francisco Center for Psychoanalysis.  My primary orientation is psychodynamic from a  modern relational perspective, and I integrate developmental, attachment, and family systems theories.  I value consultation and teamwork in all areas of my work, and in my long experience across the Bay Area I have established a broad network of professionals that I value collaborating with.