Alexis Petrakis, Psy.D.
Dr. Petrakis provides the following services:
-Adult Therapy
-Young Adult Therapy
-Adolescent Therapy
-Parent Coaching
-Family Therapy
-Couples / Dyadic Therapy
-ADHD Assessment
Dr. Petrakis practices in the Petaluma and Corte Madera offices, and virtually.
Welcome and thank you for your interest in my practice. It is my commitment to support children, teens, families and parents through a collaborative process to achieve their mental health goals.
Born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, I found myself drawn to working with children at a young age; babysitting and even working at the preschool I attended in Tam Valley! I graduated from Scripps College where I obtained a Bachelor's degree in French Studies and spent a year abroad while also starting my study of psychology. After a few years working in television production I re-evaluated my goals and returned to the Bay Area for graduate school. I obtained my doctorate in Clinical Psychology from Alliant International University-San Francisco in 2012.
Across my 15 years working in the field of psychology I have had the privilege of providing mental health care as a school based therapist in elementary and high schools, an evaluator for psychodiagnostic assessment, supervisor and individual and family therapist. I have conducted services in various outpatient settings as well as the hospital and emergency department at UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland, where I completed my internship as well as post-doctoral training years. After finalizing my license, I worked for four years in Glendale and Inglewood providing therapy services in community mental health clinics and participated in the APA internship and training program as a supervisor. Returning to the Bay Area was always a goal for me and my family and for the last three and half years I have been providing mental health care to children, youth and families at the Kaiser Permanente Marin-Sonoma Department of Psychiatry.
My approach to therapy begins with an attachment, psychodynamic, and relational framework and incorporates behavioral interventions to achieve specific goals. Co-creating a space in which all parties feel respected and understood is one of my core values and will always be my intention. As an integrative therapist, it is exciting to find various ways of approaching the mental health needs of my patients. For instance, it has been rewarding to integrate Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Dialectical Behavior Therapy and Gender Affirming Therapy into my practice. I have a particular passion for supporting the LGBTQIA community and am a current WPATH member (wpath.org) with training on providing competent therapy for youth and their families as well as young adults as they navigate their gender and identity. I have expertise as a generalist psychologist, working with issues such as anxiety, depression, gender and sexuality, parenting, family relationships, feminist psychology, externalizing behaviors, self-harm, trauma, health psychology and adjustment to life stressors. I offer individual, family, parent coaching and group based therapy services in Marin and Sonoma counties and am privileged to share community with all of you. Let’s get started!