LMFT, 17 years of experience
My name is Justin Phillips and I have been helping people with life's challenges for over 18 Years. My fulltime roll is working with an addiction treatment agency and I provide individual psychotherapy as part of my private practice. I am an honorably discharged combat veteran and specialize in working with people who have complex mental health challenges, veterans, folks with substance use problems, the formally incarcerated and many others. I am compassionate, caring and provide quality care. I am married with 5 children and live in the East Bay. I have been a lifetime Bay Area resident and enjoy what our communities have to offer. I connect well with people from all cultures and strive to learn more about your individual situation before jumping to conclusions. I am a fierce advocate for the underserved and have helped pass national and state level legislation to protect people and the helping professions. My style of therapy is relational and focused on helping my clients feel better, live better and have a better quality of life. I use a variety of theraepuetic techniques to accomplish this and am open to adjusting treatment to fit the person, as opposed to checking boxes.
Clients can expect an overview of therapy with me and begin right away. I want clients to leave the first session with a sense of peace and confidence that we can address what brought them to therapy to begin with. I want clients to be comfortable and feel relaxed. People have enough stress already. Therapy should be inviting and supportive.
My greatest strengths as a provider is my collaborative spirit and attitude, positivity, optimism and focus. I am non-judgmental and my clients report almost immediately feeling comfortable. My sessions are primarily on zoom, although I do have an office in Livermore and Berkeley in rare cases.
My ideal client is someone who is interested in working on themselves. Most clients I have the most success with are people with a history of trauma, addiction, incarceration or divorce. I have life experience with all of these issues and usually connect really well with most. I understand that there needs to be a "good-fit" for both the therapist and the client.
My treatment methods vary based on client needs. I specialize in challenging cases involving substance use disorder coupled with mental health disorders.
I was trained and practiced as a psychodynamic therapist for several years. It has informed my work and understanding of human behavior. It is a part of my clinical work with clients.
Mindfulness and spirituality can be a part of the treatment depending on client preference, beliefs and need. I am not aligned with any particular religious denomination and am inclusive.
2 ratings with written reviews
June 11, 2025
I always leave our sessions feeling accomplished and optimistic about the future. He is very knowledgeable, yet down-to-earth, so it's easy to share honestly.
April 2, 2025
Very down to earth and relatable guy. He made me feel relaxed, comfortable which allowed me to be much more willing to be open.