Eliza Kern
REGISTERED Associate Marriage and Family Therapist
Some children feel everything deeply. A change in plans, a friendship problem, or a hard day at school can lead to a reaction that feels bigger than anyone expected. Parents may be trying hard to help and still feel out of ideas, especially when a child is highly sensitive, strong-willed, or processes the world differently. Therapy can give your child a place to feel understood and help your family find responses that work in real life.
I work with children as young as four, teens, young adults, and parents. I especially enjoy working with kids ages 8 to 14 and with neurodivergent children and families. Common reasons families reach out include big emotions, overwhelm, friendship and social challenges, self-esteem, communication, and wanting more connection between parent and child.
I'm warm, playful, flexible, direct, and real. With one child, a session may involve movement, creativity, or child-led play; with another, it may be more reflective and conversational. With teens and young adults, we may break an overwhelming task into manageable steps, practice communicating what they need, or make room to be quiet without having to perform. I gently challenge when it is useful and adjust the pace to the person in front of me.
I have worked with children for ten years across childcare, elementary school, behavioral support, and counseling settings. My graduate research focused on friendship dynamics and social-emotional learning among girls and women. As a neurodivergent therapist, I bring personal understanding to some of these experiences while recognizing that every person's needs, strengths, and way of moving through the world are different. When I work with children and teens, I collaborate with caregivers while protecting the young person's privacy and sense of ownership over therapy.
eliza@valleyoakcounseling.co
(925) 322-1389
“Therapy should feel like a place where you can be real, feel understood, and actually want to come back.”
Education
M.S. COUNSELING
California State University East Bay
B.A. SOCIOLOGY
California State University Chico
License
REGISTERED ASSOCIATE MARRIAGE AND FAMILY THERAPIST
Eliza Kern, AMFT #158324
EMPLOYED BY
Valley Oak Counseling
SUPERVISED BY
Kate Leyva, LMFT #84265
Clinical Experience
COMMUNITY COUNSELING CLINIC
California State University, East Bay
ELEMENTARY SCHOOL COUNSELING
Two years supporting students and families through Wellness Together
CHILD & FAMILY SUPPORT
Prior behavioral support work with autistic children and families
YOUTH EXPERIENCE
Ten years working with children across multiple settings
Advanced Training & Associations
DOMESTIC VIOLENCE CRISIS INTERVENTION
40-hour counselor training
CRISIS HOTLINE EXPERIENCE
Support on a 24-hour domestic violence hotline
GRADUATE RESEARCH
Friendship dynamics and social-emotional learning among girls and women
PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATION
California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists
Areas of Specialization
Neurodivergent Children & Teens
Neurodivergence can shape how a child communicates, regulates, learns, socializes, and experiences everyday demands. I take a curious, affirming approach that centers each child's strengths and needs. Together, we can reduce overwhelm, build self-understanding, and find supports that help the child participate more comfortably without treating difference as something to fix.
Friendships, Belonging & Communication
Friendships can be confusing, intense, or painful, especially during the middle school years. I help children, teens, and young adults make sense of peer dynamics, communicate more clearly, set boundaries, repair conflict, and build relationships that feel genuine without feeling they have to hide who they are.
Big Emotions & Emotional Regulation
When feelings come on fast or linger, children and parents can both end up exhausted and unsure what to do next. Through play, movement, conversation, and practical tools, I help young people notice what is happening in their bodies and emotions, practice ways to recover, and build skills that can carry into home and school.
Parent Support & Parent-Child Connection
Highly sensitive, strong-willed, or neurodivergent children may need responses that do not fit one-size-fits-all parenting advice. I work with caregivers to understand what may be beneath behavior, respond more effectively, reduce repeating conflict, and strengthen connection, while protecting the child's therapy as a space that feels like their own.
My Approach
My approach is individualized, developmentally appropriate, and grounded in relationship. I draw flexibly from cognitive behavioral and other skills-based approaches, family systems, parts work, and humanistic therapy. Rather than following one fixed plan, I consider the full context of a client's life, including family, school, culture, identity, relationships, community, and neurodiversity. We will use what is helpful for the person in front of me.
With children, therapy may include immersive, child-led play, movement, creativity, and other forms of expression. Play does not always need to be a lesson or a direct conversation about the problem; it can offer a low-pressure way to regulate, connect, and be understood. With older children, teens, and young adults, sessions may include brainstorming solutions, breaking overwhelming tasks into manageable steps, practicing communication, or working side by side when getting started feels hard. Because a weekly session is only one part of a young person's life, I involve caregivers through parent sessions, consultation, education, or collaborative problem-solving when that supports the work. I balance that involvement with the young person's need for privacy and trust.