Annette Casillas, ACSW

Hi, I’m Annette Casillas, and my goal is to support you on your journey toward mental wellbeing with trust, openness, and a touch of humor. I believe that you are the expert on your own life, and my role is to offer support in a way that resonates with you. My hope is for you to feel in control of the process. Mental health therapy can sometimes feel like a mystery, which can discourage people from starting or committing to therapy.

I am an associate clinical social worker with a Masters in Social Welfare from UC Berkeley. I have experience working with adolescents, adults, and families from marginalized communities, particularly LGBTQ+ youth, system-involved families, and people with immigration/first-generation experiences. I am a bilingual Spanish/English speaking clinician and can provide bilingual family therapy. I am eclectic in my approach to therapy, with my primary therapeutic approaches being narrative therapy, trauma-focused CBT and CPT, DBT, and attachment-based therapies. I specialize in working with issues around trauma, grief, mood disorders, family conflict and intergenerational trauma, disability, racial identity, socioeconomic status, gender and sexuality, spirituality, and major life transitions.

My aim is to empower you with psychoeducation, collaborate regularly on treatment planning, and adapt my approach to meet your particular needs. I encourage you to ask questions and provide honest feedback at any point; there’s no such thing as a silly question, and knowing your preferences will only make me better attuned in our work together. Together, we will build a safe, nonjudgmental space where you can feel heard and understood. Opening yourself up to others takes a lot of courage, and I want to thank you for trusting me with your story.

My perspective is informed by social and systemic issues; I believe that we can only fully understand ourselves in the context of the world around us, and that our challenges are often rooted in the difficulties of coping with unjust systems. I also believe that one of the most powerful things we can do for ourselves in a difficult world is to make room for joy and laughter in whatever small ways we can, and I hope that we can share some of these light moments along the way.

I look forward to working with you to navigate whatever challenges you are facing and celebrate your progress at every step!