MEET THE TEAM, YOUR SERVICE PROVIDERS
Carmelinda Mann, Ph.D., Clinical Supervisor
Dr. Carmelinda Mann is a licensed Clinical Psychologist with close to 20 years years of clinical experience.
Dr. Mann graduated from Bryn Mawr College with a master's degree and a doctorate in Clinical Developmental Psychology. She honed her family therapy skills while working for the Family Institute in Richmond, CA, where she provided in-home therapy for families and couples. Dr. Mann has worked in community mental health, a college counseling center, in public schools providing therapy and assessment, for the Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center conducting assessment and research, a psychiatric hospital, family therapy clinics, and private practice.
Dr. Mann has been working in private practice for 10 years, helping individuals, couples, and families overcome obstacles and create more fulfilled and meaningful lives.
In 2020, Dr. Mann co-founded the Tree of Life Family Wellness Center, which is a clinic offering sliding scale therapy to families in need while providing training opportunities for clinical psychology doctoral students. At the center, she holds the positions of CEO and Training Director.
Sherna Perez, LCSW, Clinical Supervisor
I am a social worker practicing in Oakland. I spent the first 20 years of my career in public service first as a Child Welfare Worker, School based therapist and the last 10 years as a Family Court Mediator. I work with families in the context of separation and divorce. My focus is on attachment and rebuilding family bounds. I primarily use Emotional Focused Therapy modality and attachment theory to guide my work. Additionally, I work with couples experiencing distress in the relationship. My passion is couples and helping them find new ways of relating, caring for one another and becoming available and responsive to their partner.
Shannon Bernsten, Psychological Associate
My name is Shannon, and I am an Associate Marriage and Family Therapist born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area. I am currently providing psychotherapy services to adolescents, adults, and couples. I hold a Master's degree in Integral Counseling Psychology from California Institute of Integral Studies, and trained for a year in the country's only university affiliated Gestalt therapy clinic, Church Street Integral Counseling Center. I hold a Bachelor’s degree in Child and Family Studies, and I worked in childcare and education for over a decade before becoming a therapist. I also previously worked in a resource center providing support for teens and young adults experiencing sexual harm and dating abuse.
My work as a therapist is rooted in the belief that humans are incredibly resilient, and I hold deep trust in each person's unique path towards a full life. Modalities my work draws upon include gestalt, relational, somatic, psychodynamic, trauma informed, liberation, emotionally focused, and strengths based psychology. I believe my role as a therapist is to be a collaborator and companion in my clients journeys towards authenticity and joy. I approach my practice with warmth, presence, honesty, and respect. I invite my kind, quirky, and calm personality into the therapy space. I have an innate ability to listen deeply, to help clients see their unique gifts, and gently challenge my clients to examine belief systems, stories, and barriers that may be keeping them stuck.
Bec Crowley, Psychological Associate
My name is Bec, my pronouns are she/her, and before I began working as a therapist I worked for the National Parks and in the plant nursery industry. My experiences working with the natural world taught me beautiful lessons about resilience and growth that lend nicely to working as a therapist. I treat the space between us as an opportunity to collaborate and co-create what the therapeutic experience will be for each session. I work relationally and intuitively, with humor and a transpersonal influence. I am committed to remaining trauma informed and client centered, while using resources such as archetypes and spiritual inquiry to aid clients as they deepen their connection to themselves and their healing processes.
I hold a Master’s Degree in Integral Counseling Psychology from the California Institute of Integral Studies, where I deepened my understanding and concept of a holistic approach to working with those on a healing journey. I believe that to live from a place of psychic authenticity and integrity with ourselves, we must first understand the systems and experiences that shaped us. Through depth work, spiritual inquiry, attachment theory, the wisdom of the body, dreamwork, shadow work, and several other avenues, we can discover the wonders that have made you so uniquely you. I will bring a warmth and compassionate demeanor as I join you on your path of healing, growth, and self exploration.
Henry Jacobson, Psychological Associate
I’m Henry, a Psychological Associate with Tree of Life Wellness Collective. I work with adult individuals, families, couples, and adolescents, and am excited for the opportunity to work with members of the Tree of Life community that has supported my journey and development as a clinician and world citizen. My theoretical orientation is towards a psychodynamic and relationally focused practice that emphasizes trauma-informed care and a multidisciplinary approach. In general, I am drawn to the creative aspects of psychodynamic work and the opportunity to pull from an array of theoretical threads in weaving thoughtfully and inclusively formulated client-centered approaches. Along with depth work, I also integrate EMDR therapies to augment trauma-informed approaches where appropriate; and am interested in processes that involve client and therapist in dialectical exploration of their intergenerational and cultural histories as holding environments and opportunities for relationship.
Office Manager and Intake Coordinator
Jamie (pronouns they/them) is the office manager and intake coordinator for Tree of Life Family Wellness Center. They are a former house counselor with over five years experience working directly with DSS and DMH adolescent clients and families to aid in rehabilitation and family reunification, as well as ten plus years in administrative support for mental health professionals. They previously worked for St. Mary's Center, a full-spectrum nonprofit organization which provides essential services to improve the quality of life for at-risk seniors and preschoolers in the Bay Area. Jamie is originally from central Massachusetts and currently lives in West Oakland with their partner and their cat Simone.