Alissa Blackman

Alissa Blackman is a Licensed Marriage Family Therapist, Certified Havening Techniques Practitioner, Certified EMDR therapist, Certified Brainspotting Practitioner and Somatic Psychotherapist specializing in integrating body, mind and spirit into her work. She supports clients in recovery from trauma, attachment trauma, chronic pain and headaches as well as supporting clients to grow and expand beyond what they had previously thought possible. Alissa offers a supportive, warm and grounded presence, enabling her clients to transform ingrained patterns and build new capacities. Introducing Havening Techniques to her practice in Oakland, CA has been a beautiful and moving process, and it has been a joy to see how quickly and profoundly clients have benefitted.


Alissa feels passionate about integrating body, mind and spirit into her healing sessions. After working for over a decade as a massage therapist starting in the early 1990s, Alissa studied Counseling Psychology (Somatic Psychotherapy) at the California Institute of Integral Studies. She has worked extensively with Laurel Parnell (AF-EMDR), Karen Rachels (Somatic Attachment work), and Bill Bowen, training in Psycho-Physical Therapy and assisting Bowen in his trainings. She is also an approved Attachment-Focused EMDR consultant and faculty member with the Parnell Institute. Alissa taught Somatic Psychology at CIIS and worked in community mental health as a Therapist and Mental Health Educator/Advocate supporting at-risk youth. She is an ally to those struggling with race, class and gender inequities and to LGBTQIA+ & Non-Monogamous clients. Having personally experienced the power of deep presence and introspection, Alissa has cultivated a long-term daily meditation practice that supports her as she supports her clients. She loves to help clients in discovering (or rediscovering) their strengths and living a more vibrant, joyful life.