Stress and trauma impact our minds, bodies and wellbeing
We offer Therapy and other care options that address your whole Self
Our assessment process and available services reflect our integrative approach to healing.
The Process
we assess on an ongoing basis to ensure your treatment is matching with your concerns.
Tailored to You
Our care plans are flexible.
Between our thorough assessments and your valued input, we will craft a care plan tailored to your specific goals, needs, and concerns.
01.
Initial Consult Call
15-minute complimentary phone call to understand your concerns, share our process and care options, and answer any questions. We then schedule your first session.
02.
Collect More Information
Prior to your first session, you will be asked to complete our brief intake form that your clinician will review.
03.
Session One
We get to know your goals for therapy. Your clinician will continue to assess in the early stages of working together. After the initial assessment, your clinician will provide recommendations.
Carol Oliveira
Our Services
Below is a list of all services offered at Cura. You and your therapist will determine which services are right for you.
Individual Psychotherapy
Psychodynamic psychotherapy: This is a trauma-informed, depth oriented approach that helps to integrate your unconscious, implicit memory and body experiences into your conscious mind.
If you are interested in creating transformative, long-lasting change in your relationship patterns and how you feel about yourself, or if you have experienced physical, sexual or emotional abuse, this therapy may be indicated for you
The development of your psyche was created in relation to others during your childhood and it directly impacts your relationships now. If you have experienced abuse in your life, shame can overrun your self-image and make true connections feel impossible.The benefits of this therapy can include: increased confidence, better relationships, reduction of shame, mood elevation, increased insight and a decrease in anxiety, depressive symptoms and stress related physical complaints.
Neurofeedback
A form of biofeedback, Neurofeedback training (NFT) is non-invasive and encourages more efficient and balanced brain wave function.
If you have trouble sleeping, find it hard to calm down or get motivated, have difficulty focusing or experience symptoms of trauma, or would like an alternative to psychiatric medications, this training may be for you.
Electroencephalogram (EEG) sensors are placed on areas of the brain and connected to a computer program that allows the brain to receive moment-to-moment feedback. A patient watches a video or plays a simple game on the screen with the sensors in place and we reward certain brain wave patterns through visual and auditory stimuli. The brain begins to learn how to function more optimally.
Research and support for this type of biofeedback can be found here:
Eating Disorder Recovery Treatment
Using a Health At Every Size ™ (HAES) approach, we provide specialized treatment for those seeking recovery from disordered eating, negative body image, binge eating disorder, bulimia, orthorexia. Guidance and education is also provided for those with general feelings of concern about the amount of energy and time spent on food or exercise. Through a combination of education, mind-body integration and DBT, skills development and warm, compassionate care, our clinicians look to guide patients towards a new path of recovery.
If you find yourself feeling “out of control” with food or exercise, restricting the amount of food you eat, inducing vomiting or feeling frustrated with the amount of time you think about food and your body, this treatment is likely for you.
Our experience has shown that trauma recovery and eating disorder recovery often overlap. As such, our clinicians are highly trained and dedicated to carefully attending to the specific needs of patients in all aspects of recovery in order to help patients achieve a sense of balance and hope in their lives.
The insight gained with this approach can allow you to make choices and take steps in your life to invite balance, body neutrality and reduced stress when it comes to eating, body movement and body image.
Dialectical Behavioral Therapy
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) is an evidence-based, psychotherapeutic treatment approach used to help create new thinking patterns, implement healthy emotional habits, increase your ability to navigate stress, difficult emotions, and enhance and improve communication and connection in your relationships.
If you often feel misunderstood, experience impulsivity, high conflict in your important relationships, frequently have painful emotions that feel unmanageable, and/or experience self-harming or self-destructive behaviors, this treatment is highly recommended.
DBT treatment involves learning new skills, incorporates mindfulness training, and emotional regulation techniques.
Sensorimotor Psychotherapy
This is a talk therapy that addresses the body’s response to stress in our lives that most people are unaware of.
If you can’t sleep, are constantly tired, often feel “jumpy,” fidgety or avoidant of experiences, this may be for you.
Based in neuroscience, this approach invites the patient into a mindful state to share stressful or traumatic experiences. Body-based attention is then incorporated so the therapist can help the patient feel and understand the unprocessed experience of this traumatic stress. Benefits include increased ability to regulate emotions, more clarity of thought, and decreased hypervigilance and anxiety.
Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction
Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) is a customizable, educational and experiential approach to helping you effectively reduce stress levels so that you may reduce unwanted symptoms and feel more present.
If you are experiencing low energy levels, disrupted or low quality sleep, digestive issues, symptoms of depression/anxiety, or generally want to feel more comfortably present in your physical and emotional life, MBSR might be an important part of your care plan.
Stress can bring about uncomfortable and harmful physical and emotional experiences that can have a profound impact on our day to day life and overall well-being. Prolonged, high stress levels can cause us to have difficulty concentrating, become more easily frustrated, induce racing thoughts, feel lonely and overwhelmed, as well as a number of unpleasant physical symptoms. Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) is a customizable, educational and experiential approach to helping you effectively reduce stress levels so that you may reduce unwanted symptoms and feel more present. Practicing mindfulness has been shown to have the potential to reduce stress levels, help reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression, improve sleep quality, and help address emotional burnout.
Internal Family Systems
IFS brings awareness to components of a person’s mental and emotional system.
If you experience regular depression and shame or find yourself saying “I should” frequently, this might be beneficial for you.
IFS functions with the understanding that we all have wounds from our childhood and life experiences and from this stems a system of vulnerable and protective parts that are often in conflict with one another. The therapist helps a patient to identify and integrate these “parts” to restore balance in the psyche.
Heart Rate Variability Training
HRV training is a biofeedback therapeutic approach that works to synchronize breathing patterns and heart rate patterns.
Benefits include an increased sense of calm, better sleep, increased emotional regulation and it helps increase the efficacy of NFT.
Heart rate variability (HRV) is the measure of time variations between beats in your heart rate. Too little or too much variation has been linked to anxiety, chronic pain, depression and other health problems.
During HRV, a heart rate monitor is placed on the earlobe or finger to detect these variations. Using a computer screen, feedback is given about this physiological data and through controlled breathing and imagery, heart rate and breathing become synchronized.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is utilized to treat a wide variety of mental health concerns. CBT is often most effective when combined with other psychotherapeutic modalities.
You might benefit from CBT as a part of your care plan if you are looking for additional, targeted support and relief from recurring thoughts and behaviors that haven’t felt fully addressed in depth-oriented approaches.
Incorporating CBT into your care plan will mean addressing thought and behavior patterns that can keep you stuck, sometimes working towards specific goals. CBT can help you increase awareness of your core beliefs about yourself, others, and the world around you, become more flexible in your thinking and behavior patterns, prepare for interactions with others, and help to increase your confidence. While some patients find relief from the impacts of unwanted thoughts and behaviors through depth-oriented treatment modalities, CBT serves as an effective treatment approach for patients who are looking for extra focus on thought and behavior patterns, or who are interested in learning techniques and skills.
Therapeutic Support for Mothers and Parents
We provide warm, compassionate, expert care that bears in mind your history, your physical recovery and health and your dreams for your family.
Whether you are preparing to welcome your new addition, already adjusting to life with a baby or weathering the storms of parenthood, there’s a spot for you here. Belly laughs and tears are common and welcome.
We believe that postpartum women are one of the most underserved populations in our country. Our job as clinicians will be to stay connected with you as needed to provide individualized, therapeutic support. We are a part of an extensive network of providers including midwives, obstetricians, chiropractors, lactation consultants, physical therapists and more.
Still Curious? Here Are some
Frequently Asked Questions
Cura currently offers a tiered fee structure in the range of $150-$200 per session. We provide information on what your session fee would be after initial contact and assessment of services needed.
For each session held at Cura, we donate time, resources and expertise to underserved communities in the Bay Area disproportionately affected by trauma.
Your session fee supports several free weekly psychotherapy sessions for those who are not otherwise able to access psychotherapy.
We donate to the following organizations:
- The Innocence Project
- BAWAR
- South Bay End Trafficking
All services at Cura are currently considered “out of network” with insurance panels but will provide you with a superbill to submit to your insurance provider for reimbursement.
Testimonial
I initially sought therapy when I had experienced a difficult breakup in high school. I was feeling lost and hopeless. I knew I needed a professional by my side to navigate my way through the breakup. I came into Jenna's office thinking, "I will get over this breakup, learn some tools to help in the future and be on my way." Little did my 17 year old self know that in seven years she'd be in love with therapy and seeking out ways on a daily basis to love and take care of myself. I am where I am today because of Jenna. She has taught me how to be gentle with myself, be curious about my emotions and most importantly to put myself first in my life.
Katie M.

How Can We Help You Find Answers?
Take the first step. Reach out here for a brief and free intake call.