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Your Best Self Is Already Inside of You

Transformative therapy for the whole person. Specializing in work with queer and trans communities. With candor, humor and compassion, we’ll collaborate to turn your struggles into strengths so that you can be unapologetically 100% you.

Let's Start Healing

THE PROBLEM

This is a shitty time
to be different.

You're queer or trans, you're carrying trauma, or you're exhausted from trying to exist in systems that weren’t built for you.

Maybe past therapy was a waste of time. Someone nodded while you talked, but you didn’t feel truly understood. They pathologized your survival strategies and minimized your own understanding of yourself.

Subtle or overt messages around you, and maybe even past therapists, have told you you're the issue. But what if you're actually having a completely reasonable response to an insane world?

You need someone who doesn’t think you're too much, too complicated, or too broken. Someone willing to go deep and help you become the best version of yourself. Someone who can help you find meaning in your suffering.

In my space, nothing is too big or scary. I believe the more we embrace ourselves and accept our suffering, the more we can heal and grow. The more we heal and grow, the more we can help transform suffering and transform the structures that seek to oppress.

THE SOLUTION

You are not the problem.

I'm not here to fix you—because you're not broken. I'm here to help you heal from what's been done to you, and to build the resilience you need to be gloriously, unapologetically yourself in a world that constrains you.

Here's how I help:

  • I SEE YOU IN CONTEXT

    My training in social work means I look at you inside of your family (chosen or birth), your community, and all of the systems/spheres of oppression that are holding you back. Your struggles make complete sense given what you're up against.

  • I WORK WITH YOUR NERVOUS SYSTEM

    Talking helps. But trauma lives in your body, as well as in the ways you show up in relationships to others. I use a variety of approaches, including Somatic Attachment Therapy, Internal Family Systems (IFS), and Lifespan Integration, to help your nervous system understand that the past is past and that you're safe to shape your present and be your truest self.

    I pursue mindfulness and spiritual training ongoing, and with consent, use some of these practices in my work.

  • I PROVIDE A TRUSTING CLINICAL RELATIONSHIP

    Healing starts with being truly seen. I bring warmth, compassion, humor when it seems right, and candor when you need it. I'm queer; I'm a parent; I've navigated my own neurodivergence – experiences that served as both strengths and challenges that ultimately led to growth. I understand what it means to be different, to think and feel deeply, and to yearn for a better world. I believe we can thrive in our imperfect world.

  • I CAN HANDLE ANYTHING YOU SHARE

    Kink? Sex work? Polyamory? Complex gender journeys? Experiences you think are too scary to talk about? All welcome here. I approach conversations that might shock others by meeting you with nonjudgment, curiosity, and compassion.

Together, we'll:

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    Learn how to thrive in a society that pushes you to the margins

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    Process trauma so it stops running your life

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    Create boundaries that protect your peace

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    Find meaning in your suffering and grow from it, not just survive it

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    Navigate complex family and community dynamics

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    Explore and overcome issues around chronic illness and disability

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    Address experiences along the bipolar spectrum, anxiety, and depression, or thriving as neuroqueer in a constricting and narrow society

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    Make meaning of mental health struggles through the lens of creative and/or spiritual practices

Let me help you grow into the you-est you possible.

Reach Out

Email me or use the contact form. Tell me what you're struggling with and what you're hoping to get out of therapy.

Let's Talk

We'll schedule a brief call to see if we're a good fit and what working together might look like.

Start Healing

We typically meet weekly. We’ll keep at it until you’re where you want to be in your personal journey.

Book a Consult
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The Guide

I'm Elana Story, LCSW—a queer, gender-expansive therapist with over 20 years of experience in the health, mental health and nonprofit sectors.

I received my Master of Social Work (MSW) from University of California, Berkeley, and I’ve trained everywhere from San Francisco VA Medical Center to East Oakland Medi-Cal programs.

But, honestly? My real education came from navigating my own mental health journeys, being part of queer activism since I was 16 years old, parenting in a non-traditional family, and building a practice rooted in liberation instead of the medical model that fails so many of us.

I have been practicing psychotherapy since 2012, and I love working with activists, artists, queer and trans folks, dreamers, spiritual seekers, helping professionals, LGBTQ++ parents, and those on the queer path to parenthood.

In my free time you can find me hiking in the redwoods, attempting to resist fascism, and engaging in my spiritual practices/communities, which are mostly Jewish and Buddhist.

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My specializations:

  • Queer and trans folks healing from trauma, including CPTSD, sexual trauma, and childhood wounds

  • Gender journeys and transition support

  • Did I mention LGBTQI++ folks? I love us, I truly love us.

  • Family work: chosen families, intentional communities, co-parenting dynamics, adult family members working through conflict, assisting family systems in becoming stronger and approaching conflict as a necessary part of intimacy and growth

  • The queer path to parenthood, including fertility struggles and non-traditional family structures

  • Bipolar spectrum and neurodivergence approached from a strengths-based lens that sees the gifts alongside the challenges

  • Finding spiritual meaning in struggles

  • Sex workers, kink and poly communities, and people with experiences that exist way outside mainstream norms. All of it is welcome.

You’ll find my style to be direct, warm, compassionate, and irreverent. I'm not afraid to name patterns and to gently challenge you to move forward out of unhelpful holding patterns. As a member of the queer community, I use humor to build connection and to validate our shared reality. I believe healing happens in relationship, and that the work we do together ripples outward into your family. your community, and ultimately, our world. You should probably know that I sometimes swear in session.

Let's do some healing.

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    "We literally call Elana the GOAT at home. We joke that she’s “The Oracle” to consult when I need to process something. She has an incredible ability to help me clarify and articulate what I’m experiencing, notice my patterns over time, and offer new tools and techniques that are actually helpful. She’s thoughtful, attentive, and always learning — and it shows in every session."

    - Happy Client

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    "One of my favorite things about working with Elana is how much we laugh in our sessions. She’s a real person, and she’s genuinely funny. Even when we’re talking about difficult topics, there’s warmth and humanity that makes everything feel more manageable. Elana listens deeply, notices patterns over time, and consistently helps me articulate how I make meaning of my experiences. Her thoughtful questions help me move forward and grow. She’s also always learning, bringing in new tools and techniques that I legitimately use and apply outside of our sessions. Her approach feels thoughtful, personalized, and grounded in genuine care."

    - Happy Client

Ready to Start?

THIS IS A REALLY HARD TIME TO BE YOU IN THE WORLD. YOU DON’T HAVE TO DO IT ALONE.

Email me or fill out the form below. Tell me what you're carrying or what you need. I respond personally to every message. We'll find a time to talk, see if we're a good fit, and go from there.
You deserve a space where all of you belongs.

Get real with me