Erin  Carnahan
Zencare Vetted

Erin Carnahan

She/Her/Hers

Certified Clinical Mental Health Counselor, CCMHC Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor, LPCC National Certified Counselor, NCC
California Accepting Online
Pill Hill Not Accepting In-person
Updated May 4, 2023

Specialties & Expertise

  • Identity development
  • LGBTQIA, gender, & sexuality topics
  • Race & cultural identity
  • Spirituality & religion
  • Shame
  • Values clarification

Professional statement

Erin Carnahan is a licensed mental health counselor based in Oakland, CA who provides online therapy to individuals with multiple marginalized identities and adults undergoing major life changes. Many of Erin’s clients come in to address painful experiences, religious trauma and abuse in un-affirming communities and relationships. She creates space and safety for people whose identities don’t fit neatly in one box to question and explore their identities and beliefs without judgment or condemnation. Erin is passionate about serving mixed-race and multicultural folks, members of the LGBTQIA+ community, neurodivergent people, and ex-vangelicals or Christians deconstructing their faith.


Erin’s practice is grounded in Client-Centered and Feminist Therapy and frequently incorporates cognitive-behavioral, mindfulness-based Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT). She collaborates with clients to unpack traumatic experiences and develop personalized strategies to dismantle and heal from harmful legacies of imposed and internalized beliefs.

In session, Erin continually works to acknowledge the layers of broader contexts to clients’ experiences (i.e. power imbalances in relationships, systems of oppression). In validating her clients’ experiences, Erin supports and empowers them towards greater acceptance and celebration of their intersectional identities and a life that is genuinely their own. 
Erin's style is warm, collaborative, and unconditionally accepting. When clients first start therapy, she respects and trusts their past and present experiences, boundaries, and self-knowledge to co-create a therapeutic environment and priorities that work for them
.


Message to clients

Codeswitching, masking, being seen as "other," or feeling unsafe to be your whole self is exhausting and isolating; I hope that therapy can be at least one space and relationship where you don't have to hold anything back. You don't have to be alone even in the loneliness of being invalidated, silenced, or barely tolerated. While I won't presume to know your specific life experience, you also don't have to educate me either. In my trauma-informed, feminist, and strengths-based approach to counseling, you won't be getting preached at or pathologized -- we go at your pace and guided by your values towards the goals we identify together. Pursuing therapy takes vulnerability and courage, particularly if you've lived with cultural taboos around addressing mental and emotional health or had poor experiences with counselors in the past. You've already taken a crucial step by checking out therapist profiles; if you're up for taking another one, I encourage you to book a free consultation call with me.


Specialties

Identity development - Understanding, accepting, and strengthening one’s sense of self through the exploration of family, work, and personal values; addressing issues such as, race, class, gender, and sexual orientation, in the context of self experience

LGBTQIA, gender, & sexuality topics - Exploring topics of sexuality, gender, and identity; coping with discrimination and oppression; navigating relationship, family, and cultural challenges

Race & cultural identity - Exploring topics of racial, cultural, and ethnic background as it relates to one’s family origins and personal identity

Spirituality & religion - Exploring beliefs and practices related to meaning, existence, and spiritual health and healing; enjoying a deeper felt connection with the spiritual dimension of one's life

Shame - Exploring how shame shows up in one’s life and the origins of this shame, especially in specific situations or environments; processing through this shame and developing an empowerment to feel less ashamed in daily life

Values clarification - Exploring one’s values, including their origins and how they impact daily decision-making and behaviors; making life changes according to these values and living a life aligned to one’s values




Clientele

  • Adults (24+)
  • Young adults (18-24)

Insurance

Erin Carnahan is not in-network with any insurances.

Read about the benefits of seeing an out-of-network provider here.


Out-of-pocket fees

  • Individual sessions: $200 (50min)

Location(s)

Online Sessions (California)
Accepting new clients online
Currently Available Times
  • Morning (Before 10am)
  • Daytime (10am - 1pm)
  • Afternoon (1pm - 5pm)
  • Evening (After 5pm)
  • Weekends
Regular Hours
  • Mon 9am-5pm
  • Tue 1pm-5pm
  • Wed 10am-5pm
  • Thu 9am-4pm
  • Fri Closed
  • Sat Closed
  • Sun Closed

Pill Hill practice
2940 Summit St., Oakland, California 94609
Not accepting new clients in-person
Currently Available Times
  • Morning (Before 10am)
  • Daytime (10am - 1pm)
  • Afternoon (1pm - 5pm)
  • Evening (After 5pm)
  • Weekends
Regular Hours
  • Mon 9am-5pm
  • Tue 1pm-5pm
  • Wed 10am-5pm
  • Thu 9am-4pm
  • Fri Closed
  • Sat Closed
  • Sun Closed

Work and Education

Years of Experience: 7 years

Living Oak Counseling, 2020 - Present
Earth Circles Counseling Center, 2017 - Present
Christian Counseling Centers, 2017 - 2021
Lincoln Families, 2016 - 2017
Wheaton College Counseling Center, 2015 - 2016

Wheaton College Graduate School, M.A. in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, 2016
Whitman College, B.A. in Psychology, 2009


Licensure

California: 9075


Languages

English