Oakland · East Bay · California telehealth
Therapy that moves at your pace. Literally.
Walk-and-talk psychotherapy on the trails above Oakland and Berkeley, with Daniel Sapoznick, LCSW. No couch, no clock on the wall, no therapist voice, just an hour outdoors with someone who takes you seriously.
No clock on this page either. Walk it at your pace.
The first stretch
So we walk.
There's a trail, a direction, and no one sitting opposite you waiting for eye contact. You can talk about the thing, or you can talk about something else for twenty minutes first, or you can say almost nothing on a given day. That is allowed. The hour still counts.
We agree a public trailhead or park entrance that's easy for you to get to. No office, no waiting room, no reception desk. A fifty-three minute hour at a comfortable stroll (or brisk walk), depending on your preference. Sometimes we will park ourselves on a bench or picnic table. There is no need for every moment to be filled with conversation.
- Lake Temescal
- Joaquin Miller Park
- Redwood Regional Park
- Lake Merritt
- Tilden Regional Park
- Berkeley hill paths
- Claremont Canyon
- Cesar Chavez Park
Routes I use in Oakland and Berkeley. Secure video anywhere in California.
What people carry
None of these are boxes you have to fit into, they're just the language people arrive with.
Anxiety
Anxiety that runs the schedule
Anxiety is rarely irrational. It is usually a very old strategy doing its job long after the job ended.
Depression
Depression, and the flatness nobody names
Sometimes it is heavy. More often it is a slow gray that makes everything cost more than it should.
Stress and burnout
Burnout is not a productivity problem
The exhaustion is real, and so is the part of you that keeps agreeing to more.
Life transitions
Stuck between two impossible options
Every option costs something real. That is why the decision has been sitting there for a year.
The bench
“You bring that ungh I don't want to do ‘X' thing. Together, we find the roots of those feelings, separate the good roots from the weeds, and replant parts of your inner garden.”
Daniel Sapoznick, LCSW
“He listens carefully and empathically and offers truly helpful and supportive insights.”
“Some of our best conversations happened during strolls through the park.”
“Daniel showed so much dedication, humor and unflappable calm!”
Words from colleagues and supervisees, not therapy clients. This practice doesn't publish client testimonials. Read them in full
The practical part
Clear numbers, and the objections people rarely say out loud
- $200
- Walking sessions, 53 minutes
- $185
- Telehealth sessions, 53 minutes
- Free
- Initial phone consultation before you commit to anything
- 48 hours
- I'll get back to you within 48 hours
“That's a lot of money.”
It is. There are a limited number of sliding-scale spots, subject to availability and financial need, ask directly and I'll tell you what's open. I also provide superbills and invoices for HSA and FSA use.
“Therapy didn't work last time.”
Often that's information about the fit or the format rather than about you. Bring the bad experience to the consultation, it's useful material, not an awkward thing to skip past.
It's public space.
Outdoor sessions take place in public space. I choose quiet routes, and we talk through that trade-off before we start, telehealth is always available for the more sensitive stretches of work.
The weather clause.
Rain, illness or a week with no margin, we move that session to secure video rather than losing the rhythm.
Who you're walking with
A licensed clinical social worker who'd rather be outside
I'm Daniel Sapoznick, LCSW, a licensed clinical social worker practicing in the East Bay (California license 27930). I work with young adults, teenagers and new parents, mostly people at a junction where the obvious answers have run out.
I'm trained in Motivational Interviewing, Mentalization, Narrative Therapy and Harm Reduction. In practice that means I'm interested in what you actually want rather than what you should want, in helping you think about your own mind, and in meeting you where you are rather than where a treatment plan says you should be.
I'm not going to speak in therapist voice, and I'm not going to pretend a hard thing is fine. There'll be some laughing. That's not a lapse in professionalism, it's usually a sign the room is real.
Things people ask first
What actually happens in a walking session?
We meet at an agreed public trailhead or park entrance and walk side by side for fifty-three minutes at a pace you set. It's the same therapy that would happen in a room, minus the room. If a day calls for stillness, we sit on a bench or meet by video instead.
Do I have to be fit or outdoorsy?
No. Routes are chosen around what you can comfortably do, including flat, shaded and short options. The walking is a format, not a fitness requirement.
Is an outdoor session private?
It happens in public space, so it can't offer what a closed office offers. I choose quieter routes and times, we talk about the trade-off before starting, and telehealth is always available for more sensitive work.
Where do you work, and who can you see?
Walking sessions in Oakland and Berkeley, and telehealth anywhere in California. I'm licensed in California, so that's where the work lives, with some room for an existing client who is traveling for a while.
What does it cost?
$200 for a 53-minute walking session and $185 for a 53-minute online session, with a limited number of sliding-scale spots subject to availability and financial need. The initial phone consultation is free, and I provide superbills and invoices for HSA and FSA use.
What if I'm in crisis right now?
This practice doesn't provide acute crisis or emergency psychiatric services. In a crisis or emergency, call or text 988 or dial 911.
The way back
One free phone call. No pressure attached to it.
Tell me a little about what's going on, ask whatever you want about how this works, and we'll figure out together whether I'm the right person. If I'm not, I'll say so.