Dr. Brenda Ohta

I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in California and Arizona with a doctorate, a master of science in gerontology and healthcare, and certification in yoga therapy and trauma work. My clinical focus includes people living with serious illness, cancer, and the psychological and existential dimensions of a significant medical diagnosis.

I bring my own lived experience with malignant brain cancer to this work. That shapes how I understand fear, uncertainty, and what it means to confront something that threatens not just your life but your sense of who you are. I see clients in private practice and volunteer at local cancer centers.

My approach combines Western psychotherapy including CBT and DBT, with Eastern modalities of mindfulness and yoga therapy, drawing on breathwork and somatic practices depending on what each person needs. I work with people facing cancer, serious illness, trauma, anxiety, grief, and major life transitions. I spent years as a clinician, researcher, and administrator in academic medicine, and I bring that depth alongside direct clinical work.

The first session is a conversation about where you are and what you are dealing with. I listen and I do not minimize what may be difficult for you. Reach out when you are ready. Together we will figure it out.