Qualifications & Education:

Registered Associate Marriage Family Therapist #149765,
Supervised by Carly Suzanne Lukas, LMFT #88544

Master’s Degree:

University of San Francisco, MA Counseling Psychology

Undergraduate Degree:

Howard Payne University, Psychology

Clinic:

Berkeley

Specialties:

Depression, Anxiety, Anger/irritability/emotional dysregulation, Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Trauma, Disruptive behaviors/Oppositional-Defiant Disorder, LGBTQ+, Young children under age 5, Post/peri-partum depression

Therapeutic Modalities:

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Working with parents for parent training/coaching/support, Family Therapy, Couples Therapy, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), Psychoanalytic/Psychodynamic Therapy, Art Therapy, Narrative Therapy, Play Therapy, Social Skills Training, Study skills/executive functioning training

About Dreema Abila:

Hi there! I’m Dreema. I started my career at UCSF’s Infant-Parent Program, completing a traineeship year doing direct dyadic work with infants and their caregivers navigating early relational and attachment challenges. More recently, I spent time in an after-school-based counseling role in San Francisco, working across both therapy and wellness center spaces alongside children and their families as they navigated everyday challenges. Both experiences shaped how closely I pay attention to the relationships that shape us long before we have language for them.

I believe the relationship itself, the experience of being genuinely known, is often what makes any technique effective in the first place. My approach is relational, attachment-informed, and integrative, drawing on psychodynamic work alongside psychoeducation and the brain science behind why we respond the way we do, so clients understand not just what’s happening but why. I work with individuals, couples, and families through a culturally responsive, trauma-informed, and queer-affirming lens.

Outside of work, I live in San Francisco and I’m usually chasing down live jazz somewhere in the city, running through Golden Gate Park, or parked at a new coffee shop just to sit in the atmosphere. I’m also a devoted Golden State Valkyries fan, always up for talking women’s sports.