About Me - Dr. Matthew Daube, Therapist in the East Bay

 The Basics

 
I am a licensed clinical psychologist (PSY32407) with a private practice in Oakland, California. I graduated from The Wright Institute in Berkeley with a Psy.D. (Doctorate in Clinical Psychology) in 2017. I have provided therapeutic services in multiple venues since 2013, including community mental health (serving low income and unhoused clients) and college counseling (at Mills College and the University of Pacific). 
 
In terms of therapy style, I utilize a Psychodynamic/Relational approach that incorporates elements of Mindfulness and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. In short, I pay attention to both what's going on in your present and what happened in your past, as we engage in open exploration as well as working on specific skills.

More Background

My previous careers in academia and the arts heavily inform my approach to therapy.  
For starters, I am interdisciplinary at heart. In over a decade spent at Stanford University, I taught for a dozen different programs and departments, from Stanford Pre-Collegiate Studies to Classics to African American Studies to Stanford's Center for Comparative Studies in Race and Ethnicity. One of my favorite parts of producing plays was to go from directing to performing to running the lightboard to writing. This varied approach remains with me as a psychologist, as I draw from multiple approaches, which allows me to create individualized treatments for each client.  
I am also a big believer in collaboration. As a theater practitioner, I always favored ensemble work, whether I was directing, acting, or writing. This spirit guides my therapy work. I bring my experience and expertise to the therapy space, but so do my clients, as they have the most invaluable experience and expertise on their own lives, sometimes without realizing it. 

 
Academic/Teaching Background

Graduate DegreesSmith College, Northampton (MFA, Playwriting)Stanford University, Stanford (PhD, Theater and Performance Studies)Dissertation: Laughter in Revolt: Race, Ethnicity, and Identity in the Construction of Stand-up ComedyThe Wright Institute, Berkeley (PsyD, Psychology)Dissertation: Impacts of Race-based Humor on Stand-up Comedians 
TeachingThe British Institute (Munich, Germany) Cushing Academy (Ashburnham, Massachusetts)De Anza College (Cupertino, California)Diablo Valley College (Pleasant Hill, California)Education Unlimited (Bay Area, California)Stanford University (Stanford, California)The Wright Institute (Berkeley, California)

Outside the Office

While the focus of therapy is on the client, of course, it can also be helpful to have a sense of a therapist beyond their professional side. 
Originally from New England, I started visiting the Bay as a teenager, to spend time with relatives in Berkeley, Richmond, and San Francisco. I lived in Scotland and Germany before settling in the Bay in 2002.In addition to family and my friends, it is the diversity of this area that has kept me here, calling it home. 
I am a fan of art and pop culture. This ranges from the old-timey (like Shakespeare) to the contemporary (like Everything Everywhere All At Once). I definitely have nerdy/geeky qualities, which come out in my fondness for fantasy and science fiction. That's why I named my cat Lyra because, as a kitten, she embodied the adventurous spirit of the heroine in Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials. My own Lyra is not the star of books, film, and television, but she's still the star of the household. 
Finally, I have inherited a family love for walking, food, and comedy. Just don't ask me in which order!