ABOUT
Dr. Kayla Sykes
California Licensed Clinical Psychologist
PSY32408
Therapy with me is a real conversation. I'm warm and I care deeply, but I'm also honest. If I notice something, I'll name it. I bring humor when it fits and directness when it helps. And I won't let you people-please your way through our sessions.
Hello! If you’ve made it here, you’re probably wondering who I am and if I’d be a good fit as a therapist for you. I became a therapist because I kept seeing a pattern: the women who seemed to have it most together were often quietly struggling. The ones taking care of everyone else often don’t know how to ask for what they needed. What drew me to this specialty was seeing how many capable women needed help themselves.
For many women, relationships aren't just one part of life. They shape everything. When our relationships feel solid, we can handle stress, take risks, and show up fully. When they don't, everything else feels harder.
Many women don't feel ok unless their relationships are ok. And while that speaks to how deeply we value connection, it can also go too far. When your sense of worth becomes controlled by whether your partner noticed what you did, whether they texted back, or whether they seem happy, you lose trust in yourself. You stop being able to tell the difference between your intuition and your anxiety.
My work is helping women rebuild trust in themselves. To discern between anxiety that's protecting you from something real and anxiety that's just protecting you from being vulnerable. To ask for what you need without feeling selfish. To stop keeping score and start showing up authentically.
Education & Certifications
Psy.D. in Clinical Psychology, Alliant International University, San Francisco, CA
B.A. in Psychology & Communication, University of California, Davis
Postdoctoral Fellowship & Predoctral Internship, University of San Francisco, CAPS
National Health Register, Specialized Training, Women’s Health Across the Lifespan
Level 1 Training, Gottman Method Couples Therapy
We may be a good fit if you're:
- Exhausted from overgiving in your relationship but don't know how to stop
- Keeping score silently and resenting your partner for not noticing
- Feeling like your partner's mother instead of their equal
- Wanting a relationship but avoiding dating because vulnerability feels terrifying
- Convinced something is wrong with you for struggling with closeness
- Unable to ask for what you need without feeling selfish or demanding
- Analyzing every text, every tone, every interaction with your partner or friends
- Giving more than you receive and wondering why no one takes care of you
- Afraid that if you set boundaries, people will leave
- Craving connection but keeping everyone at arm's length
- Losing yourself in relationships or avoiding them altogether
- Struggling to tell the difference between your intuition and your anxiety
Conditions I have experience and success working with:
Fear of Vulnerability
Over-Giving in Relationships
Life Transitions
Parenting (Young and Adult Children)
Burnout
Father Wounds & Partner Selection
Difficulties with Parents
"The hardest part isn't learning to set boundaries.
It's believing you're allowed to have them in the first place.
You don't have to keep earning love.
You already deserve it."
— Dr. Kayla Sykes