Dr. Nicola Wagenberg

I grew up in a small Jewish community in Bogotá, Colombia. I came to the US in my twenties and have lived in Philadelphia and the San Francisco Bay Area since then. I have a doctoral degree in clinical psychology. My doctoral research focused on the relationship between survivor guilt and intergenerational trauma. In particular, I am very interested in working with the guilt and shame that comes up when we are trying to heal and transform historical and intergenerational trauma. 

I was a staff therapist at The Psychotherapy Institute in Berkeley, CA, where I am now a member of the Executive Board and provide trainings for incoming therapists around socio-cultural issues in the clinical setting. I was an intern therapist at the Living Arts Counseling Center in Oakland where I trained in expressive arts, drama therapy and healing the wounds of history work. 

In addition to my private practice I am also the Vice President of The Cultural Conservancy, an indigenous led organization in San Francisco dedicated to the revitalization of indigenous wisdom, culture and land based practices. I direct and facilitate the Native Youth Guardians of the Waters Program. 

License:  Lic.psy27376

PUBLICATIONS:

"Linking Ancestral Seeds and Waters to the Indigenous Places We Inhabit"
co-authored with Melissa K. Nelson, PhD, in
Ecological and Social Healing: Multicultural Women's Voices
2017

“Seeds”
in What Kind of Ancestor Do You Want to Be?
2021