Today we’d like to introduce you to Alison Goldberg.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
A few weeks ago, I boarded a flight to Oakland with my 11-year-old twin daughters for a trip they’ll never forget. From the airport, we hopped on BART and made our way into San Francisco, the excitement building with every stop. We were headed to Oracle Park to watch their cousin, rookie Thomas Saggese of the St. Louis Cardinals, play against the San Francisco Giants. Seeing the girls’ faces light up as they spotted their cousin out on the field in that huge stadium for the first time signs in hand, ready to cheer, was a moment I’ll always hold close. For them, it was about watching family on the big stage. For me, it was a reminder of what it means to dream big, work hard, and show up for the people you love.
My own story started with a dream too. When I was five years old, I decided I wanted to teach. That early spark guided the first part of my career. After earning my B.A. in Psychology, I spent many years teaching and working in education. Then, after my father experienced a devastating job loss, I stepped in to help him search for work. That process unexpectedly led me to the field of recruiting—a path I might never have considered otherwise.
For years, I recruited across industries including insurance, finance, high-tech engineering, IT, HR, sales and marketing, and healthcare. In 2005, I was the only recruiter in my firm using LinkedIn to source passive candidates—something innovative at the time. In my final year of recruiting, I made 27 placements. While I loved the work, my clients were the employers, which meant I didn’t always get to help job seekers see their journey through. That realization pulled me back toward my original passion: helping people directly.
I went back to school to earn a master’s degree in counseling with a specialization in career counseling, allowing me to blend my love for teaching with my commitment to guiding people through career transitions. I began working as a job developer and career counselor at a treatment center and eventually became the Director of Career Services. Over more than six years, I built out comprehensive career programming, administering Strong and MBTI assessments, creating workshops and internship programs, facilitating groups, and helping hundreds of people find meaningful jobs or educational paths.
Today, I run a private online counseling practice, partnering with treatment centers and working with both individuals and groups. Since 2018, my work has increasingly centered on supporting military personnel, spouses, and children, helping them navigate the unique layers of transition, career development, and emotional challenges that come with military life. Over the years, my practice has grown to reflect the complexity of people’s real experiences. I don’t just focus on one piece of their lives; I meet them where they are professionally, emotionally, and personally.
In addition to career counseling, I provide therapy for individuals dealing with a wide range of mental health concerns, including anxiety, depression, trauma, substance use, grief, and other mood and adjustment disorders. So many of the people I work with are navigating multiple stressors at once: career uncertainty, identity shifts, family changes, and emotional pain. My role is to help them sort through those layers with both structure and compassion.
My therapeutic approach blends evidence-based practices with genuine human connection. I draw from mindfulness-based therapy, strengths-based and positive psychology, narrative, relational therapy, and psychodynamic techniques. I understand that no two journeys look the same, especially for military families who often face frequent relocations, deployments, and reintegration stress.
Whether I’m helping someone explore career paths, use resources like O*NET Online, refine résumés, identify transferable skills, or process the emotions tied to major life changes, my goal remains the same: to help people rebuild, redefine, and move forward with clarity, confidence, and hope.
Through every stage of my journey, my daughters have been by my side. They’ve seen me build a career I love, just as they recently saw their cousin step onto a Major League field to live out his dream. My hope is that they carry those moments with them—that they understand they can build their lives with purpose, resilience, and heart.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
The road has definitely not been smooth—but it’s been meaningful. Like many working parents, I’ve had to push through obstacles I never could have planned for while continuing to build a career and support my family.
One of the biggest challenges came with COVID-19. Practically overnight, my daughters’ kindergarten year turned into five and a half years of learning from home. I suddenly became their teacher, tech support, and constant emotional support, all while maintaining and growing my private practice.Supporting clients through a global crisis while homeschooling full-time required a level of flexibility and determination I didn’t know I had.
More recently, I’ve faced significant administrative and financial challenges tied to a major change in military insurance administration. When Tricare transitioned from Health Net Federal Services to TriWest Alliance, what should have been a routine shift turned into months of delayed payments and contract renewal issues. For a small private practice, those delays have a very real impact. To resolve it, I had to go far beyond the usual channels, ultimately involving a congressional inquiry and receiving assistance from both the Defense Health Agency (DHA) and Healthcare Administration (ADHCA).While some progress has been made, payment delays remain an ongoing struggle that affects many providers like me.
Of course, there are also the everyday realities of running a private practice: the natural ebbs and flows of clients starting and pausing treatment, the unpredictability of income, and the constant effort to keep everything moving forward.
This fall marked another huge transition—my daughters returned to in-person school for the first time since kindergarten, starting sixth grade. It’s a reminder of how many chapters we’ve weathered together. None of it has been easy, but every challenge has made me more resilient, resourceful, and deeply committed to the work I do and the life I’m building for my family.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Alison Goldberg M.S. & Your Sober Future ?
At Your Sober Future, my mission is simple yet powerful: help clients discover ways to make real, meaningful change so they can look ahead with hope. I believe strongly that everyone deserves someone who will listen without judgment—and provide a safe place to explore who they are, what they want, and how to get there.
I am a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor (LPCC) and National Certified Counselor (NCC). My practice currently virtual telehealth counseling.
What I specialize in / what I’m known for
Addiction recovery and support for those in recovery
Mood disorders, including depression and anxiety
Career development and educational counseling—including job loss, career dissatisfaction, reentry to the workforce
Military counseling, tailored to the unique emotional and life transitions experienced by servicemembers and their families also consult with treatment programs—residential, intensive outpatient, and outpatient—providing vocational and career counseling, especially to clients navigating recovery.
What sets me apart
I blend clinical therapy and career counseling in one practice. Many clients don’t face just emotional or mental health issues, but identity, purpose, work, and life transitions—and I support across those domains.
I offer tailored approaches depending on each client’s needs: strengths-based psychology, narrative and constructivist therapy, mindfulness, relational therapy, psychodynamic techniques, and more. This flexibility allows me to meet clients where they are.
I maintain strong partnerships with systems of support: for instance, I work closely with the Department of Rehabilitation to help clients access resources—vocational training,
education, job placement—that can help them move forward.
I am trained in career assessments such as the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator and the Strong Interest Inventory. This adds rigor to the career guidance side of my practice.
My dual focus gives clients space not only to heal emotionally, but also to envision and move toward a future in which they feel engaged and purposeful.What I’m most proud of, brand-wise
I’m incredibly proud of the authenticity and integrity of Your Sober Future. Every aspect—from the way I communicate, to how I respond to clients in crisis, to how I structure treatment and career pathways—is rooted in compassion, inclusion, and real results. I want clients to know they are seen, heard, and supported—even in their messiest, most uncertain moments.
What I want readers to know about my offerings / services I provide psychotherapy for individual clients, helping with depression, anxiety, life transitions, grief, and more.
I offer career & educational counseling, helping clients reclaim meaningful work, re-enter education, or shift paths when life circumstances change.
My services are accessible through telehealth, so clients can connect from wherever they are.
I also consult with treatment centers—helping them integrate career counseling and vocational support into recovery programming.
In short: Your Sober Future isn’t just therapy or counseling—it’s about transformation, alignment, and hope. My clients don’t simply survive; they find new footing, clarity, and forward momentum.
Pricing:
- Most insurances accepted for individual therapy including medi-cal
- For career counseling prices range from $175-$225
Contact Info:
- Website: Www.yoursoberfuture.com
