Dr. Celniker entered the mental health field in 1989 when he took a part-time position as a residential counselor at Seneca Center,
a local non-profit agency that served (and still serves) emotionally
disturbed children and their families in a variety of settings. The
experience was profound to say the least, and led to several positions
in different Seneca programs intermittently until 1997.
After
completing his B.A. in psychology in 1990 from San Francisco State
University, Dr. Celniker worked full-time with children, adolescents,
and families in both clinical and non-clinical settings until he began
his graduate studies in 1995 at the Pacific Graduate School of Psychology.
He earned his master of science in clinical psychology in 1998, and his
doctor of philosophy in clinical psychology in 2000, after completing a
predoctoral internship at the Family Institute of Pinole. Dr. Celniker then completed a postdoctoral internship at La Familia Counseling Service,
and subsequently continued as a staff psychologist, where he became
fluent in Spanish, and licensed in California in 2002. Shortly
following licensure, Dr. Celniker opened his independent practice in
the Rockridge Market Hall.
In early 2003, Dr. Celniker took a
position in the psychiatry department at Kaiser Permanente Union City,
working half-time in both the adult and adolescent chemical dependency
programs. There, he directed the adolescent and family program his
final two years, until leaving to pursue full-time independent practice
in 2006.
In his current practice, Dr. Celniker spends
approximately half of his time working with adults in individual and
couples therapy, and the other half with adolescents and families.
