Therapists for college students near San Diego, CA

As a dedicated mental health professional, I am committed to guiding adolescents and young adults. My practice is deeply rooted in systemic thinking, seamlessly blending psychodynamic, cognitive behavioral, and attachment-based approaches to deliver a nuanced and tailored intervention. In cultivating a warm and collaborative environment, I facilitate a process where clients explore personal and relational intricacies, fostering insights for a more fulfilling life. Rejecting a one-size-fits-all approach, I acknowledge the uniqueness of each client in treatment planning. Navigating trauma, codependency, self-esteem, depression, anxiety, and OCD, my practice emphasizes the impact of traumatic events and recognizes the influential role of relationships on an individual level. Embark on the journey of transformative growth by reaching out for support. Remember, you don't have to face things alone; you are the expert of your own life, and you hold the power to make transformative change. In this journey, I'm here to empathetically walk alongside you, offering understanding and guidance every step of the way.

Pragmatic Solutions Psychotherapy is an individual practice founded to bring quality treatment to adults struggling with childhood onset trauma, adult trauma, depression, anxiety, distress related to health conditions, difficulty adjusting to major life issues, problems with self-worth, relationship issues, and more. I practice from a trauma-informed approach and can help you overcome early life stressors that may continue to bother you in your relationships with others and in your daily functioning. Much of the distress in dealing with mental health struggles comes from a lack of knowledge about the disorder you are experiencing, symptoms associated with it, and how to confront these symptoms in a way that brings about healing and growth. As my name suggests, I like to provide practical and tangible skills clients can use out of the office to help bring about change.

The Almaden Valley Counseling Service envisions a community where everyone has access to affordable mental health counseling. AVCS is a community-based, nonprofit counseling agency committed to meeting the mental health concerns of all ages.

Are struggling with past or present trauma that leaves you feeling anxious, depressed, disconnected or critical of yourself? Trauma work is my specialty. I support my clients in a healing, safe environment to do the toughest work they may face...healing their past. Are your relationships suffering? Maybe you've been struggling with addiction issues. We can explore your struggles in these areas to get you clarity you desire, and an action plan for recovery. I use a combination of EMDR and other evidence- based techniques including CBT, somatic work (TRM) and parts work to reduce your anxiety, stress, negative self talk and get you moving toward your goals and living your best life. Let’s work together to transform old beliefs and heal emotional wounds in a safe, caring environment. Are you ready to get some relief? Call to schedule an initial free phone consultation at 323-350-5964

My approach to therapy is rooted in a belief that change is possible. Most of my clients come to me because something in their lives isn't working. Whether the problem is familial, romantic, professional, emotional, or even existential, I find it usually comes down to a matter of relationship. How are we relating to the things that cause us to suffer? When we understand these relationships and the parts we play in them, we are free to make different choices, and to experience our lives, ourselves, and our loves in richer, more fulfilling ways. While I see clients with a wide range of presenting issues, I have a high level of expertise in family conflict, childhood trauma, addiction, codependency and eating disorders. I also have a passion for helping artists of all kinds to overcome the self-limiting beliefs that lead to creative blocks. I have additional training in EMDR (an evidence based model for trauma therapy), mindfulness practice, and family systems, and I hold an MFA in Creative Writing from Columbia University.

Are constant changes making you feel lost and disconnected from loved ones? You're not alone. Many college students feel the same way—lonely, unworthy, and sometimes just getting out of bed feels impossible. I get it, and I'm here to help you navigate through it. Let’s work together to find fulfillment in your life. We’ll focus on managing your emotions, building healthy relationships, and understanding your past and present to empower you to live authentically. I believe in your ability to heal and grow. I offer teletherapy sessions designed to fit into your busy college schedule. My approach is compassionate and nonjudgmental, prioritizing your needs and goals. I strive to create a supportive environment that encourages personal growth and positivity. I'm excited to meet you—come as you are, and let’s heal together!

I specialize in working with women and teens who have endured trauma. Trauma can cause you to feel stuck, hinder your relationships, and your ability to function in daily life activities. I want to help you change that. I will help you sort out the pieces, find healing, and find yourself again. I can also provide a faith based perspective to therapy if you desire that. Being a therapist and getting to hold space for people in their most broken moments is one of the greatest honors of my life. Every person’s story is one-of-a-kind, and that means your care should be too! When we team up, think of us as partners on this adventure together. I want you to feel heard, respected, and comfortable enough to share what's on your mind. I'll be here to listen, to nudge you out of your comfort zone when needed, and to cheer you on every step of the way. We’ll kick things off with an introductory session, where you get to tell your story and share what you’re hoping to achieve in therapy. Don’t worry – we’ll figure it out together! My goal is to create a cozy, welcoming space where you feel safe enough to open up, be vulnerable, and still feel grounded. After that, we'll roll up our sleeves and dive into making your goals a reality, one session at a time.

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My clients usually approach me when they are ready to make a change in their lives. They are experiencing conflicts, inside themselves or with others, and are looking for an empathic, flexible and dynamic clinician to provide support and guidance. With clients and within myself, I emphasize maintaining mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual health and wellness practices, as well as, feelings of HOPE and self acceptance. My clients and I are both “agents of change,” constantly progressing, and continuously developing through this journey called life. I am currently licensed and practicing in the state of California and New Jersey. I also have a permit to practice in New York supervised by Dr. Melissa Laracuenta- Hernandez.

If you are busy, want to get well quickly and be on your way to enjoying life, I can help you. When you start therapy with me, we will identify current behavior patterns that aren’t working, learn new ones, practice, and adjust your strategy until you maintain the new behaviors. When you feel ready, we end our work together in a healthy process and graduate you!

We now offer an Intensive Outpatient Mental health program! This program is 3 days each week and currently serves individuals who are 18+. We utilize a lot of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to teach our patients tools they can utilize in their daily lives. Program is currently virtual. Ocean Psychiatry provides additional types of mental health services. Individual therapy, family and couples therapy, psychiatry, TMS and Spravato.

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Many young adults—especially first-generation individuals—carry a quiet mix of anxiety, pressure, and unresolved family wounds. You might be navigating cultural expectations, managing everyone’s needs, or trying to break patterns that have been passed down for generations. If you feel overwhelmed, disconnected, or unsure how to move forward, you’re not alone. I integrate Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), Cognitive Behavior Therapy CBT, attachment-focused work, and culturally affirming practices. As a first-gen, bilingual therapist myself, I understand the pressure of holding multiple worlds at once. My approach is grounded in cultural nuance, deep compassion, and a commitment to creating a space where you don’t have to translate your experience—you can simply be you.

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I specialize in working with college students and young adults who are navigating the pressure to excel while managing anxiety, burnout, depression, relationship difficulties, and identity exploration. Many of my clients are thoughtful, driven, and self-aware, yet find themselves feeling exhausted, overwhelmed, or disconnected from the life they've worked so hard to build. In therapy, I provide a supportive and nonjudgmental space to slow down, make sense of what you're experiencing, and develop tools for lasting change. My style is warm, relational, and evidence-based, helping clients build resilience, strengthen relationships, and feel more grounded and confident in themselves.

I work with adults and teens who are feeling stuck and at the mercy of depression and anxiety, but are ready to move forward and make sustainable changes. I have specialized training in perinatal mental health, including postpartum depression and anxiety, and practice trauma-informed treatment, including EMDR. If you've ever felt like you "should" be happier, doing more or coping better, I can help. We'll work together to rediscover your authentic sense of self, learn tools that help you navigate challenges, and live your life more fully. You don’t have to face hard things alone. My approach is authentic, person-centered and collaborative, and rooted in providing an emotionally safe and accepting environment. I provide brief solution-focused therapy or longer term work. I incorporate psychodynamic and cognitive approaches including modalities such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) and EMDR. Your decision to seek therapy is an empowering step towards positive change. If you're ready to begin your journey of healing, growth, and resilience, I invite you to connect with me. Please reach out with any questions you have and we can set up a time to discuss your needs and determine if I am the right fit.

Feeling totally stressed, anxious, or overwhelmed? I can help! I support college students and young adults with their current challenges. I also specialize in working with eating disorders and body image.

I am a Stanford trained Physician with a specialization in Psychiatry. I have advanced training in Cognitive Behavior Therapy or "CBT." CBT is a very well researched form of counseling that is highly effective for depression, anxiety, insomnia and many other conditions. I love what I do and previously served as the Director of Evidence Based Practice and Ongoing Education in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Division of Behavioral Medicine. I conducted research, taught, and saw patients at Stanford for more than a decade and I received numerous awards for excellence in these areas. I was trained for more than ten years with a person named Stewart Agras, and another named David Burns - they are pioneers in Behavioral Medicine and CBT. I was very blessed to have excellent mentors and training. I have extensive experience sharing this experience with those students I have consulted with in higher education at Stanford and in the University of California. I have worked all of my career with undergraduate, graduate, law, and medical students and believe that these formative years are critical times in the formation of a person, and they are often challenging times. I am warm, friendly and approachable. I laugh frequently (and often cry) with my patients. My family is from Italy where sincerity and the authentic sharing of emotions is valued and respected. Parlo un 'po l'italiano ma non molto bene! (I speak a little Italian but not very well!) I am very conservative with respect to use of medications and prefer to help students develop skills in managing life stressors by getting trained in CBT. This art is disappearing sadly in my field as brief medication checks are much more lucrative to clinics but there is a cost to the patient in this reductionist approach! I am very comfortable and prefer to help persons manage stress with CBT alone without medications as it can provide a lot of sophisticated and lasting protections that are well supported in the scientific research literature. As professionals, we should do what is right and not what is most profitable as we take the Hippocratic oath to defend our patients. I can add medications if they are indicated and supported by good research when CBT is not helping on its own as I am a physician trained in all scientifically supported modalities of providing support. I respect my patients' values in this. If we can work through though times without medicines, I really try to encourage that, and, for many persons willing to grow through stress, it is definitely achievable, and strongly supported by randomized controlled trials (fancy studies used to test treatments for effectiveness). There is substantial evidence that suggests that this approach is very important in reducing risk for relapse in the long term. I love helping students build confidence in themselves when the circumstances are really challenging and have many, many patients who have reached out to me over many years thanking me for the times we spent together getting through the roughest of times. I don't have a lot of material wealth. The pictures and post cards of so many smiling, happy, and good persons graduating, getting married, getting started in their careers, and getting started with their families and overall being in a good, secure place are the real treasures that I have collected in my career. I am a practicing Catholic and am very comfortable incorporating faith in treating my patients. Many persons are referred to me when seeking a caring Catholic Psychiatrist who is highly trained in using Cognitive Behavior Therapy to promote resilience and virtue when life becomes really challenging. I am sadly quite familiar with the pain of having lost very precious persons in my life including my own dear wife to devastating metastatic cancer at an extremely young age. That was tough and occurred shortly after we lost our infant daughter. I have two beautiful college aged children who are doing very well despite all of the things our family was beset with. We came together and got through. Faith, family and fellowship can be crucial sources of support when things feel really overwhelming. I was highly trained in CBT and combining this with the above made all of the difference. I will encourage you also to protect yourself with these types of resources when all seems lost. Note that I do not manage ADD or ADHD or prescribe habit forming medications or perform evaluations for these conditions or autism spectrum disorder. I do see students who need to use their insurance through Headway and MyCatholicDoctor at the links below: Headway: https://care.headway.co/providers/anthony-mascola-m-d?utm_source=pem&utm_medium=direct_link&utm_campaign=201271 MyCatholicDoctor.com https://mycatholicdoctor.com/resources/doctors/anthony-mascola-md/ Accepting insurance in private practice in Psychiatry is unfortunately not very common. The majority of the most highly qualified Psychiatrists and Psychologists forego seeing patients with insurance as it is really tough to manage coordinating insurance in a small practice and does not reimburse well. This does not feel right to me as when life is hardest, finances are tight. My Italian family were poor and commercial fishermen and I am sworn as a Catholic to help persons when they don't have a lot of resources. The portals above are trying to help persons who are seeking help who don't have a lot of money to get connected to really good care. If you are going through a tough time and looking for someone who is both qualified and kind to support and encourage you, then don't wait any longer. Don't go through this alone! Please reach out and call me. I have spent all of my life training to help you! I promise I will support you and push you to find strength that you don't even realize you have. You can't realize it when you are stressed and often working with a professional person can help. Be prepared to work though, as sometimes this means facing a fear you'd rather avoid, or examining uncomfortable patterns of thoughts and behavior. I need a willing collaborator and promise you that I want ask you to do more than you can. I know from a lot of my own life experience how devastating stress can be but I also want to be honest and real and genuine and effective. I don't see passive treatment reduce suffering effectively in the long run. I don't want my students to suffer their whole life. I want my students to grow and recover, just like a good coach or teacher. You are smart, you have a good head on your shoulders and if we can learn from the circumstances that evoke stress we will be able to overcome stress in the future. Those who do not train in CBT are often on medications for years and suffer a great deal with a very high rate of relapse. Taking time to train in CBT is a more challenging treatment but it can develop powerful skills that will help you for your whole life! If while reading this you get a good feeling inside, then please schedule a free fifteen-minute visit to see if it is a good fit for you. If you are looking for a really caring Psychiatrist who is warm and kind, highly qualified, who really enjoys helping persons find their strength with a healthy, proactive, evidence based and highly effective approach to dealing with stress, you will not be disappointed!

My name is Jenaiah Sauceda, and I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in Brentwood, CA. My journey in the field of mental health began with a deep-rooted passion for helping others, a value instilled in me by my family, which has a strong legacy in the helping professions. With dual Bachelor’s degrees in Women and Gender Studies and Social Work, alongside a Master’s Degree in Social Work focusing on Individuals, Families, and Groups from San Francisco State University, I have cultivated a solid foundation for my practice. Currently, I am advancing my education by pursuing a doctorate in clinical psychology, with the goal of achieving this by the end of 2025. I specialize in supporting women through various challenges, including relationship issues, divorce, adoption, infertility, parenting challenges, as well as managing depression and anxiety. My approach to therapy is solution-focused, incorporating client-centered, supportive therapy, CBT, DBT, and behavior activation techniques. With a decade of experience and licensure since 2018, I have worked in diverse settings, including child welfare, adoptions, hospitals, and prisons, providing comprehensive mental health treatment. As a wife and mother who grew up in the Bay Area, I understand the complexities of life and the hurdles we all face. I believe that seeking support is a courageous step toward healing and growth. I recognize the stigma surrounding mental health and the barriers it creates, and I am committed to breaking these generational cycles. Together, we can change the narrative around mental health and foster openness and understanding. I look forward to partnering with you on your journey toward healing and growth.

A lot of people are struggling to be present today. The pace of life, distraction from our phones, and increasing demands at work and school make it challenging to "slow down" and enjoy life. This is even more difficult when we're experiencing mental health challenges such as anxiety, depression, or substance use. I work with people to overcome underlying mental health issues and develop skills to improve presence, strengthen relationships, and sustain healthy lifestyle behaviors. I specialize in treating anxiety, including OCD (using ERP, the gold standard), integrating both cognitive-behavioral and mindfulness-based modalities. I also work with people experiencing depression and substance use. I know that struggling with mental health can be overwhelming. It might feel like you are moving through a downward spiral. My goal is to reverse that spiral with you. Together, we'll identify 1) where you're at, 2) where you want to go (and what's getting in the way), and 3) practical, specific, evidence-based actions you can begin taking right away. I was previously a Clinical Assistant Professor at USC (where I worked in the Student Counseling Center), have worked with people across the clinical spectrum, and have been teaching meditation for 10+ years. I also run public courses and workshops on mindfulness and mental health. I would be glad to schedule a free 15-minute consultation to see if we're a good fit. I look forward to talking more!