Therapists for college students near UCLA

We feel it coming … just as we open our hearts, things shift. They start pulling away and we’re waiting for the breakup to come. We spend days and weeks ruminating about why it ended, what we did wrong. Why does this keep happening? When a relationship ends, the darkness that follows can overwhelm us — we’re left unmoored, disconnected. Our hearts are aching, and the person we relied for support is gone. As we’re left alone sorting through the pieces, old wounds may surface — I’ve been here before. Why do I keep finding myself back in this place? Am I broken? Friends and family may try to help with advice and distractions, but their words ring hallow. It’s too hard to engage in daily life when our hearts feel so heavy. We envision the relationships we want, but it feels so out of reach. There has to be another way. Relational therapy creates a space to slow down and understand what is keeping us from experiencing the relationships and the connection we want. We can slow down to explore what patterns continue to repeat and why. By understanding how we relate to ourselves and others, we can start shifting and responding before cycles repeat. This intention nurtures the connections and closeness we’re striving for. The vision is possible — you just need some help to reach it. Welcome to Flutter Relational Therapy! I’m Elizabeth and I understand the power of relationships. Humans are wired for connection — the pain that comes from disconnection is debilitating. We look for ways to cope that continue to isolate us — affairs, alcohol, screens, fights -- this exacerbates our suffering. The solve is in healthy, meaningful relationships. Relational therapy creates an intentional space that guides people towards the connections they want. Humans are complex and there is no one size model that fits us all… but by slowing down to understand our own why, we make sense of our feelings, thoughts, and behaviors. This insight creates opportunities for growth and relating in different ways. When we understanding our hearts and our minds, we can shift our responses and restore our connections. The relationships we want for ourselves are in reach -- I can help you uncover your own road map to get there.

I love to help clients better understand their life experiences, wants, needs, and values. I work with people experiencing anxiety, sadness, grief, and sometimes just generally feeling lost. I have worked across differences in race, gender, sexual orientation, age and religion, and I deeply respect and appreciate the diversity of life experiences my clients come in with.

Balance Treatment Programs provides partial day and full day mental health programming M-F, able to accommodate work and school schedules with a.m., afternoon and p.m. programming, both onsite, at 7 locations throughout California, or via Tele-health. We are all professional therapists experienced in assessments, treatment planning, diagnosis, crisis intervention, family support, individual and group therapy. We provide CBT, DBT, Trauma therapy, Art therapy, support for Addictive Disorders and Process or Insight Oriented Therapies. We are LGBQT+ Affirming and believe in recovery of all kinds, empowering growth by removing obstacles.

I specialize in transitional aged youth (18-26) and work best with highly sensitive people who are struggling with depression, anxiety, trauma, substance abuse, and intense and unmanageable relationships.

I provide individual therapy to individuals who are looking for help to cope with life's various twists and turns. I utilize an organic approach to gain an understanding of your specific life situations and stressors that are contributing to your current feelings. I use positive affirmations, strength identification and skill building to encourage you to reach your personal goals. We will work quickly to alleviate uncomfortable symptoms while we learn to identify triggers that may cause these feelings in order to focus on making long term changes that will help you to move forward through life. I would love the opportunity to work with you to find a way to bring out the strength that is inside of you. You are capable of so much more than you can even imagine!

Anxiety is a learned behavior and it can be unlearned. Your brain is not your enemy and it isn’t trying to make you worry; it is just repeating unhelpful messages from the past. I’d like to help you retrain your brain to be a source of comfort and positivity. With less anxiety, you can direct your energy towards things you really value instead of worrying all the time. In order to change the way you think and feel, you can change your old habits and practice new skills. There is no more valuable project than your well-being, and it’s worth the effort. I have experience with: anxiety, feeling stuck, breakups, depression, and stress. I have a very strong background in mindfulness practices. My clients describe me as compassionate, easy to talk to, and non-judgmental. I have worked in a wide variety of settings with a very diverse group of clients. My office is a welcoming place for people of all backgrounds and beliefs. Please visit my website for more information. I do not accept insurance. I offer sliding rates for students, retail/service workers, and anyone else who has a financial need.

Hi, I am a first generation Latina and the first to graduate from college in my family. I decided I wanted to be a therapist when I took my first sociology class in community college at Pasadena City College, where my life changed thanks to the support and guidance I received from my counselor and the PUENTE Project. I am now a proud private practice owner who has two children who have taught me more than any school program could. Both of my kids have learning disabilities and one is autistic. I have dedicated most of my time to learning how to navigate the educational system and advocating for their educational needs. Because of my personal experiences with my children, I am dedicated to supporting autistic individuals through neuro-affirming therapy and have guided many people in discovering and embracing their own neurodivergence. I have worked with many clients to help them access school and work accommodations and to develop personalized sensory self-care strategies. If you feel under a lot of stress, like you are working harder than the average student only to play catch up, feel burnt out no matter how you take care of yourself, and constantly feel disconnected even from friends and family, I am here to help you figure things out, one thing at a time. If you are a student who is under a lot of stress and is experiencing anxiety and/or depression, I am here to help. Or who feels alone and disconnected from others, I am here to help.

As a licensed psychotherapist I work individuals and couples. As an educator for over 25 years, I have also worked with colleges students, particularly international students, undocumented students, and the underserved population. I firmly believe that from childhood to adult years we face myriad of challenges, i.e relational, emotional, and life transitions. During these times if the right support is not available to us, we compensate by activating parts of our Self that may manifest themselves as anxiety, depression, trauma reactions, compulsive behaviors (e.g. gambling, substance abuse, internet addiction), etc. As a result, relationships with our others, as well as with ourselves, are affected. My goal is to guide you through healing these parts leading to a self who is more emotionally aware and connected. You will develop an awareness of your patterns, learn to live with more harmony in the present, and build stronger relationships.

Welcome to Cultivate Grace Counseling and Consultation Services! I am a Registered Play Therapist™ (RPT™) and I specialize in therapy for children and teens navigating emotional ups and downs, life transitions and stress related to adjustment challenges. Through play therapy, parent-child relational work, and solution focused techniques, my goal is to help young people build confidence, strengthen emotional regulation, and feel more connected at home and at school. Parents are an important part of the process. I offer consultation and practical guidance to help you feel more equipped, supported, and less alone along the way.

I'm passionate about helping adults and teens heal emotional wounds, nurture healthy relationships, and enhance self-esteem. If you tend to overthink, feel unmotivated, or simply struggle to enjoy the present moment, I'm here to help. I provide a space where you can express and sort through unhelpful thoughts and emotions that you may not feel able to process elsewhere. I am dedicated to helping you rediscover confidence and peace within yourself and in your relationships.

We are a private therapy practice located San Francisco and Pasadena specializing in psychotherapy for women and children in individual and group settings. Spark All Wellness helps children and mamas through difficult life situations, trauma and the challenges of parenting. Our team specializes in EMDR, CBT, Play Therapy & Trauma-Informed Yoga Therapy and offer both in-person and telehealth sessions.

I believe that we all have an innate healing power within us, and that developing a safe and caring relationship with a therapist can be a wonderful means toward enlivening this power. By going within, we can discover the agency to overcome any obstacle and can bring into being a renewed sense of hope, purpose, and a life of fulfillment. I come from a holistic, humanistic, and mindfulness/spiritually-oriented tradition who believe that a therapist is only as skilled as they are evolved, or self-actualized themselves. I specialize in trauma, dissociation, & complex post traumatic stress disorder. I have trained in EMDR and utilize Internal Family Systems (IFS) and Ketamine as a means of accessing the Self. I work with adults and children alike, and enjoy incorporating meditation, art, and play therapy. As a former creative producer with 20 years in entertainment, I also receive a great deal of satisfaction working with artists in the industry. I provide a warm and compassionate space of acceptance that encourages growth to unfold. By expressing feelings openly and connecting authentically we learn to resolve family and relationship issues naturally. Inevitably, this clears a path for greater intimacy with oneself and others, uncovering the full measure of our potential for love and joy.

During my clinical training at a college counseling center, I worked closely with students navigating anxiety, self-doubt, emotional overwhelm, relationship difficulties, trauma, academic pressures, and major life transitions. I also currently serve as a clinical supervisor for doctoral trainees in a graduate psychology program. As a contributing author in a Cambridge Scholars Publishing volume exploring the transcultural unconscious, I am especially attentive to the ways psychological suffering can emerge across emotional, relational, somatic, cultural, ancestral, and intergenerational layers—particularly for individuals navigating between multiple cultural worlds, identities, or systems of meaning. In addition to my clinical work, I draw insight from four decades of lived experience across business, music, holistic practices, and cross-cultural traditions, which continue to inform my understanding of psychological resilience, creativity, identity, and the complexity of human experience. Many of the individuals I work with appear highly capable on the outside while privately struggling with a persistent sense of disconnection from themselves or uncertainty about who they are beyond achievement and external expectations. If you are trying to meet academic, familial, cultural, or social demands while also struggling with questions of identity, self-worth, meaning, or belonging, therapy can offer a space where your inner life is approached with greater curiosity and depth rather than reduced to productivity or performance. Therapy may also help you develop the psychological flexibility to hold the tension between external expectations and your own emerging questions about identity, meaning, and authenticity without forcing one side of yourself to disappear. I work particularly well with students and young adults who are psychologically curious and interested in understanding the deeper patterns shaping their emotional lives. This may especially resonate if you tend to organize your inner life and external world primarily through thinking, analysis, and intellectual understanding. The capacity to reflect, reason, and make meaning from complexity can be a profound strength that supports resilience, creativity, and achievement. At the same time, thinking can sometimes become a way of creating distance from emotional or somatic experience, especially when vulnerability or relational life once felt difficult to navigate. You may genuinely enjoy ideas, self-reflection, and intellectual exploration, while also sensing that certain emotional experiences remain difficult to access, articulate, or fully feel. Together, we may explore how early relational experiences, unconscious dynamics, cultural and family histories, and internalized expectations influence your self-esteem, relationships, perfectionism, emotional regulation, and sense of meaning or purpose. My approach is psychodynamic and depth-oriented while also integrating evidence-based trauma treatment, including EMDR. Therapy is not only focused on symptom reduction, but also on helping you develop a more reflective and compassionate relationship with yourself. I value both the importance of making practical progress in daily life and the longer process of psychological development that unfolds as your inner and outer worlds begin to come into deeper dialogue. For many young adults, this stage of life involves more than adapting to social expectations—it can also become an important period of questioning, identity formation, and emotional integration. Therapy can provide a space for you to think deeply, process difficult experiences, and cultivate a more grounded and genuine sense of self.

Many of the students I work best with feel pressure to "have it all together" on the outside—yet inside, they're overwhelmed by stress, anxiety, relationship challenges, or past trauma. They may be high-achieving, creative, or deeply caring individuals who feel stuck, disconnected, or unsure how to move forward. In our work together, I provide a warm, grounded space to explore what’s really going on beneath the surface. I use practical, body-based tools along with talk therapy to help you feel more empowered, connected, and aligned with who you truly are. Therapy doesn’t have to be about fixing what’s “wrong”—it can be about reconnecting with your inner strength and learning new ways to care for yourself.

If you feel things in a big way, you are in the right place. You may be highly sensitive, an empath, or feeling the weight of injustices. I work with creative people who feel things deeply. I support in processing trauma, anxiety, life transitions, relationship issues, people pleasing, gender expression, and sexuality. I am committed to social justice and believe mental health does not exist in a vacuum. We are influenced by the society and world around us. My approach to therapy is rooted in values of anti-oppression and acknowledging the systemic factors that impact wellbeing.

You may be trying to figure out who you are and what you want to do, possibly for the first time. You are probably navigating big changes in relationships, whether that is making new friends, figuring out where you fit in, communicating with professors/advisors, or redefining relationships with family. It can be overwhelming. While this can be an incredibly stressful time, it is also full of possibility and growth. You don't have to figure it out alone - therapy can be a wonderful place where you can slow down and get the support you need and deserve. I absolutely love working with undergraduate and graduate students. Many people who work with me are navigating something invisible that makes them feel different - whether that is anxiety or depression, a chronic health condition, grief or trauma, relationship concerns, life transitions, or parts of your identity that may be unseen. I am especially passionate about working with artists/creatives, the LGBTQ+ community, and people who feel their emotions deeply. My style is empathetic, attentive, non-judgmental, and collaborative. I seek to create an affirming space where all parts of you that you wish to explore are welcomed. I bring careful listening and offer tools to help you feel more grounded, let go of unhelpful narratives, communicate effectively, and build better relationships with yourself and others.

I understand that it can be nerve-racking to begin this process, and I commend you for taking your first steps in starting therapy! I'm a licensed therapist and I have been working in the field for over 20 years. I specialize in working with adults and teens, ages 15 and up. I am here to help you develop tools to cope, feel empowered and supported. Together, we can work towards improving your sleep, feeling less worried and anxious, improve self-esteem, and have healthier friendships and relationships. I utilize evidenced-based and strength-based interventions, including teaching mindfulness, that help people struggling with life adjustments, and issues such as women's health, school and work stress, anxiety, depression, and racial identity (such as helping multiracial people navigate stressors). While therapy can be challenging, we can still enjoy ourselves and even laugh in a safe and supportive space. I look forward to meeting you!

I work with individuals navigating anxiety, depression, trauma, life transitions, and relationship struggles. I have a special focus on athletes, performers, and creatives hitting walls, performance blocks, creative freezes, and the trauma quietly running the show from backstage. If you know you're capable of more but something keeps getting in the way, that's exactly where we dig in. I'm mindfulness-based, DBT-informed, and solution-focused, and certified in Brainspotting and Play Therapy. These two approaches reach places that talk therapy alone sometimes can't. Think of them as secret passageways to what's already inside you. My approach is collaborative, grounded, and completely tailored to you: no therapy-speak, just honest conversation, real tools, and a little humor when it helps. Whatever you're carrying, we'll figure out together, building on your strengths at your pace.

Are you ready to make a change in your life? Is there a pattern you keep repeating in relationships that you want to let go of? Do you want to feel comfortable and happy in your own skin? Is your past affecting your present in debilitating ways you want to change? Your brain is naturally wired for change, the neuroplasticity in your brain allows you to form new neural connections breaking free of limiting beliefs. Therapy taps into this ability, and provides tangible skills for you to learn and connect to your own healing power. An experienced hand makes all the difference in healing and awakening to your best self. Specializing in trauma I’m holistic in my approach looking at the flow of energy in you as a whole being: Spirit, Mind, and Body. I interweave Mindfulness, Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT) and Attachment Focused Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (AF-EMDR) to fit your unique needs and together we take a journey to the possible.

Dr. Brandon Heimberg is a licensed clinical psychologist in California. He specializes in the clinical and forensic neuropsychological assessment of traumatic brain injury, medical conditions and psychiatric conditions. Aside from comprehensive neuropsychological evaluations, Dr. Heimberg provides evidence-based psychological treatment and cognitive rehabilitation services for individuals with attention, memory, other cognitive challenges, and other medical conditions. Dr. Heimberg earned his Master of Science degree in clinical psychology, followed by his Doctorate of Psychology at California Lutheran University. He received advanced training in Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) under a grant-funded DBT training collaboration between Dr. Jamie Bedics and the creator of DBT, Dr. Marsha Linehan. Dr. Heimberg further honed these skills in Dialectical Behavioral Therapy in his externship at Ventura County Behavioral Health, treating and assessing complex psychiatric conditions and leading skills training groups using DBT principles. Dr. Heimberg completed an advanced clinical practica in neuropsychological assessment at UCLA's David Geffen School of Medicine in the Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences at the University of California, Los Angeles, where he saw both geriatric and neurooncology patients. Dr. Heimberg then completed a neuropsychology internship at the VA Illiana Healthcare System (APA-Accredited, Division 40), emphasizing outpatient and inpatient neuropsychological assessment and treatment of Vietnam-era Veterans. He returned to UCLA to complete a two-year clinical neuropsychology postdoctoral fellowship at UCLA’s David Geffen School of Medicine within the Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, performing neuropsychological evaluations and cognitive rehabilitation for post 9-11 era Veterans for UCLA Operation Mend, as well as complex medical and psychiatric, neuropsychological evaluations in the Medical Psychology Assessment Center (MPAC). Dr. Heimberg has been on various research teams at UCLA within the departments of Geriatric Psychiatry and Neuro-oncology, where he has co-authored papers featured in The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry and Oxford Press Society for NeuroOncology. Additionally, Dr. Heimberg co-authored the cognitive training manual for UCLA Operation Mend's Balanced Recovery And Integrated Neuroscience (BRAIN) and Substance Abuse intensive treatment programs.