Therapists in Oceanside, CA

If you are searching for support and hope, you’re in the right place. My name is Adrian (he/him), and I am an Associate Marriage and Family Therapist specializing in working with transgender, gender non-conforming, and queer adults and adolescents. My practice is centered on supporting individuals facing questions of gender exploration, sexuality, identity formation, anxiety, depression, emotional dysregulation, and interpersonal conflict.

I take pride in providing a genuine, lighthearted, non-judgmental but direct approach to those managing mental health and/or relationship issues. I also specialize in LGBTQ+/GSRD (Gender, Sexuality, and Relationship Diverse) issues including gender therapy to the Trans community and their families/partners. I utilize an eclectic style with various modalities and interventions including DBT, CBT, ACT and whatever may be relevant for YOUR treatment and success.

Are you feeling lost? Or maybe out of control, burned out, stuck, or like an imposter? Are you or your loved ones repeating behaviors, relationships, or situations, and wishing you could break the cycle? Maybe little things feel more stressful than usual. Sometimes, we aren't sure what causes our distress, but we can sense we're not reaching our potential for health, happiness, or success. Even when we know the cause, change can still feel impossible. That's where I come in. My job is not to judge you; it's to listen, help you understand the root causes of your difficulties, and teach you practical tools to help change your life.

I'm a therapist because therapy saved my life. Through that lived experience, and with education and training, I help clients improve their relationship with themselves and others, and navigate issues related to trauma, gender, sexuality, ENM, dating, boundaries, and self-worth. My clients are thoughtful people who have done the best they can on their own and are looking for additional support. They seek to expand their perspective, to feel differently in the world, and want lasting change. Together we'll create that change and I firmly believe in your inherent worth, power, and self-determination to facilitate the shift you seek.

It can be difficult to find a dedicated space in which you can safely process your experiences. I would consider it a privilege to try and build that trust with you. As a therapist, it is my responsibility to ground myself in curiosity and humility as I bear witness to your life's navigations. Whether that be pleasure, anxiety, identity, interpersonal dynamics, chronic stress, life transitions, personal or sociopolitical heartbreaks- we can explore your experience together. Through connection and collaboration, we can rewrite and expand the stories we tell ourselves and those told to us, allowing for more room to breathe.

Sometimes we can start to feel overwhelmed by life. Various triggers such as identity stress, loss, life transitions, traumatic events, anxious feelings, and relational conflict can start to feel unbearable. This can make carrying on day to day activities very challenging. Whether or not you recognize these behaviors in yourself, your children, or your family as a collective, we can work collaboratively towards addressing your unique needs. You are not alone in this. Today you are one step closer to a more authentic you where you feel empowered and on a path to positive growth and well-being.

Therapy is an art, not a science. Since every person is a unique individual, therapy will vary depending on the persons involved. Hence, there can be no one approach to therapy which works for everyone. To facilitate change, different techniques may be used. However, the forging of a therapeutic alliance is essential for change. Research has shown that a successful outcome in therapy depends on this. In humanistic psychology, emphasis is placed on self-actualization. A propensity to self-actualize is presumed to exist in all persons. Karen Horney made the following analogy to illustrate this phenomenon.

I work with individuals and couples to help them heal trauma, solve relationship problems, and troubleshoot challenges with sexuality. With couples I use emotionally focused therapy (EFT) to help change the patterns you are stuck in by slowing things down and learning to access needs and feelings, both in and out of the bedroom. I specialize in working with sexual disconnects, trauma, and Polyamory (AKA ENM or CNM) and helping LGBTIA+ and non-binary people resolve ordinary life issues as well as gender affirmation and coming out.

Offering CA-based Telehealth ideal for BIPOC: Black, Indigenous, &/or People of Color, including white-passing & mixed-race BIPOC. Also welcoming Families & Partnerships with 1 or more BIPOC in regular attendance. I offer Xychotherapy: psychotherapy that recognizes therapeutic experiences existed long before psychotherapy was invented, and incorporates psychotherapy into global therapeutic wisdoms and practices.

Are you at a point in your life where you feel you are ready for a change but don’t know where to start? Have you been struggling to take control of an addiction or compulsive behavior and have had no luck on you own? Are you overwhelmed with negative thoughts that leave you paralyzed to take action? Are you struggling to find or maintain healthy relationships with partners, family, friends, or co-workers? Perhaps you're just finally ready to work on yourself, level-up, and enrich your life by establishing a deeper relationship with YOU.

“Bridging is the work of opening the gate to the stranger, within and without.” – Gloria E. Anzaldúa. You’re at an inflection point. The ground has shifted; you find yourself on rocky terrain. The trail’s end is hazy, but you catch a glimpse: the outline of a hopeful future, somehow. Let us nurture those neglected pieces of yourself too oft ignored. With sincerity, compassion, and levity, I offer steady company on your voyage. You’ll discover bridges to yourself, your loved ones, and the goals that matter to you. The discourse shall be rich; the reflection, deep; the change, meaningful. You needn’t travel alone.

Welcome to our space! I recognize the effort It takes to see inside and looking for a therapist. With intergenerational(trauma), we learn to exist as a way to survive and move along life with little meaning. Still, we can transform that which no longer helps but harms. The journey of self-discovery and healing is one of most precious gifts we ca do for ourselves and our lineage. We may seek therapy to have healthier relationships with ourselves, partners, and others; feeling safer; reclaiming our identity; thrive authentically in the world; reparent our inner child; connect to our path in this lifetime; and healing the soul.

In treating anxiety, depression, challenging life changes, or identity issues, I accompany clients through a process of increasing insight, skill building, and self-awareness through a lively engagement with everything we might take for granted. Awakening (or reawakening) deep compassion and curiosity about ourselves and the world is the first step and the foundation of my treatment approach.

It’s natural to feel lost sometimes. When you are overwhelmed, isolated, fearful, or disconnected, having a space to express yourself genuinely with a witness is medicinal. Reaching out for help can be hard and I appreciate everything it has taken for you to get here. Finding a trusted ally is an important step in receiving the help that you need to live as you truly are, wholeheartedly. I believe in the healing properties of the therapeutic relationship and it is my honor to be a companion along my clients’ journeys.

As non-binary and trans folx we often find ourselves wondering "where do I belong in this world?" and "why can't I just be myself?" It seems like we've tried everything but we dont feel like we belong or we are in a safe place to live & work. We often wonder when its going to get better? When can I just live my life fully how I am? Sometimes we feel sad and it can be a very lonely place. We can even forget just how special and unique we are because we are so different and surrounded by those who just don't get it. We really want someone who can connect to us &make our experiences feel validated, reminding us that we are beautiful.

I’m deadly curious about what you want to say but can’t, who you want to be but won’t, and what would unfold out of you if we could together tend to the parts that are hard to bear— without judgment and without a goal for what comes next. There is a reason you have been bottling up precious parts of you. We will explore that reason, that need you had to hold yourself tightly inside. It is from this safer space that you will once again look at the long-hidden precious parts of you, and together we will see how you want to unfold from here. I'm a good fit for authenticity/identity/wounds/therapists/queer folks/over-thinkers/creatives.

I am committed to bringing support, hope and healing to individuals, couples, or those facing significant life challenges and change. My methods are unique and have developed over the years with increasing resources, research, support, and growing community awareness. I want to empower my clients to find their best version of themselves, their whole happy healthy individuality and do so by helping anyone needing services and welcome all communities and persons to work with me. Mental health is just as real as physical health and believe that everyone needs to have their voice and inner self heard.

My practice has primarily derived from an education in psychoanalytic psychotherapy, emphasizing close attention to your developmental history, relational patterns, inhibiting defenses and the neglected power of your inner life. I understand the vulnerability it takes to open yourself up to a therapist, and I promise to join you with patience, strength, and hope on your path to self-understanding. With collaborative and creative intention, I can help you widen your point of view, increase your tolerance for complex emotions, integrate fragmented parts of yourself, and discover the uncharted material within you.