LGBTQ+ Affirming Therapists in Freedom, CA
I have years of experience working with clients with diagnoses of depression, anxiety, and trauma, as well as working with neurodivergent and LGBTQ+ clients.
I believe it is important to understand an individual's complex history including attachments, trauma, and the positives, and use this information to comprehend why a person has come to be who they are, and their cognitive processes. Additionally, I like to use this understanding to support in improving one's symptoms and behaviors.
I have years of experience working with clients with diagnoses of depression, anxiety, and trauma, as well as working with neurodivergent and LGBTQ+ clients.
I believe it is important to understand an individual's complex history including attachments, trauma, and the positives, and use this information to comprehend why a person has come to be who they are, and their cognitive processes. Additionally, I like to use this understanding to support in improving one's symptoms and behaviors.
Having studying Mindfulness for the past 30+ years I have created evidence based Cognitive Behavioral / Mindfulness tools that help people face life crises by recognizing their own wisdom, resources, and the ability to exercise choice. This mind/body approach to health utilizes relaxation and focus tools that you can learn easily and use anywhere, anytime. You focus on what you can control to achieve your goals. These programs compliment the best medical treatment.
Having studying Mindfulness for the past 30+ years I have created evidence based Cognitive Behavioral / Mindfulness tools that help people face life crises by recognizing their own wisdom, resources, and the ability to exercise choice. This mind/body approach to health utilizes relaxation and focus tools that you can learn easily and use anywhere, anytime. You focus on what you can control to achieve your goals. These programs compliment the best medical treatment.
More Therapists Nearby
At Bridges Therapy Group of California, we’re dedicated to matching you with the perfect therapist for you and ensuring that your insurance will truly pay for your sessions. We are contracted, in-network providers with all the insurers listed below. We verify your benefits before you start so there are no surprises to you.
At Bridges Therapy Group of California, we’re dedicated to matching you with the perfect therapist for you and ensuring that your insurance will truly pay for your sessions. We are contracted, in-network providers with all the insurers listed below. We verify your benefits before you start so there are no surprises to you.
Whether you’re navigating a loved one’s substance use or your own, you might find yourself asking, what now? Maybe you’re ready for change, but the options around you feel rigid, demanding decisions you’re not ready to make. That can feel even heavier when you consider the pain you’ve been carrying, often alone, for far too long. You deserve more than shame and blame. You deserve support from someone who will meet you exactly where you are, without pressure or judgment. Your healing should move at your pace, and the next step should be yours to choose.
Whether you’re navigating a loved one’s substance use or your own, you might find yourself asking, what now? Maybe you’re ready for change, but the options around you feel rigid, demanding decisions you’re not ready to make. That can feel even heavier when you consider the pain you’ve been carrying, often alone, for far too long. You deserve more than shame and blame. You deserve support from someone who will meet you exactly where you are, without pressure or judgment. Your healing should move at your pace, and the next step should be yours to choose.
Eva Rider Jungian Depth Psychotherapy & Transition
Marriage & Family Therapist, MA, LMFT, CHT
Santa Cruz, CA 95062
Are you seeking to heal from old traumas, patterns and abandoning yourself to belong? Are you impeding the full creative expression of who you are becoming? Are you searching for meaning or direction?I offer Jungian depth psychotherapy and shadow work sensitive, creative, and insightful adults seeking emotional healing, deeper self-understanding, and authentic transformation. My work integrates Jungian psychology, shadow work, dreamwork, astrology, Marion Woodman BodySoul somatic awareness, TRE (Trauma Release Exercise and creativity to support healing, soul, embodiment, and connection to the inner life.
Are you seeking to heal from old traumas, patterns and abandoning yourself to belong? Are you impeding the full creative expression of who you are becoming? Are you searching for meaning or direction?I offer Jungian depth psychotherapy and shadow work sensitive, creative, and insightful adults seeking emotional healing, deeper self-understanding, and authentic transformation. My work integrates Jungian psychology, shadow work, dreamwork, astrology, Marion Woodman BodySoul somatic awareness, TRE (Trauma Release Exercise and creativity to support healing, soul, embodiment, and connection to the inner life.
I am passionate about LGBTQ+ affirming care, creating an inclusive space to explore identity and be yourself.
You’re exhausted from carrying so much while trying to appear “fine” to everyone else. Relationship struggles, identity exploration, anxiety, grief, or life transitions may leave you feeling overwhelmed, emotionally drained, and unsure how to keep coping. Over time, even work, school, sleep, and relationships can begin to feel harder to manage. I work with teens, young adults, and adults who are tired of struggling alone and want support that feels compassionate and affirming. Together, we create space to process emotions, build healthier coping tools, and help you feel more grounded, understood, and connected.
I am passionate about LGBTQ+ affirming care, creating an inclusive space to explore identity and be yourself.
You’re exhausted from carrying so much while trying to appear “fine” to everyone else. Relationship struggles, identity exploration, anxiety, grief, or life transitions may leave you feeling overwhelmed, emotionally drained, and unsure how to keep coping. Over time, even work, school, sleep, and relationships can begin to feel harder to manage. I work with teens, young adults, and adults who are tired of struggling alone and want support that feels compassionate and affirming. Together, we create space to process emotions, build healthier coping tools, and help you feel more grounded, understood, and connected.
As a queer BIPOC person, I understand the challenges of invisibility, cultural conflict, family expectations, shame, and trauma that can be hard to put into words.
My goal is to create an affirming space where you don’t have to explain or justify who you are, and where you can feel both supported and meaningfully challenged. Our work won't be about “fixing” you—it’s about deepening self-understanding, loosening old patterns, and cultivating the inner freedom to be yourself and experience love, connection, and joy.
As a queer BIPOC person, I understand the challenges of invisibility, cultural conflict, family expectations, shame, and trauma that can be hard to put into words.
My goal is to create an affirming space where you don’t have to explain or justify who you are, and where you can feel both supported and meaningfully challenged. Our work won't be about “fixing” you—it’s about deepening self-understanding, loosening old patterns, and cultivating the inner freedom to be yourself and experience love, connection, and joy.
Shine a Light Counseling Center offers quality, affordable therapy in Santa Cruz, Watsonville, Scotts Valley, Monterey and San Francisco. Our diverse staff of therapists can help with a wide range of personal difficulties, including difficult emotions, conflicted relationships, and problematic behaviors. We believe in your good intentions. And we would like to help you self-reflect to discover how to move through the challenges you face, so you can emerge with a more satisfying life.
Shine a Light Counseling Center offers quality, affordable therapy in Santa Cruz, Watsonville, Scotts Valley, Monterey and San Francisco. Our diverse staff of therapists can help with a wide range of personal difficulties, including difficult emotions, conflicted relationships, and problematic behaviors. We believe in your good intentions. And we would like to help you self-reflect to discover how to move through the challenges you face, so you can emerge with a more satisfying life.
You’ve done a lot of healing — so why do the same loops keep showing up? Many of the people I work with are thoughtful, high-functioning, and self-aware Gen Z, millennials, and boomers who carry anxiety, depression, OCD, or relational patterns shaped by culture, trauma, and early responsibility. Despite their external accomplishments, they feel caught in rumination, people-pleasing, shame spirals, and a persistent sense of misalignment.
With me, therapy is a place to slow down, be honest with yourself, metabolize big emotions, and realign with meaning — so you can begin to live with more clarity, vitality, and self-trust.
You’ve done a lot of healing — so why do the same loops keep showing up? Many of the people I work with are thoughtful, high-functioning, and self-aware Gen Z, millennials, and boomers who carry anxiety, depression, OCD, or relational patterns shaped by culture, trauma, and early responsibility. Despite their external accomplishments, they feel caught in rumination, people-pleasing, shame spirals, and a persistent sense of misalignment.
With me, therapy is a place to slow down, be honest with yourself, metabolize big emotions, and realign with meaning — so you can begin to live with more clarity, vitality, and self-trust.
At Bridges Therapy Group of California, we’re dedicated to matching you with the perfect therapist for you and ensuring that your insurance will truly pay for your sessions. We are contracted, in-network providers with all the insurers listed below. We verify your benefits before you start so there are no surprises to you.
At Bridges Therapy Group of California, we’re dedicated to matching you with the perfect therapist for you and ensuring that your insurance will truly pay for your sessions. We are contracted, in-network providers with all the insurers listed below. We verify your benefits before you start so there are no surprises to you.
In therapy I use a culture/ identity informed lens, understanding the importance as a first generation queer Indian American myself.
Simple talk therapy often isn't enough for many. Difficulty trusting others, self criticism, reactivity, perfectionism, trouble maintaining relationships or friendships, having overwhelming emotions or anxiety, or low energy/ motivation, is when therapy that involves developing coping skills to regulate, identify sources of patterns from the past and finding a path forward, may help you break free from these issues.
I also have extensive experience working with late diagnosed adults with autism and/or ADHD. For these clients, I also incorporate identifying needs, providing self accommodations, tools, and psycho-education.
In therapy I use a culture/ identity informed lens, understanding the importance as a first generation queer Indian American myself.
Simple talk therapy often isn't enough for many. Difficulty trusting others, self criticism, reactivity, perfectionism, trouble maintaining relationships or friendships, having overwhelming emotions or anxiety, or low energy/ motivation, is when therapy that involves developing coping skills to regulate, identify sources of patterns from the past and finding a path forward, may help you break free from these issues.
I also have extensive experience working with late diagnosed adults with autism and/or ADHD. For these clients, I also incorporate identifying needs, providing self accommodations, tools, and psycho-education.
At The Heart Therapy Center, we believe that therapy is fundamentally about building a safe and trusting relationship between the facilitator and the participant. We recognize that starting therapy can be daunting, and that's why we incorporate creative approaches to make the journey more accessible and enriching.Our center embraces the use of art, play, and nature as transformative tools in therapy. These creative methods help ease the process, allowing for deeper exploration and understanding of inner turmoil, psychic pain, or feelings of stagnancy.
At The Heart Therapy Center, we believe that therapy is fundamentally about building a safe and trusting relationship between the facilitator and the participant. We recognize that starting therapy can be daunting, and that's why we incorporate creative approaches to make the journey more accessible and enriching.Our center embraces the use of art, play, and nature as transformative tools in therapy. These creative methods help ease the process, allowing for deeper exploration and understanding of inner turmoil, psychic pain, or feelings of stagnancy.
Couples Therapy - Atti Moricelli
Marriage & Family Therapist Associate, MA, AMFT
1 Endorsed
Serves Area
The problem is rarely the argument. It’s the loneliness that grows underneath it.
You remember when connection felt effortless — the laughter, the warmth, the sense of being deeply chosen. Now you find yourselves circling the same conflicts or avoiding the conversations that matter most. The distance feels painful and unfamiliar. You wonder when things changed, and whether closeness can be rebuilt. Therapy offers a space to slow the cycle down, understand what’s happening beneath the reactions, and begin rebuilding trust, intimacy, and emotional connection with greater honesty, clarity, and care.
The problem is rarely the argument. It’s the loneliness that grows underneath it.
You remember when connection felt effortless — the laughter, the warmth, the sense of being deeply chosen. Now you find yourselves circling the same conflicts or avoiding the conversations that matter most. The distance feels painful and unfamiliar. You wonder when things changed, and whether closeness can be rebuilt. Therapy offers a space to slow the cycle down, understand what’s happening beneath the reactions, and begin rebuilding trust, intimacy, and emotional connection with greater honesty, clarity, and care.
I provide a warm, nonjudgmental space—with room for humor—that is sex-positive, kink-affirming, body-positive, and LGBTQ+ affirming, and I support high-functioning clients post-psychosis.
You might be someone who’s done a lot of self-reflection, yet still feels stuck. Maybe you feel anxious, overwhelmed, or disconnected, or keep running into the same patterns in relationships. You may be navigating trauma, identity questions, or a major life transition, and want something deeper than just coping. In our work together, I use a trauma-informed, relational, body-centered approach to help you shift patterns at their roots, build resilience, and feel more grounded, connected, and like yourself again.
I provide a warm, nonjudgmental space—with room for humor—that is sex-positive, kink-affirming, body-positive, and LGBTQ+ affirming, and I support high-functioning clients post-psychosis.
You might be someone who’s done a lot of self-reflection, yet still feels stuck. Maybe you feel anxious, overwhelmed, or disconnected, or keep running into the same patterns in relationships. You may be navigating trauma, identity questions, or a major life transition, and want something deeper than just coping. In our work together, I use a trauma-informed, relational, body-centered approach to help you shift patterns at their roots, build resilience, and feel more grounded, connected, and like yourself again.
Want to use your insurance to pay for therapy, but having a hard time finding a therapist who's accepting new clients? Stop your endless searching and skip the waitlists! We'd love to offer some help. Please visit FrameworkPsych.com to schedule your first appointment. Framework Associates was founded on the principles of providing affordable, accessible therapy from highly qualified therapists. We've invested in the latest healthcare technology that allows you to securely videochat with a therapist from the comfort of your own home.
Want to use your insurance to pay for therapy, but having a hard time finding a therapist who's accepting new clients? Stop your endless searching and skip the waitlists! We'd love to offer some help. Please visit FrameworkPsych.com to schedule your first appointment. Framework Associates was founded on the principles of providing affordable, accessible therapy from highly qualified therapists. We've invested in the latest healthcare technology that allows you to securely videochat with a therapist from the comfort of your own home.
I also support queer folx navigating identity, grief, and belonging after harmful religious experiences.
You tried to silence your doubts about your faith, but they only got louder. You kept obeying God, hoping the fear would fade—but it didn’t. You feel grief, confusion, maybe even shame. The people you once trusted don’t understand—or they’re the ones who caused the harm. If you’re deconstructing or untangling the impact of conservative religion, you’ve come to the right place. I specialize in helping individuals heal from religious trauma, spiritual abuse, high-control faith systems, and purity culture.
I also support queer folx navigating identity, grief, and belonging after harmful religious experiences.
You tried to silence your doubts about your faith, but they only got louder. You kept obeying God, hoping the fear would fade—but it didn’t. You feel grief, confusion, maybe even shame. The people you once trusted don’t understand—or they’re the ones who caused the harm. If you’re deconstructing or untangling the impact of conservative religion, you’ve come to the right place. I specialize in helping individuals heal from religious trauma, spiritual abuse, high-control faith systems, and purity culture.
Have you come to an obstacle you can't see your way through on your own? Are you noticing challenges in relationships with others or with yourself? Do you have a sense there is something deeper and more to life. Do you long for happiness and fulfillment? In your life so far, you may have had to do a lot of things on your own. But there are some things we can't do alone. A big step in healing is becoming ready to let in support. You may be in a dark night of the soul, which requires a form of therapy that goes deeper.
Have you come to an obstacle you can't see your way through on your own? Are you noticing challenges in relationships with others or with yourself? Do you have a sense there is something deeper and more to life. Do you long for happiness and fulfillment? In your life so far, you may have had to do a lot of things on your own. But there are some things we can't do alone. A big step in healing is becoming ready to let in support. You may be in a dark night of the soul, which requires a form of therapy that goes deeper.
Anne Seveska - Intimacy and Sex Therapy
Marriage & Family Therapist, LMFT, CST, KAP
1 Endorsed
Serves Area
I see cis-hetero & LGBTQIA+ populations in traditional or non-traditional relationships.
I provide education, coaching, and guidance. I offer women's sexual empowerment and couples intimacy reatreats ( both ketamine assisted and substance-free). I use somatic interventions to help you and your partner(s) connect. I use the foundations of IFS, narrative, and attachment methodologies to guide our work and normalize sexual satisfaction.
I see cis-hetero & LGBTQIA+ populations in traditional or non-traditional relationships.
I provide education, coaching, and guidance. I offer women's sexual empowerment and couples intimacy reatreats ( both ketamine assisted and substance-free). I use somatic interventions to help you and your partner(s) connect. I use the foundations of IFS, narrative, and attachment methodologies to guide our work and normalize sexual satisfaction.
I work with ambitious professionals, creatives, and LGBTQ+ adults who want to understand the deeper patterns shaping their lives—especially when a lot is expected of you, alongside complicated family dynamics, questions around identity, or difficult relationships.
We focus on what’s happening in your life right now, while making sense of the patterns that influence how you attach, achieve, and respond under stress. This work goes beyond surface-level coping—it’s about understanding yourself in a way that actually changes how you live.
I work with ambitious professionals, creatives, and LGBTQ+ adults who want to understand the deeper patterns shaping their lives—especially when a lot is expected of you, alongside complicated family dynamics, questions around identity, or difficult relationships.
We focus on what’s happening in your life right now, while making sense of the patterns that influence how you attach, achieve, and respond under stress. This work goes beyond surface-level coping—it’s about understanding yourself in a way that actually changes how you live.
You may be carrying stories that aren’t fully yours—expectations, shame, or beliefs that no longer fit. Maybe you’re stuck in cycles of self-doubt, navigating trauma, or trying to break free from patterns rooted in old wounds. You’re not looking for someone to tell you what to do—you want space to think clearly, feel safely, and start making different choices. My clients are often thoughtful, resilient people doing hard emotional work—many from marginalized communities, navigating stressors shaped by both personal history and larger systems. Together, we begin with curiosity and build from there.
You may be carrying stories that aren’t fully yours—expectations, shame, or beliefs that no longer fit. Maybe you’re stuck in cycles of self-doubt, navigating trauma, or trying to break free from patterns rooted in old wounds. You’re not looking for someone to tell you what to do—you want space to think clearly, feel safely, and start making different choices. My clients are often thoughtful, resilient people doing hard emotional work—many from marginalized communities, navigating stressors shaped by both personal history and larger systems. Together, we begin with curiosity and build from there.
See more therapy options for Freedom
Nearby LGBTQ+ Therapists Searches for Freedom
- Aptos
- Capitola
- Felton
- Gilroy
- Marina
- Monte Sereno
- Morgan Hill
- Salinas
- Santa Cruz
- Scotts Valley
- Soquel
- Watsonville
LGBTQ+ Therapists
Do LGBTQ-affirmative therapists receive special training?
Yes. Many therapists who practice LGBTQ-affirmative therapy have completed specialized training, either during their degree program or as continuing education, to learn the core principles of affirmative therapy and how to best support their LGBTQ clients; some have received certifications in LGBTQ-affirmative therapy. Prospective clients should inquire as to a clinician’s background and training to ensure a good fit.
Why might I want to see an LGBTQ-affirming or LGBTQ-friendly therapist?
Queer and gender-non-conforming individuals frequently experience bias and marginalization in day-to-day life. Working with a therapist who understands these unique challenges, as well as accepts and affirms their identity, can help LGBTQ clients feel safe and supported during therapy—allowing them to better navigate their relationships, mental health, and anything else that they wish to explore during therapy. It is important to note that many therapists can be effective in their work with LGBTQ+ individuals, even in the absence of specific training or background knowledge. The most important component in therapy is the alliance between therapist and client, and this alliance can exist between individuals with very different backgrounds.
How can I find an LGBTQ-friendly therapist?
You may wish to inquire about a therapist’s expertise with your specific challenges or concerns—depression, for example, or relationship strife—as well as their past experiences treating LGBTQ+ clients. Prospective clients may also ask whether a therapist has obtained additional training and/or certification in LGBTQ-affirmative techniques.
How can I inquire about a therapist’s experience with LGBTQ issues?
Prospective clients should feel empowered to directly ask therapists whether they have received training or been certified in LGBTQ-affirming therapy; competent therapists will be happy to explain their educational background and preferred approach(es) to help a client find the best match for them. Clients may also wish to ask how a therapist has treated clients with their particular challenges in the past and what they expect treatment to look like.
Are all the therapists listed in the LGBTQ directory themselves members of the LGBTQ community?
While therapists may choose to disclose their sexual orientation or gender identity in their profiles, the LGBTQ directory features not only those who have shared this information but also those who assert specialized training or experience in providing support to queer individuals, couples or families.