Therapists in La Mesa, CA

Hi there! My name is Kathryn Shafer (She, Her, Hers). I am a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist with 10 years of experience in the field. I provide individual, couples and family therapy to children, teens and adults with a variety of concerns. I specialize in working with diverse populations who have anxiety, depression, relational problems and every day life stressors.

I welcome working collaboratively with you to help build a deeper understanding and appreciation of yourself, to develop a capacity to witness your important and often traumatic past events, and to realize your potential for growth. As therapist, I attempt to provide a safe environment for you to be heard and believed as this process of discovering meaning in implicit memories unfolds. I believe that it is important that the therapeutic experience provides hope, safety and connection, allowing clients to build a sense of integrity in body, feelings and mind.

I have been a practicing clinician for over 18 years. I have treated both youth and adults and work towards goals of healing, growth, and wellness. I provide individual and family therapy and have focused on clinical areas such as trauma, depression, anxiety, anger management, divorce and relationship conflict. I utilize a collaborative approach that is both strength-based and solution-focused.

I am passionate about creating a safe space for clients to creatively and compassionately gain greater self-awareness and try on new ways of relating to themselves and others.

Challenging times in life offer the greatest opportunities for growth, healing and transformation. During these times it can feel overwhelming to move forward. Your decision to seek professional help is a reflection of your clarity and courage. Are you ready to move from surviving to thriving in your life? Would you like to partner with a seasoned professional to discover what your current situation has to teach you about yourself? Are you curious to discover the power you have within you to transform your life?

I provide mental health care to youth, families, and adults coping with life transitions, chronic family stress, and identity development. These circumstances have led many individuals to experience symptoms of depression, trauma, anxiety, and feelings of loss. It is a sign of bravery and strength to seek support when these stressors are difficult to manage on your own. I am here to explore ways to improve your quality of life and identify unmet needs contributing to mental health symptoms.

Our emotional health is so important. It affects how we navigate each day — from how we perform at work to how we interact with the people in our lives. Depression, anxiety, and PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) can be debilitating and keep us from experiencing healthy and fulfilling relationships. Trauma, abuse and self-injurious behavior, both in the past and going on today, also have a huge affect on how we function. And issues in our relationships can stop us from moving forward – whether it’s our marriage, with our children or family members or our friends. As a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, I am trained to help

Life is challenging. The landscape of our life picture is a continual work in progress. Sometimes we lose control of brushes, paints or both. The way out becomes muddy or messy. I work with individuals, couples, teens and children adjusting to life changes. You are not your problem. My passion; helping you separate yourself from harmful effects of blame, guilt or shame resulting from difficult experiences. I work with adjustment issues including, grief/ loss, military families, career changes, pain management and emotional distress. Whether moving through small challenges, life transitions or a difficult traumatic experience, my mission; to help you "Create a Life You Love."

Are you looking for support as you navigate the various stages and challenges of your developing child? I am passionate about working with children, teens, and their families through their various struggles to enhance social and emotional development. I have years of experience working with children in a variety of settings as they face anxiety, school-based issues, challenging behaviors, low self-esteem, and trauma, and more. I have spent many years working as a preschool teacher and as a result, am acutely aware of the social expectations many children are facing and therefore prepared to support them through it.

Life is sometimes unexpectedly difficult and suffering can be inevitable. However, how you respond to life circumstances can drastically change your ability to enjoy life. I have worked with many people who have believed in lies about themselves after a traumatic incident or because toxic people have told them horrible things about themselves. These lies can be crippling and further result in problems with anxiety, depression, addictions, lack of sleep, school related difficulties, stress, anger issues, parenting difficulties, communication difficulties, relational issues, family problems, job dissatisfaction and much more. I provide different perspectives that encourage personal healing.

I am an EMDR certified therapist and consultant- in- training. I strive to empower clients with awareness, education, and skills to help make sense of what transpires in the brain and the body while navigating life with unhealed trauma and/or an eating disorder. Through this process, clients are able to work through content that has created a disruption between the brain-body connection. This therapeutic work, while challenging, can be transformative and helps bring a more present, regulated, open, and authentic self to clients daily lives.

Is your child or teen struggling with identity or self-esteem? Are you? I would love to help! My experience includes treating depression, anxiety, ADHD, boundaries and codependency, coparenting, sexuality development, race and racial identity, LGBTQIA+ experiences, social and systemic issues, adjustment difficulties, conflict resolution, crisis intervention, trauma, suicide and self-harm, and fostering resilience. I emphasize education and am passionate about dismantling stigma in a way that honors the diversity of each client’s values. I am passionate about helping people reach their potential and build positive coping skills.

It is an honor to get to know a person, their joys in life and their story all the while helping them process and heal from past and present hurts. My goal is to help people fight the lies they tell themselves, build on truth, and integrate their faith with their reality. I also hope to help them build lasting relationships and support systems, embrace their emotions without letting them take over, and learn the beauty of resilience, all as they begin to hope for a future worth looking forward to.

I believe that everyone has wounded places in their hearts that could benefit from counseling. Many people at some point realize that the challenges of life are too much to manage on their own and decide to seek help from a professional that can support them as they navigate the challenges that life can bring at times. My work is based on helping people to heal from the wounds of the past and deal with present stressors in an environment of safety and acceptance. My passion is to provide support as they work toward fulfillment in their lives.

Have you recently experience a loss or life change? I work with people adjusting to new situations. I also enjoy working with children and teens. I have a trauma informed approach and have been certified as a Brief Strategic Family Therapist. I have a passion for working with families and improving their relationships with each other through healthy communication. You will experience a relaxed and down to earth approach to treatment with me. I specialize in family work, abuse, trauma, substance abuse, feelings of sadness and working with children. I have personal experience with the military community.

Addiction is not a problem to be fixed, but rather a person. I have worked with many people with various addictions and realize that addressing one problem from one perspective is not enough. I specialize in getting to know a person first and then helping that person heal from past hurts, learn skills for problem-solving, improve communication, build strong relationships, practice ways to manage strong emotions, learn to slow down and change their harmful or intrusive thoughts, draw from their faith for strength, develop strong support systems, and with all this, hope of long-term recovery can become reality.

If you're in a place where you're feeling stuck, worried, anxious and struggling with decisions then therapy may be the place for you to gain clarity. I strive to help clients develop insight and build new skills in order to live a more authentic and happy life. I work with adults struggling with a variety of issues and needs including anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, relationship issues, stress management, and life exploration. Compassion and making space for diversity are two values that inform me greatly of how I show up for clients and I offer a safe, nonjudgmental space for clients to discuss their needs.

Dani McGuire is a Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist with more than 5 years of experience specializing in depression, issues stemming from a distorted self-image/low self-esteem, Bipolar/mood disorders, trauma, stress, anxiety, grief, ADHD, and behavioral concerns. Dani treats clients between the ages of 4 and 40 utilizing a person centered theworld/strengths based, familys systems, evidence based therapy, and skills building approach tailored to the specific needs of each client.