Therapists in Santa Barbara, CA

At some point in our lives we all experience psychological pain and suffering. While there is no blueprint to life, if you have a history of adverse life experiences, or come from an unstable home, you may find yourself struggling to build the life you want. Unresolved childhood trauma can result in a wide range of mental health, physical pain and relationship issues. You may feel broken and unsure if you can recover. Yet, my personal and professional experiences have taught me, it is through experiencing brokenness we emerge our most resilient.

Now that you have PTSD from drowning in a sea of therapist marketing profiles, I’m here to help! Hit me up if you’re a high conflict couple and you’re fighting too much, or an individual and you’re fighting with (parts of?) yourself (or others?) in your head too much. I’m foundationally "humanistic-existentialist", meaning I join you on your journey with curiosity/authenticity/empathy, and help you become more confidently you through a relational process. But I'm trained in lots of acronyms: Eye Movement Desensitization & Reprocessing (EMDR) Internal Family Systems (IFS), Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT).

Welcome to my practice. I have been in practice since 2007 and have been featured on ABC, NBC, and KCAL as an expert psychologist. I work primarily with men who have hit “rock bottom” and would like help getting up. These men are often in crisis when we first meet. The issues I address are typically related to unhealthy sexual behaviors, infidelity, financial recklessness, gambling, drugs/alcohol, dishonesty/lying, and relational conflicts. My therapy approach is a combination of psychoanalytic, cognitive-behavioral, and the 12-Step recovery model. I also share insight from my own painful but redemptive recovery journey.

If the relationship you are in is struggling, if you feel alone or as if you keep having the same fight, if you are struggling with some type of betrayal or anger  I can help.  In your first sessions we will discover the things that are holding your relationship back from being what you thought it could be when you first met. As we work together I will help you identify where new skills are needed and get you headed toward the relationship you have been longing for.  

It is easy to feel overwhelmed when we are trying to navigate stress, transition, trauma, loss, or conflict. Through compassionate inquiry into our hearts, minds, and souls we can better understand the path forward to the life we want and the person we want to be. I am a warm, collaborative, and person-centered therapist who believes in the innate capacity of humans to heal, grow, and thrive. I will join you and help guide you to connect to your authentic self, inner wisdom, strengths, and compassion. I work with adults, teens, children, couples and families to find balance and a greater sense of well-being.

Life does not proceed as we each envision it. It can be unexpected, messy, complicated, disappointing, tragic, and challenging. In countless ways we strive and struggle. We can feel ourselves to be adrift. Yet we are connected, radically interdependent. Even so, we all have our own perspectives on life and our struggles. We are tethered to our environment, our social roles, cultural identities, interpersonal, historical, professional experiences, and so on. Through exploring this web, and the various vantage points that the web offers, a unique therapeutic process emerges for each person.

I am honored to be part of your healing and growth journey. I work with adults of all ages and couples to build on strengths, improve communication, and develop tools to persevere through challenges. My approach is built on the therapeutic relationship we create together and the unconditional positive regard I hold for my clients. I will help you cultivate greater self-compassion, awareness, and understanding. I love laughing with my clients, cheering them on in their journey, and helping them develop the necessary skills and insight to accomplish their goals.

As a Jungian analyst I have had the privilege of assisting adults in their healing processes. Healing and true psychological change come from finding one's own truth and true nature. Whether your symptoms take the form of depression, anxiety, eating disorders, self-destructive behaviors or problems within your family, breakthroughs can take place in a safe, confidential, and trusting environment. "If you give a person a fish they eat a meal; if you teach them to fish they eat for a lifetime." Understanding that Jungian analysis is a long process I offer a fee based on the individual's ability to pay and sustain the work.

Is what you're doing getting you what you want? I am excited and honored to be invited into your personal journey to figure out what is or isn't working in your life. I will walk beside you and help you figure out what change might look like in your life. I work from a Motivational Interviewing perspective and provide my clients a safe, nonjudgmental, therapeutic space to explore thoughts, feelings and behaviors. I work collaboratively with other professionals to provide a feeling of containment and a sense of safety. I work with all addictive and compulsive behaviors, trauma, anxiety, depression and dual diagnoses.

I know that finding the right therapist can be a daunting task. I am helpful for creative and often resilient individuals who, despite their best efforts, are suffering. It may be anxiety, depression, struggles in a relationship, or just feeling "off" that brings you to therapy. I bring a thoughtful presence blended with extensive experience. I enjoy working with clients who are curious, self-aware, and motivated for in-depth work on their concerns. I have worked effectively with graduate students, young and middle age professionals, and individuals searching for more meaning in how they live their lives.

Imagine being listened to with complete attention, without interruption or judgment in a confidential, supportive environment. I am both practical and holistic in my commitment to focus short-term on a specific problem or, to work over time to find what is lacking in your life that causes suffering. Through exploring and making transitions in relationships, career, creativity, sexuality and spirituality including dreams, we will solve or get beyond obstacles and grieve losses together, and relate them to the present. I can help guide the process in a compassionate and timely fashion, mediate any pain and give your future hope.

I understand that you may be seeking a recalibration, an awakening, or a new way forward. As a somatic psychotherapist and intuitive healer, my intention is to support individuals to get in touch with the lived experience of the body, especially as it pertains to body-mind-spirit healing, personal development, and relational growth. My approach is theoretically holistic, supporting clients to identify, explore, and transform stuck patterns, so they become more capable of living happy, balanced lives. Learn more about my practice by visiting RomiCumes.com. (Please note: Anthem patients will be referred to our skilled Associate MFTs)

I help people who are struggling in relationships. My personal experience with trauma led me to this work, and I strive to be a collaborative guide in helping people reclaim the truth of themselves and live in greater alignment with that truth. I specialize in working with clients who are recovering from familial or romantic relationships with people with narcissistic or borderline personalities. I am also interested in attachment styles, intergenerational trauma, and your everyday existential crises.

Psychodynamic psychotherapy is a space to tend to the roots of who you are. My aim as a psychotherapist is to create a welcoming and secure environment to help foster greater self knowledge, healing, and creativity. I respect the challenges that come with being human and approach psychotherapy with regard for what brings each person into the session room. My style is relational and inviting of the unique complexities that each person carries.

Life is truly uncertain, with the rapidly changing environment of modern life feeling overwhelmed seems to be commonplace. Whether you are encountering anxiety, depression, addiction, relationship issues and/or other possibly debilitating physical, emotional, psychological and spiritual obstacles they can be worked with during this time of uncertainty. Additionally, with over 15 years of experience in various healthcare settings I work with burnout, compassion fatigue, moral distress and other stressors.

My ideal client is someone who acknowledges their approach towards challenges is no longer working for them, and wants to change. This could be a couple, struggling with communication and wondering why the same fight happens over and over. This could also be an individual who can't seem to get out of their own way and struggling to understand themself. This may also be a parent having issues with overwhelm and frustration. People behave in ways that keep them disconnected from themselves and others, and I am here to assist you in clearing the debris of your past, so you can face the present and future fearlessly.

You may find that the harder you fight to stop painful emotions or thoughts, the stronger they get and the bigger the internal clash. An inner critic may start to attack you. You may struggle to control what seems bad, wrong and needing correction. You may hide or push others away, feeling lonely and out of touch with loved ones. I treat individuals who want to understand themselves better and feel more connected with the people around them. In therapy, we bring compassion and curiosity to learn the genesis of these confusing emotions, their intent and heal them.

My passion is helping children, adolescents and families overcome trauma, divorce, depression, anxiety, self-doubt and addiction. I welcome individuals and families to a safe nonjudgmental space with the goal of providing each client long lasting healing, personal growth and happiness. My therapeutic approach incorporates traditional talk therapy techniques complemented by therapeutic activities such as art, play, mindfulness exercises and music. I offer a holistic approach, this puts the client and their individual needs at the center of their treatment plan, while honoring the whole body; physically, emotionally and mentally.

Do you feel distant and disconnected from your partner? Have you been fighting more? Is your relationship missing warmth, trust, compassion, and intimacy? Are you getting stuck in the same frustrating pattern? Do you long to find and establish a loving relationship and secure connection? Have you been anxious, sad, and overwhelmed a lot lately? If you answered yes to these questions it's time to get help. Life brings us many challenges that are sometimes too much to handle alone. You don't have to struggle on your own. Get the help you need to overcome these difficulties and turn them into opportunities for healing and happiness.