Therapists in Santa Cruz, CA
Ali Palisca
Marriage & Family Therapist, MA, LMFT
Verified
I work with individuals and couples to untangle from patterns of drama, criticism, and codependency. I teach clients how to turn arguments into proactive conversations with win-win solutions. Our work together can include healing past hurts and trauma, feeling more sexually connected, and creating positive life changes. I am most interested in supporting my clients in finding relief from suffering and being truly happy.
Lauren Reppy
Marriage & Family Therapist, MA, LMFT, PMH-C
Verified
I provide support for new or expecting mothers and partners, couples, individuals struggling with body image and disordered eating, relationship challenges, anxiety, depression, and women's issues. I do this work because I believe that it is every human being's right and potential to live a fulfilled and healthy life, and often, we just need to feel safe, seen, and heard in order to find our way there. If you are ready to experience relief, cultivate new tools that support your healing and growth, and claim your vitality and purpose, I am here to partner with you on your journey.
Vanessa Magee
Associate Clinical Social Worker, ASW
Verified
Have you ever tried to talk yourself out of your pain or experience because “someone else has it worse” or “I don’t deserve to be happy after everything I’ve done”? We often tell ourselves that our feelings, conflicts, or stories must look a certain way for them to deserve attention. The truth is - that we are all human beings who deserve support and understanding in our growth. There is nobody out there who is exactly like you and your healing can be just as unique. When you embrace your full authentic self, exactly as you are, you can access your full potential.
Erik Barnes
Marriage & Family Therapist, MA, LMFT
Verified
In my work with individuals, couples, children, teens and families I strive to create a warm, nurturing and compassionate environment for personal
exploration and healing. In this space all parts of you are welcome.
I see therapy as a collaboration where you and I partner to create an
achievable plan to improve your relationships, increase your sense of
vitality, and work towards your personal goals.
In my work, I have witnessed how life's challenges can create emotional scars that then consciously or unconscious run our lives. These scars can manifest as a variety of mental health and relational issues.
Michelle Abodeely
Marriage & Family Therapist, MA, LMFT
Verified
Feeling out of touch with your core self, not feeling grounded, centered, or sure of your decisions is an awful feeling to be with everyday. Imagine knowing how to read your own body cues, how to trust yourself, how to move through your relationships with confidence and boundaries, compassion and wisdom. Imagine relating to yourself in this way. Earn your own trust again, come back to your core self. Interns and associates, this goes for you too. Your best therapist is in there, forming itself while you gain experience. You deserve guidance as you develop and learn. Allow me to support you in this exciting time.
Brianne Smith
Marriage & Family Therapist, LMFT
Verified
I am a holistic therapist helping you to heal your mind, body and spirit. You deserve to feel whole and to experience deep meaning and purpose in your life. I provide a peaceful space and create an authentic relationship with you to support your personal journey in therapy. I meet with teens and adults struggling with a wide variety of issues including addiction, anxiety, depression, grief, relationship conflicts and work/school stress. My personal and professional growth have taught me an intimate understanding of struggles specific to substance abuse recovery, emotional sobriety, and adult children of alcoholics/addicts.
Lisa Ann Herendeen
Clinical Social Work/Therapist, LCSW, MEd
Verified
Are your seeking a more peaceful and harmonious life? One that can hold both the challenges and the goodness? Therapy can help. My style is warm, empathic, and collaborative. I use evidence-based techniques such as cognitive behavioral therapy, mindfulness and brain science. I would like to help you tackle what is impeding you and open up new options so that you can make good decisions and create more happiness for you and your loved ones.
DiAnna VanEycke
Marriage & Family Therapist, MA, LMFT
Verified
People seek therapy for all kinds of reasons, but common to all of them is the fact that their life is not working as well as they want. This can be for a multitude of reasons; anxieties, depression, relationship issues, lack of fulfillment, purpose or meaning. Psychological symptoms are signals that alert us to examine the obstacles that hinder us from moving through life more freely with a sense of aliveness and agency.
Bianca Filion
Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor, MA, BC-DMT, LPCC
Verified
Hello! I’m so glad you found me. My approach to therapy is to engage the whole person in order to integrate the mind and body. Movement in therapy can range from focusing on breath to self-lead movement expression, and can be used with any age and ability. Artistic expression is used to deepen the therapeutic work through the creative process. I view my clients holistically and utilize the knowledge I gain regarding their life history and their social atmosphere to guide them in therapy. I work collaboratively with my clients to make meaningful change, respecting my clients’ individuality and autonomy.
Maria F. Pryce Echeverry
Marriage & Family Therapist, LMFT
Verified
From authenticity, compassion, and loving-kindness, I offer you a safe place to be heard and understood. Then together we can create strategies to manage your emotions, have meaningful relationships, and enjoy more your life. As a bilingual/bi-cultural psychotherapist, I can relate to ethnic and racial discrimination.
Isa Reser
Marriage & Family Therapist, MA, MFT, ATR
Verified
I believe therapy is the development of a safe and trusting relationship between the facilitator and the participant. Therapy can be hard work and getting started can be scary, however making art, using play or being in nature can ease this process. As your therapist I will encourage you to use your creative imagination as a vehicle to understanding your inner turmoil, psychic pain or stagnancy. Along the way we will be implementing these effective tools in cultivating a more fulfilling life experience.
Acacia Counseling And Wellness Santa Cruz
Psychologist, LCSW, PhD, LMFT
Verified
Acacia Counseling and Wellness is a leading provider of outpatient, university mental health support. We provide individual, couples, and group therapy, as well as psychiatry and medication management. We specialize in providing high-quality mental health services to university students, faculty, and staff, as well as the greater community. Our office is conveniently located near UCSC, and our therapists are trained across a variety of issues and modalities. We are committed to providing a safe, supportive environment and a positive therapeutic experience.
Jolene Odile Jensen
Marriage & Family Therapist, MA, MFT
Verified
Hi. My name is Jolene Jensen. I am a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in Santa Cruz, CA. I have over 10 years of experience in the mental health profession, serving a diverse range of clients. I am open to many issues, though have a particular passion and knowledge base with the following: those trying to come into their sexual/gender identity, self esteem, parenting, depression, anxiety, relationship discord, infertility, life transitions and trauma. I believe it's essential to work cognitively and somatically in order to instill change. My vehicle for transformation includes a non-judgmental, genuine, compassionate guidance.
Erik Kaul
Marriage & Family Therapist, MS, LMFT
Verified
Do you want to create practical solutions for solving problems in you or your family's life? Ambivalent about which therapist to choose? I help struggling teens, children, frustrated parents, and individuals, feel comfortable and at ease using innovative methods and a straightforward style of therapy. My interventions are drawn from evidenced based theories like Internal Family Systems, EMDR, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, and Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy. Interested in alternatives to talk therapy? I also offer "walk and talk sessions" outside of the office, play/art therapy, and distance counseling via Zoom or phone.
Nina Kelly
Marriage & Family Therapist, LMFT
Verified
Having relationship issues? I am here to help! I am Level 2 Gottman Method Couples Certified. Let me evaluate your communication and share effective tools that will help your relationship to thrive!
Kristin Baron
Marriage & Family Therapist, LMFT
Verified
"Stuck." At some point in our lives, we all feel it. I help people link their desire for things to be different to the places they feel stuck, healthfully and effectively. You don't need to know how to change, we start with where you are. I like the Chinese proverb, "Acceptance and change are brothers, but acceptance is the older brother." By helping you learn to first accept where you are (even if now it seems impossible), suffering is naturally reduced and there is more energy and room for growth. You get to like yourself now AND change.
Barbara Bailey-Porter
Marriage & Family Therapist, MA, LMFT
Verified
I look forward to helping you through compassion, acceptance, and non-judgmental support. I can help you experience peace, balance and harmony using Art Therapy and /or Internal Family Systems Therapy. Both therapeutic approaches are an effective way to access empowerment, self-confidence, decision making ability, relieve undesirable behavior/thoughts, and engage both sides of the brain so that you are fully present. It increases awareness of self and others and helps you experience success. I can help you shift and rebuild the way you think about the various aspects of your personality, feelings, thoughts, and behaviors.
Krista Gallagher
Marriage & Family Therapist Associate, MA, AMFT
Verified
Sometimes in life we reach a point where we aren’t quite sure which way to go, when we no longer quite know what to do, and when finding the answers on our own feels impossible. In these times, I am here to help you in navigating through your journey and finding a way forward. Wherever you may be on your unique path, I will meet you there with a compassionate, judgement free, and supportive presence and work with you to find a direction of growth, healing, and deeper knowing. I have a passion for supporting individuals through depression, anxiety, parenting, life transitions, transgenerational trauma, and chronic illness.
Gail Wylde
Clinical Social Work/Therapist, LCSW
Verified
My goal is to help you find your strengths so that you can live a happier, more purposeful life at any age. Many people suffer from crippling depression and anxiety for years before seeking treatment. With so many cutting edge therapies that have been proven to help lessen symptoms, there is no reason to remain unhappy, lonely and isolated. Whether you are 15 or 105, you deserve to live a life of joy and meaning unencumbered by sadness and despair. I have worked with elderly and disabled clients as well as college students and adults and have seen clients grow and change and live their best lives. You can too.
Philip Spradling
Marriage & Family Therapist, LMFT, PhD, MSG
Verified
"Listen to your life. See it for the fathomless mystery it is." - There is great benefit to be found from tuning into your heart and mind. What are these voices saying to you? Do you sense a disconnect between your desires in life and the person you present to others? Are you a spiritual person but you don't find this impacts your daily life? It is my aim to create a safe and welcoming space where one feels known and accepted just as they are. When one feels accepted, one is able to share more and more of their journey, including the painful parts. Feeling deeply heard & understood is a starting point toward transformation.
See more therapy options for Santa Cruz
What type of mental health professional is right for me?
Some of the most common types of mental health providers in Santa Cruz are psychologists, licensed counselors, therapists, psychotherapists, and licensed clinical social workers, all of whom diagnose mental health conditions and provide individualized treatment.
Services offered, education and credentials vary by type of mental health professional. Each professional in Santa Cruz then may specialize in certain areas, such as depression, marriage counseling, or anxiety. Although many mental health providers are not licensed to prescribe medication, they may coordinate with a provider who can.
Both in-person and online therapy sessions are available from most psychologists.
Services offered, education and credentials vary by type of mental health professional. Each professional in Santa Cruz then may specialize in certain areas, such as depression, marriage counseling, or anxiety. Although many mental health providers are not licensed to prescribe medication, they may coordinate with a provider who can.
Both in-person and online therapy sessions are available from most psychologists.
How to find a specialist?
You can refine your search using the filters on this page. There are several categories you can filter by to find mental health professionals with the experience you are looking for. You may want to filter for CBT Psychologists in Santa Cruz, or Child Psychologists in Santa Cruz.
Many find it useful to use filters to view only psychologists that have experience working with certain issues, like Santa Cruz psychologists specializing in EMDR.
Many find it useful to use filters to view only psychologists that have experience working with certain issues, like Santa Cruz psychologists specializing in EMDR.
What method of therapy is right for me?
When it comes to treatment methods, there's no 'right way.’ Each method of therapy can be beneficial for a variety of issues. Psychologists in Santa Cruz specialize in therapeutic approaches such as CBT, EMDR, and Interpersonal Therapy (IPT), among others. Finding a psychologist or therapist who is a good fit for you is the most important step to discovering what type of therapy, or combination of therapeutic approaches, will meet your individual needs. Learn what to expect from different types of therapy and how they work.
How to use my insurance?
Many therapists accept health insurance. Check to see if your insurance is covered. Feel free to discuss this when you contact the therapist.