Family Therapy in Santa Cruz, CA
See all therapists in Santa CruzWaitlist for new clients

Lily Rich
Psychologist, PsyD
Verified
Verified
This can look like creating a death plan with the client as well as helping the members of the
family
gain closure with their loved one so when the time comes they can support them in letting go.
Through my business Healing at Home I specialize in in-home therapy for seniors, elders and their families. My practice is unique in that I see my clients in the comfort of their own home. My ideal client is someone who is having trouble adjusting to the transitions in their life. Many of my clients have lost a loved one or are adjusting to a chronic illness, loss of independence or a recent move. Through Medicare I am also able to provide support to my clients families, who are often also struggling with their loved ones challenges.

Mary A Schindler
Marriage & Family Therapist, MA, LMFT
Verified
Verified
Do you want to stop repeating unhealthy patterns and live a life that brings you an increased sense of joy, calm and health? We can work together to address past traumas, decrease your feelings of anxiety and/or sadness, change addictive habits and improve your relationships. My approach is collaborative, experiential, emotionally focused, person-centered and sometimes even fun. I have been a marriage and
family therapist
for over20 years and have success in providing compassionate and supportive therapy. The basis of my therapeutic approach is to create a safe environment based on trust and respect.
Waitlist for new clients
Mindpath College Health Santa Cruz
Psychologist, LCSW, PhD, LMFT
Verified
Verified
" "Safe enough to talk about things that I would not normally discuss even with my closest friends or
family
.
Mindpath College Health 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.

Rebecca Roth
Marriage & Family Therapist, LMFT
Verified
Verified
I have a strong appreciation for diversity and have found that each individual or
family
has unique gifts and unique needs.
Sometimes life presents us with difficult, painful, or even seemingly unbearable challenges. Sometimes we, ourselves, can be a source of the pain and challenges. Either way, we must be able to access our resources -- inner and outer -- to cope with the pain, the imbalance, the overwhelm, the stuckness ... and, ultimately, to learn, heal, and grow from our experiences..... My job is to help you best utilize resources you already have and to offer you more tools to help you change undesirable patterns in yourself and your life.

Carolyn A Vitale
Marriage & Family Therapist, MA, LMFT
Verified
Verified
I have worked with adults in crisis at County Mental Health as well as extensive experience working with children (some conjoint with
family therapy
).
I like to work with people of all ages. Often with adults I am interested in getting beyond everyday conversation into deeper layers of self, incorporating an inward focus of the body, mind and spirit. I am eclectic and offer a strength-based approach to help with depression, anxiety, transitions, relationship challenges, overall stuckness and other challenges. My approach is humanistic and compassionate, providing the support needed to get through hardships into a more empowered, creative and celebratory self.

Barbara Bailey-Porter
Marriage & Family Therapist, MA, LMFT
Verified
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.
Waitlist for new clients

Katrina Tattenham
Clinical Social Work/Therapist, LCSW
Verified
1 Endorsed
Verified
1 Endorsed
My approach varies for each individual or
family
, but is always rooted in compassion and acceptance.
I offer a safe space for people of all ages (3-103!) to be understood and held as we learn together what helps increase calm and elevates their life. Have you ever wondered, "why did I just do that?" or felt a great conflict between different sides of yourself? My clients leave therapy with a better understanding of the parts of themselves at play, and feel relaxed and affirmed.

Kate Whittle-Utter
Marriage & Family Therapist, MA, LMFT
Verified
9 Endorsed
Verified
9 Endorsed
I specialize in helping individuals who believe they may be in a romantic, friend, work or
family
relationship with someone on the narcissistic personality disorder spectrum.
Therapy can help you find balance, connection, and fulfillment. In order to do so, I believe it's important that we acknowledge the shadow elements of life-the challenges that cause us pain, confusion, and block us from finding a sense of harmony and well-being. I collaborate with you in navigating the shadows and the more buried aspects of your life in order to develop a deeper capacity for balance, personal growth, and healing. To find out more about who I am, how I work, and if I might be the right therapist for you, consider visiting santacruztherapy.org

Lisa Navarra
Pre-Licensed Professional, ASW
Verified
1 Endorsed
Verified
1 Endorsed
**PLEASE READ: PRIVATE PAY only and no insurances or superbills. Sliding scale waitlist for gender diverse folx** Hi there, I'm Lisa - my pronouns are they/them. I believe you have everything you need inside of you; I support you seeing this. I'm a coach and therapist. I've been a mental health worker for over six years in adult residential center, school-based, and community-based, as a behavior coach, and individual/
family therapist
. My approach is warm, direct, strengths- and mindfulness-based. I work primarily with teens and young adults, which may also include
family
. My work is neurodiversity affirming and LGTBQIA+ affirming.

Hannah Fisher
Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor, MA, LPCC
Verified
Verified
I specialize in adolescents and young adults struggling with depression, anxiety, trauma, suicidality, self-harm, relationship issues,
family
stressors, and academic concerns.
As a licensed professional clinical counselor in Santa Cruz, I partner with adolescents and young adults on their mental wellness journey. I will create a safe space for my clients and I to walk through the challenges they identify. Above all, I will honor my clients' privacy, authenticity, and willingness to share their stories with me. Trust, safety, and security are my core values.

Marisa Morris
Marriage & Family Therapist, MS, LMFT
Verified
Verified
I have years of experience walking alongside clients and
family
systems dealing with trauma, depression, anxiety, grief, codependency, transition, adoption, the challenges of living with a loved one struggling with addiction or mental illness and more.
This is not always easy work. Exploring trauma, sadness, anxiousness, fear, doubt, insecurities, shifting needs, and more can be challenging and even scary. So much has shifted in our world recently, it feels as if it has also unearthed new chances to also allow ourselves to shift. I imagine that’s why you’re here, searching for ways to connect with and support these parts of yourself, or to help a younger loved one do so. In my work, I choose to employ curiosity and acceptance, informed by models such as Internal
Family
Systems, to gently lean into change and healing at the client's pace.

Teresa Locascio
Marriage & Family Therapist, LMFT
Verified
1 Endorsed
Verified
1 Endorsed
I can also help with overall mood and stress management, relationship issues, communication skill-building, and
family
struggles.
In a fast-paced world full of distractions, it's easy to become overwhelmed and run-down. When this happens, it's important to slow down and take care of yourself. Mental and emotional health is just as important as physical, and therapy can be a way for you to learn tools to regain stability and overcome obstacles you may be facing. People sometimes find themselves uncertain about starting therapy. My goal as your therapist is to create a safe space where you feel supported and heard as we work together to navigate challenges that come your way.

Jessica Reynolds
Marriage & Family Therapist, MA, LMFT
Verified
1 Endorsed
Verified
1 Endorsed
I specialize in several areas of counseling - grief from death and from living losses, couples therapy,
family
cut-off, brainspotting, trauma and anxiety.
Whatever your struggle, the first step of reaching out can be daunting. Each of us is unique. Our stories are our own. Our challenges are deep and personal and are like ice burgs, mostly hidden from view. Sometimes we need someone to help navigate these depths, to help process the present, and the past and to renegotiate the future. This is the path to authenticity, contentment and freedom. This is true for us individually and in our relationships.

Elani Aquino
Clinical Social Work/Therapist, MA, LCSW
Verified
Verified
Years in this field working with multiple modalities eventually led me to Internal
Family
Systems.
I bring a lifetime of spiritual practice, as well as the experience and privilege of having lived as a working artist in Europe for a number of years. I look forward to accompanying you on your healing journey, offering hope and validation, warm support, reassuring guidance. Whatever brings you to therapy - your relationships, stress, trauma, pain, fears, hurts - I will believe in you until you can believe in yourself - your wisdom, your capacity for healing, your inner strengths. You are entitled to experience your own delightful spirit, moments of wonder and aliveness, curiosity and spontaneity, finding joy and peace in your life.

Catherine Marcotte
Marriage & Family Therapist, MS, LMFT
Verified
Verified
Maybe NOW is the right time. Maybe I am the person. Do you need support and strategies to help you through a difficult time or address a particular problem? Let me help. It is an honor to connect with you and work together to help you overcome obstacles, adjust to transitions, and help you become the person, couple, or
family
that you want to become. Benefit from my 18+ years of experience, as well as my lifelong active and vital pursuit of knowledge and well-being. Compassionate, effective, intelligent and holistic. Let me help and support you in moving forward.

Shauna Casey
Marriage & Family Therapist Intern, MS
Verified
Verified
I draw upon Internal
Family
Systems, Attachment theory and Interpersonal Neurobiology to help you explore patterns and emotions that get in the way of your own innate well-being.
At points in life we all find ourselves in a place of not knowing. Not knowing how to manage feelings, thoughts, and experiences; not knowing what to do about or how to recover from a major life event; not knowing how to be with others or with the difficulties that arise from being alive and human. I view therapy as a tool for healing and healing as something that begins when we learn how to listen to and relate to ourselves differently. I help individuals, couples and families of diverse backgrounds and identities transform how they relate to themselves and to others in a way that opens the door for healing.
Waitlist for new clients

Ellen Adams
Marriage & Family Therapist, MS, LMFT
Verified
5 Endorsed
Verified
5 Endorsed
I bring to my work years of meditation and utilize Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy, blending CBT, Psychodynamic, Humanistic and
Family
Systems theories, with mindfulness.
Imagine confusion and emotional pain transforming into wisdom and clarity. As a seasoned therapist I offer compassionate support in a safe, comfortable environment. Incorporating body, mind and spirit in a practical approach to growth and change, I have successfully helped many individuals and couples find relief from anxiety and depression and improve their relationships. As we learn to see things more clearly, anger can be transformed into compassion, and fear can dissolve into acceptance, allowing us to be fully present and alive to celebrate our lives with joy and happiness.

Nina Kelly
Marriage & Family Therapist, LMFT
Verified
Verified
I am trained in Internal
Family
Systems and can help you look within yourself and cope in a healthy way to these changes.
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!

Laurie A Moore
Marriage & Family Therapist, PhD, LMFT, EMDR, C-Hypno, Somatic
Verified
Verified
Personal, professional,
family
and community issues can be challenging. Compassion, honor of the unique individual, plus methods to navigate positively, heal wounds, make wonderful shifts needed! People seek ways to change emotional, spiritual and mental habits internally, while navigating real life difficulties. Honor for your sensitives and uniqueness is given here. I have effectively helped people from a vast array of cultural backgrounds to find ways to healing and positive life change. I go deeper than talk therapy offering all kinds of tools for change from IFS, to EMDR, to hypnotherapy, to somatic to expressive, and more.

Elio Scudieri
Marriage & Family Therapist Associate, MA, AMFT
Verified
2 Endorsed
Verified
2 Endorsed
I care deeply about the well-being of union/
family
/partnership.
Sometimes hurts get stacked on each other & we assemble a life that protects against the pain, so it doesn’t ever hurt like that again. But in that process of armoring ourselves, we build a structure that also limits our capacity to enjoy life. We each have a much more unconstrained life that wants us to live it. By knowing ourselves through discovery, we work to be accountable to our own position & condition in life, forgive ourselves & others, & create a life that rewards us for this beautiful & courageous effort. Sessions will likely include mindfulness, humor, creativity, compassion, empathy, accountability, & problem-solving.
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Family Therapy
What do family therapists do?
A family therapist facilitates the process of understanding and improving how a family functions. The therapist will help family members develop empathy for one another. They’ll seek to understand existing patterns, misunderstandings, and conflicts that arise, in order to help the family arrive at a realistic, unified understanding and develop the coping skills they need to build stronger relationships.
How long does therapy for families take to work?
Therapy manifests differently in every family; a common time frame is 12 weekly sessions, but some families may see improvement after just a few weeks. Families should discuss their goals with the therapist at the beginning of the process and periodically revisit those goals to assess their progress together.
How can you encourage a family member to attend family therapy?
You can encourage family members to attend therapy by expressing with both love and concern the challenges you see and explaining how a therapist could help the family navigate those challenges together. An outside perspective can help everyone feel heard, get on the same page, and develop new skills. If family members are still hesitant, it may be helpful to emphasize that family therapy is short-term—it won’t last forever.
Is therapy for families effective?
Family therapy can significantly improve family dynamics and relationships. Research suggests that family therapy can help individuals understand their role in the family, communicate and solve problems together, reduce conflict and draw boundaries when necessary, and develop coping skills for stressors, major life changes, and mental or physical illnesses within the family.