Mindfulness-Based (MBCT) Therapists in Santa Cruz, CA

Do you feel like there must be more to life? Do you feel stuck, frustrated, detached, or uninspired? Work, caregiving, or other life stressors have you feeling burnout? Somehow, despite the persistent demands on you and your time, you feel bored. You feel drained and exhausted but can’t sleep. You are working so hard but feel increasingly cynical about the impact of your efforts. Maybe you can identify the kinds of things you'd like to do, that next professional step you’d like to take or that healthy habit you know will make you feel better, but are having trouble acting on those desires.

We live in an inter-connected world. Our old models of rigid individuality and self-reliance are failing us now, not addressing our deep innate need for belonging, for purpose, for awe and transcendent pleasure. At this time, we need a capacity for processing intensity, a range of emotions from grief to ecstasy. And the planet needs us to be awake to it, in our full authenticity and hope. I believe being present to our inter-connection is key to living a fulfilling life. This opening to awareness will bring new questions, new boundaries, new paths to explore. Are you feeling a calling for more intimacy with all that is?

We are taught to constantly go, but sometimes we need to stop, look inside, and find what's keeping us from moving forward. I offer a safe container to do this. You have the knowledge within to choose the right path. It's my job to walk with you, lighting the way. Containment and clarity: this is what I can offer to you as my client. I offer therapy in English/Spanish to individuals, couples, and families. I have advanced training in EMDR, Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, and Solution Focused Therapy. I also offer parenting support.

Seeking therapy can be the first step on a healing journey and I hope to walk alongside you as you pursue personal growth. I believe that therapy can be a great way to access some of the tools that are already within us but that we may need help employing. I understand the importance of intersectionality as a queer Black woman and therapist and can understand how necessary it is to acknowledge the impact of intersecting identities when working with clients. I use an integrative approach to help clients feel empowered to re-frame their narrative and identify and process complex emotions.

Steps away from the beach, Lighthouse Counseling is located on the campus of Janus of Santa Cruz where compassionate licensed and pre-licensed therapists are available to provide client-focused therapy to you and your family. We provide therapy to people who are looking to heal from a variety of challenges including but not limited to addiction, mental health, life transitions, relationship issues as well as circumstances linked to poverty, trauma and marginalization. We serve clients with diverse backgrounds and across the life-span (children, youth, adolescents, young adult , adults and older adults) couples and families.

Our mission is to provide quality online mental health and substance abuse services while breaking down the barriers of traditional, office based therapy. Traditional mental health and substance abuse treatment tends to focus on what makes you sick, what you are lacking but at The Mindful Lemon, our clinicians let you sit in the driver’s seat, focusing on your strengths and assets to help you become the best version of you! This can be via traditional talk therapy, medication management, mindfulness techniques, an emphasis on health, wellness and fitness or any combination of the above.

I trust your capacity for moving toward healing, change and growth. My holistic training in applying mindfulness to trauma and anxiety can allow you to experience a new relationship with all the parts of yourself and with others, which helps you feel more at ease. As a somatic psychotherapist, I use a mind-body approach to help you compassionately discover unconscious patterns in your nervous system, body, and mind that keep you from living your life as you wish. Somatic-based therapy has you deeply listen to all parts of yourself, which allows access and support to places in you that talk therapy does not reach.

I integrate all my training in helping clients heal and transform their lives in the direction which honors living one's full potential/purpose. I work with individuals, couples and groups. The areas I have worked with include: mild - moderate anxiety, mild - moderate depression, stress reduction, communication skills, codependency, low self- esteem, relational issues, grief, social skill building, marital/divorce/relationship issues, women's issues, racial/ethnic/cultural concerns, meaning of life, life transitions, life purpose, identity questions, spiritual issues, and eco-related issues.

My holistic approach to therapy emerged out of my passion for health and my connection to nature. While I combine several modalities in my practice, at the heart of my work is empathy and authenticity. I believe in working together to help resolve the challenges or circumstances with which you are currently facing so that you may develop an enhanced relationship with yourself and those around you.

I feel strongly that we have the capacity to heal and thrive within the context of safe relationships. For this reason, I am passionate about offering therapeutic services to assist in exploring strengths, gifts, and complex challenges. At this time I work with adults and adolescents seeking therapy for a range of issues including relationship challenges, depression, anxiety, trauma, and parenting.

Welcome! I specialize in supporting high achieving teens and young adults to navigate life’s stressors while developing a strong sense of self, learning healthy relationship skills, and gaining tools and resources to manage anxiety, depression, low self-esteem and difficult life transitions. I believe that therapy is not just reserved for when you are in crisis, but rather a safe space for reflection, curiosity & growth at any time in life. You are always deserving of this space, and I make it my goal to help you feel seen and heard from the moment we begin our work together.

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.

I am currently offering in-person and online individual and group sessions using expressive arts, mindfulness , biofeedback and neurofeedback techniques to decrease isolation and increase creative expression. Artistic expression may be done through an online collage program or with any materials you would like to use. This may include drawing, painting, collage, sculpture, music, movement, writing, photography, role play or any combination of these. The focus is on the creative process as a tool for transformation and manifestation, rather than on the quality of the product.

It takes courage to make it here, and I’m so glad you did.

We all hit points in life where we feel stuck or uncertain of how to cope and move forward. As humans, stress and pain is inevitable, but you don’t have to work through it alone. I'm here to help you navigate your challenges and experience greater ease, satisfaction, and intimacy with life. My work is focused on supporting you to connect with your inner wisdom, shift how you relate with yourself, and remember your unique gifts. With a holistic approach, honoring mind, body, spirit, I believe that you are whole, resilient, and capable of growing and healing.