Therapists in 93023

Humans are meant to have support through pain, challenges, and life's many transitions. Yet, life can feel frantic and disconnecting. You may find yourself lost in the chaos, feeling alone, depressed, or anxious. It may be difficult to find spaces where you are truly seen, understood, and accepted, let alone able to express your pain, challenges, and dreams. You are not alone in your longing to authentically speak, feel, and process your life.

Therapy offers hope for personal growth and lasting change, whether you're facing challenges alone, supporting a loved one, or working on family dynamics. Life's complexities can be navigated with new skills and the right support, leading to positive transformations and a stronger sense of well-being.

I provide compassionate support for children, teens, young adults, individuals, and parents. Growing up can be so hard. So can being a grown-up! Especially as the world feels topsy-turvy. Sometimes we are quick to pathologize ourselves and our children. Learning to respond intentionally rather than react out of fear can be a game changer. In my practice I provide a strengths-based holistic approach to therapy, integrating approaches from Trauma focused CBT, EMDR, Mindfulness, Play Therapy, Art Therapy, Narrative Therapy, and Sand Tray Therapy.

Parents, are you finding yourself exhausted from having yet another argument with your spouse about what to do with your children who continue to behave poorly? Or perhaps you look around at your family and feel sad that you aren’t connecting the way you used to. Your child may be moody, anxious, or seem depressed and you don’t know why or how it came to be this way. You would like support and some extra tools in your toolbox to handle the family stress and are in dire need of some relief.

I have been in the field for over twenty years working with children, adolescents and adults with issues related to trauma, loss, family conflict and life changes. All of these can create stress, which left untreated, can develop into debilitating symptoms of depression and or anxiety. My work is focused on giving you the tools to manage your symptoms, while identifying defeating patterns of thought and behavior and helping you develop healthy thinking and behavior to promote healing, growth and wholeness.

Everyday, think as you wake up - today I am fortunate to have woken up. I am alive, I have a precious human life. I am not going to waste it. Being human isn’t always easy and I am here to help you navigate that path gently. I have over 25 years experience and have worked in many diverse settings: in group homes, ADHD clinics, child and family centers, community mental health centers, hospitals, inpatient psychiatric clinics, colleges (both as a Professor of Psychology and as a Counselor). With this experience I am confident that I can help you navigate through whatever it is that brought you here.

I am a Licensed Marriage Family Therapist with 15 yrs working with women, children and families. I work with new mothers or pregnant women who are struggling with changes in mood and functioning due to their changing bodies and hormones. I also work with school age children, young adults and women. I have a background in child development and enjoy working with little ones and their families to increase attachment, decrease behavioral issues and promote healthy development. I welcome parents to work with me around parenting concerns, life transitions, relationship difficulties and identity. Individual or family sessions available.

Kimberly Prendergast, MA, LMFT has been assisting children, adolescents and families in crisis for over 20 years. She strongly believes in the power of hope and principles of recovery for the treatment of mental illness and substance use disorders. Her experience includes providing support to those navigating the criminal justice and educational systems as well as treatment within an inpatient psychiatric unit and in various outpatient and community settings. Kimberly has therapeutic interests in the areas of mindfulness, parenting and family issues, child and adolescent development, and clinical areas of anxiety, depression, substance abuse and trauma.

Being blindsided with change can interfere with life in ways we never knew how to expect or handle. There are many things in life that we feel prepared for. But sometimes, there are those things that hit us in the back of the head because we never saw them coming- at least not in the way that we expected. Processing this on it’s own might be manageable until we realize we have to combine that with the normal day to day life stuff that doesn’t go away. All these things that we used to be able to “handle” all of a sudden leave you feeling stuck, possibly even frightened and unsure of yourself. That’s where I come in ready to help..

I combine a warm and direct approach with evidence-based practices (and a splash of humor) to help you unpack, examine, and rewrite the narratives in your life. Drawing from modalities such as Narrative Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, and Internal Family Systems, we will work to align your thoughts and actions with your values so that you can lead the life you want. I view relationships and identity development through the lens of attachment theory with the goal of helping you draw clear connections from the past to the present and into an expansive and joyful future.

I am a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist with a practice that focuses on young adults, adults, seniors, veterans, and first responders. I am also a United States Army Combat Veteran, and a father who knows what it is like to put other people's needs before your own. It takes time, exploration, and effort to learn a new way of looking at yourself. It takes time to see what is on the other side of the coin.

Have you ever wondered which experiences in your life have the most influence over the way that you feel? I specialize in helping you find these answers through relationships. Your relationship with yourself, partner and family. Together we can tailor a treatment to focus on your strengths and areas of needed support. I utilize a specialized modality called EMDR that can help us gain insight about yourself, your past experiences that have shaped who you are today, and work through the healing process together. My goal is to provide support and a safe place to let your guard down thus enriching your relationships.

I am open to clients with a wide range of backgrounds and challenges. My focus is simply this: to reduce suffering so that the client can lead a more fulfilling life. I love understanding what is holding you back from leading a deeply contented life, and helping you release that. I love working with couple clients because it is so exciting to hold the passion as we work on building harmony and trust. My ideal client wants to grow and change which requires being open to the magic of living beyond habits.

Are you feeling ready to journey within? My goal in the therapeutic work is to gently provide support as you peer into your innermost intricacies. You may be suffering from shame that enhances your anxiety, depression that isolates you from the connection you desire, or a frame of mind that keeps you stuck from the dreams you want to achieve. You may have faced many adversities in your life experience and need the support of a therapist to help you find better meaning in life and change the course. My goal as your therapist is to provide you support and tools that will empower you to show up in the world in the way you have dreamed.

The changes in the world today can be unbalancing and having a guide to help one find ways to re-balance is important to one's well-being. I Have had life experience in dealing with trauma which guided me to become engaged in the study of psychology. I saw the need for more understanding of the mind and the human experience. Anxiety and depression affect the whole person: psycho-spiritually, physically, mentally, and physiologically. The signs and symptoms of anxiety and depression will manifest at every level. Imagine working together to find your own therapeutic tune to your life song…

With well over 20 years experience working with clients in various settings, I still find it an honor and joy to witness personal transformations. I provide a warm, safe, and non- judgmental space where children, teens, and adults can reflect on how they are developing and explore what changes they want to create for themselves. I join clients in creating attainable goals that help find balance, satisfaction, and well being in all areas of one's life.

I am honored to be a part of our beautiful Central Coast, characterized by care and community. My client-centered, humanistic approach is a balance of compassion, empathy and open-mindedness. I have been honored to share this healing space with children as young as 3 years, families, adolescents, young and middle-aged adults, and the healthy aging population, who have become willing to explore their experiences of change, grief, suffering, trauma, depression, separation and anxiety. Hope and empowerment grow through the process of healing and recovery. It is a collaborative experience where alternative ways of being occur.

Over the course of his career, Dr. Valenzuela has worked in a variety of settings. The breadth of his experience includes extensive work with severe mood and psychotic disorders. Dr. Valenzuela’s commitment to addressing mental health issues from an early age has informed his work with adolescents in the juvenile justice system and in schools. His work in local community settings has guided his professional identity as a warm, empathic, nonjudgmental, and depth-oriented practitioner.

If you or your child are struggling with stress, anxiety, grief, or trauma, I can help. I offer individual sessions in the outdoors, where we take peaceful and mindful walks talking alongside each other, or via phone/video sessions for those who feel more comfortable in their own home. For those needing support and/or guidance getting through a difficult transition (relationships, work, school, crisis, medical), we can work together to get you on the road to peace and security.