Therapists in Santa Barbara, CA

My approach is based on who you are and what is relevant for you in order to be your best self. I collaboratively work with clients in re-connecting with their innate strength and resilience in their journey to face change and heal unresolved issues. I use a variety of modalities that support a clients ability to reconnect with their inner-self and identify ways in which they want to make positive changes.

As a psychotherapist, my goal is to help you uncover your true potential and lead a life that is worth celebrating. As individuals progress through life challenges, therapy can be a vital component to navigating relationships, life stresses, and increasing self-understanding. I am trained in EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing) therapy-recommended as an effective treatment for disturbing memories, stressor disorders, PTSD, trauma and verbal abuse. Contact me to learn more.

I have a broad based of experience in mental health. I believe I have significantly helped people with PTSD, Bipolar, Borderline Personality Disorder, Couples' Difficulties, Adolescents, Grief Issues, Communication Difficulties and Identity Issues. For more information visit: www.santabarbara-therapy.com

You are here. Take up space. It is yours. Your narrative is legitimate and valuable. You are a powerful being. Yes, it all sounds empowering and optimistic and these words, while true, may not resonate with how you currently feel or have felt. You may be experiencing overwhelming thoughts and may be feeling isolated, confused, scared, or angry. It is in here that we may discover unimaginable strength, clarity, and hope. I am a Bilingual and bicultural individual. I currently see clients in-person and via telehealth. I offer services in Spanish and have experience working with English speaking children of Spanish speaking parents.

I am both a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and a Board-Registered Art Therapist. I am educated and trained to help you identify and express your feelings both verbally and with non-verbal modalities. I am a trauma-focused, holistic, feminist psychotherapist who works with women and girls. If you are feeling stuck and would like to experience more joy in your life, let's work together to create the life you would like to live!

Finding the right therapist is important. I approach therapy in a warm and relational way, and believe confidentiality and non-judgmental responses are crucial to creating a safe and trusting space. I know it can be hard to open up and start the process, so I make sure my client's feel comfortable to talk about the hard things and share about themselves authentically. Many of the situations I help people with involve experiencing depression or anxiety, processing recent or past trauma, important life or identity transitions, adolescent struggles, relationship concerns, and wanting personal growth and healing.

The hope and goal I have for my clients is to assist them in enhancing personal and familial relationships. As a social worker, I have had the wonderful opportunity to witness many positive changes in the lives of my clients. These positive changes include how my clients have relationships with others and how they come to view themselves. These components are an integral part of the therapeutic process and journey.

I work with individuals, couples, and families of all ages and backgrounds, creating a treatment plan that is unique to you or your family. I incorporate a variety of evidence-based modalities and psychodynamic approaches to strengthen emotional regulation, build interpersonal skills, and address the impact of traumatic encounters. Through the therapeutic process, we will begin to establish safety and trust, explore unconscious beliefs, and enhance self-awareness and compassion. I have over 10 years of experience working in mental health and am passionate about the human experience and emotional well-being.

Are you struggling with challenges that are holding you back from reaching your full potential? I am here to provide support and help you overcome both internal and external obstacles. My role is to assist you in identifying the essential resources you need to live your best life. Whether it's increasing self-awareness, enhancing communication skills, breaking unhealthy habits, or promoting greater personal responsibility, I am here to help you achieve your goals. I have extensive experience in therapy, coaching, and consulting with individuals, couples, and organizations.

Welcome! I help people with a variety of problems, from depression and anxiety to trauma and recovery. I can help you. I am a depth therapist (seeing causes, rather than only symptoms) and a somatic therapist (integrating a healthy mind and body), and I've found that more important than my background is a non-judgmental attitude, attention to your personal needs, and the quality of a collaborative therapy relationship. I'm on your side. My clients gain crucial insights, learn essential coping skills and dramatically improve their relationships, outlook, and prospects for the future. Their lives become much more vital and satisfying.

I want to create a relationship with my clients based on trust, mutual respect, and unconditional regard. I feel that if I can create this environment I can more deeply connect with others and hope to see things from their perspective. I believe that people have the inner capacity for change, and I want to help them be more able to readily access this. This can look different based on each person, helping people move forward in a way they feel will be most productive. I also value multicultural differences and in an effort to more fully understand a person's frame of reference. I also can provide ADHD screening and assessment.

Do you see your own issues, but can't seem to think or "will" yourself into more productive behavior? Perhaps you have a wonderful mate and family, but you are stuck in the same old arguments and frustrations, and you know your family's communication could be better. Maybe you feel angry, or sad, and you just don't know why. Perhaps you are hoping to come to terms with something very unfortunate that has happened to you, either recently or long ago. If you want to feel better about yourself and others, you have come to the right place.

If you are facing a difficult transition in your relationship, depression, addiction, trauma, or simply wanting to increase your life's potential, contact me with questions concerning psychotherapy. Addressing the presenting problem, we will identify past memories, present behavior and emotions, and their impact on living a creative life. By engaging your imagination, we gain access to your hidden potential, hindered by negative belief patterns. Together we will transform your life's most difficult challenges and develop the courage to create opportunities to live more passionately.

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.

What gets in the way of you reaching your highest potential and or living your best life? Is it stress caused by work/ school, interpersonal relationships, family conflict, past trauma, anxiety, or even depression? Any of the above can impact your quality of life. Making the choice to seek support is the first step to improving your quality of life. As a therapist, I am dedicated to assist you in this process by providing a safe space, free of judgment where I can help you understand how your past and current behaviors, thoughts, and experiences impact your life.

I have over 35 years of experience as a therapist and educator in the Santa Barbara area. I work with: individuals, couples and families, teens - elderly. My clients are struggling with ADDICTION (alcoholism, drugs, {pre and post-inpatient addiction assistance}, weight, sex et.al), MENTAL HEALTH (depression, anxiety, trauma, PTSD, identity, sexual orientation, couples and family issues et.al), and/or SPIRITUAL JOURNEY challenges in their current lives.

Life is challenging. We are expected to manage relationships, work, sickness, finances, and other stresses. Many of us come to experience significant anxiety, shame, anger, or depression in coping with the world. Whether you are facing an immediate crisis or longstanding concern, psychotherapy can help. With over 25 years of experience, I have assisted people in developing more effective ways of living. My therapeutic approach is informed by current neuroscience research, contemporary relational psychoanalytic thinking, phenomenology, and child development research.

I've been an educator for over 20 years, at Dartmouth College and UC Santa Barbara, where I met many young adults facing stress, anxiety, and depression. Their experience inspired me to start clinical training in 2005 at the New Center for Psychoanalysis in LA, where I have also been a faculty member. My approach to psychoanalysis is interdisciplinary; I'm affiliated with the Neuroscience Institute at UCSB and was a clinical member of THRIVE Infant-Family Program in LA. My current research focuses on the links between biology, sociality, psychology and the environment. I specialize in infant-family therapy, adults, and seniors.

If you are reading this, you have already begun the journey toward healing and self-discovery! My goal is to support your growth towards the person you desire to be, heal hurts from the past, and find peace in a sometimes chaotic and stress-filled world. I strive to make a safe space to listen and provide you with gentle guidance, professional interventions that may contribute to wellness, and empathy in a non-judgmental and supportive manner. Life is so short, aren't you worth the journey towards wellness and happiness?! I believe you are!