Therapists in Santa Cruz, CA

Life can be hard but I'm guessing you already knew that.  All the hard stuff can leave us feeling overwhelmed, frustrated, or sad. Sometimes life's challenges become too difficult to overcome alone. Finding a safe and collaborative place to explore and address what is troubling you is the first step toward healing.  Perhaps you are struggling with anxiety, depression, grief, or challenges within a relationship. While there are no guarantees of what you will experience in therapy, research shows that therapy helps people. It works. Psychotherapy can elevate feelings of self worth, purpose, and improve your overall quality of life.

Hi. I am Joe Sousa, a licensed psychotherapist in the State of CA. I've been providing counseling services in the Santa Cruz area in one form or another since 1993. Here's the issues I work with in therapy: Relationship enhancement, improve communication, sexual intimacy; handling difficulties, such as breakups and divorce; discovering life purpose and build self-esteem; issues relating to school, careers, money, a child or an elderly parent; dealing with powerful emotions, like anger, anxiety, depression, fear, grief, loss, and panic; addictive or compulsive behavior, with regard to alcohol, drugs, food, sex and/or porn.

After 25 years of hearing from clients that I help them to grow, change and solve the problems that bring them into therapy, I take pride in being a caring, compassionate and skilled therapist. Research has demonstrated that successful therapy depends upon the relationship between the therapist and the client. You can trust me to respect you, understand you and guide you in a collaborative therapeutic process. You can safely bring your frustrations, sadness, anxiety, shame or other feelings into therapy as we work through them in ways that improve your happiness and sense of well being.

During my thirty-seven years as a therapist I’ve successfully treated many clients for anxiety, depression, dysfunctional relationships and a variety of other issues that have prevented them from living full and happy lives. Often, there problems were caused by traumatic events from childhood. Other times they resulted from more recent events such as a divorce, job loss, serious medical diagnosis, or the death of a loved one.

I enjoy helping both individuals and couples to navigate the multi-directional obstacle course of life in order to help you feel more confident and connected. As a non-binary, gender expansive, masculine person I walk the middle ground of societies claim of male and female roles and intentions. I offer my experience to others to find their specific and unique understanding of their gender and sexuality. I am offering my lifetime of experience and intuition to assist others in finding their own path for living authentically.

Never have life challenges been as great as now for you and your future. For we must improve relations with each other and our planet or perish. As a man you may feel frustrated in either work or intimate relationships or both. Yet the personal skills needed for work are usually opposite from those for intimacy. There may seem to be no way to the success you yearn for. As a woman you may cope with anxiety or depression and succeed best at friendship. Yet coupling has meant losing track of yourself, and good men are hard to find. The way forward involves increasing our emotional skills and love for ourselves, others and our planet.

Are you feeling isolated? Are you lacking true connection with others? Do you often have behaviors that negatively impact you and your loved ones? With over a decade of experience as a Substance Use Disorder counselor, I have witnessed the connection between trauma and destructive behaviors, like drug use. I have found that tailoring therapy to a client's needs is crucial for healing to happen, and I will always invite you to show up as your authentic self. As a lifelong learner, I see great value in teaching a new skill or tool at each session that can be applied in your everyday life.

With a passion for inspiring individuals to claim their own personal excellence, my expertise is in understanding interpersonal dynamics, and successfully coaching individuals, couples, families and groups into reaching their highest self. My background includes a degree in Organizational Communication, a ten year career as a Technical/Corporate Instructor, and fifteen years of coaching/Therapy with a Master of Arts in MFT. Along with my private practice, I teach Zumba (dance inspired group fitness). I look forward to our meeting and becoming part of your journey.

VIDEO SESSIONS AVAILABLE FOR ALL CLIENTS . . . . . Initiating therapy can be a daunting and challenging process, and that begins with selecting a therapist around whom you will feel comfortable, safe and respected. To help you with that process, I'll start by sharing a few things about myself. I became a therapist because I discovered that it was a large part of who I am. Even at an early age, I found that I was often the person others felt safe to let their guard down with - to share what was happening below the surface, and to seek out my advice.

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.

Hi there! My name's Sylvie and my pronouns are she/her and they/them. As a therapist, I am tender with people, tough on systems, and committed to our collective liberation. I've been a mental health worker for over eight years in schools, at a crisis center, and as a family therapist. I'm particularly experienced in and passionate about working with trauma in its many forms, and partnering with you to transform harm into what serves you, your beloved relationships, and the world you want to see. I offer individual counseling with youth and adults and relationship counseling with loved ones of all kinds.

Corinne (she/her) is a California Registered Associate Marriage and Family Therapist (AMFT 132500). Corinne is supervised by Elizabeth Corri Moss Hunter, LMFT 102812 and Dr. Thomas Lucking, LMFT 97696 and Kate Williams, LMFT 122818. Corinne combines EMDR framework and attachment-based perspectives to evaluate how childhood relational patterns impact your mental health today. Corinne is a gender-affirming therapist.

Welcome to my practice. I have been in practice since 2007 and have been featured on ABC, NBC, and KCAL as an expert psychologist. I work primarily with men who have hit “rock bottom” and would like help getting up. These men are often in crisis when we first meet. The issues I address are typically related to unhealthy sexual behaviors, infidelity, financial recklessness, gambling, drugs/alcohol, dishonesty/lying, and relational conflicts. My therapy approach is a combination of psychoanalytic, cognitive-behavioral, and the 12-Step recovery model. I also share insight from my own painful but redemptive recovery journey.

Individual psychotherapy emphasizing solutions to specific behaviors and desired outcomes. What do you want to fix, change, improve, and get well of? I have been a psychotherapist since 1968. I take regular Medicare and secondaries or Cash.(not Advantage plans)

Good therapy experiences are enlivening, collaborative and honest. I have over 25 years experience as a Depth Psychotherapist helping people gain greater self-awareness about what triggers negative emotional reactivity and self sabotaging patterns. Identifying and integrating unconscious beliefs, trauma and self defeating responses can help develop emotional resilience, greater self acceptance and happiness. When we feel truly heard, seen and understood a transformative power ignites and we can risk being different and more open. Hidden in the darkest places can be found the riches treasures such as creativity, passion, purpose and being present.

I help people through difficult times and growth periods in their lives and have been counseling professionally since 2002. My education includes Sonoma State University, University of Southern California and John F. Kennedy University. Through over three decades of work in various businesses and counseling situations I understand a diverse range of viewpoints, needs and desires. When someone is in a challenging time in their life, they need a compassionate and non-judgmental, yet direct and experienced professional to illuminate the path and bring clarity to a situation.

Reaching out is not always easy and it's the first step towards creating change. I have always believed we work to achieve success and happiness in the best ways we know how. There are times in our lives where we find ourselves short on solutions, or are ready to move forward. This is where I can be of help. I encourage everyone to talk with several therapists to get a feel if this is the right person for you. After talking with someone do you feel understood, do you feel that they can help.

Entering into the right therapeutic relationship is the first step toward healing and change. Working collaboratively we will explore the origins of any problems or pain you have be struggling with, at a pace that is safe and comfortable for you. As mental and emotional material is explored, the ability to experience greater freedom and enjoyment in your relationships, work, and family life will become more readily accessible and tangible in daily life.

Welcome! I’m Lesa Pascali and I am committed to connecting with individuals, couples and families through individualized therapy and to helping them to discover/rediscover the harmony, meaning and wellness within their lives. After 23 years in law enforcement and 18 years doing therapy, I have dealt with a variety of situations. I’ve worked with individuals, couples and families, veterans, ex-offenders, children, teens and neurologically imbalanced individuals. I use a variety of therapies including RLT therapy, CBT & Solution Focused therapy and am a Certified Relational Life couples therapist.