Therapists in Santa Monica, CA

Being a human these days is hard, and even more so when you get into complicated dynamics with your relationships, job, or family. Perhaps it's all feeling like too much? Or maybe you have a hunch that you can live a fuller life? Reaching out to a therapist does not mean that you are broken; it means that you are ready to evolve. With my background in art and extensive therapeutic training, I offer a dynamic healing experience that addresses old patterns in both mind and body. I can provide a supportive and creative space for you to explore yourself, practice relational skills, and grow into a life that you truly want to be living.

You may be living day to day with a smile on, maintaining responsibilities, relationships, and so on. On the outside you appear ok, while internally, you may be struggling to manage emotions, thoughts, and daily responsibilities. It can be so exhausting trying to keep it all together. You may feel tired of giving so much to everyone else, and not having much to give to yourself. You feel that somehow you need to prioritize yourself and gain a higher quality of living. This can be the starting moment for the changes you are seeking.

I specialize in working with individuals and families to overcome neurodevelopmental and life-adjustment challenges using a strength-based approach. My areas of expertise include executive functioning issues such as ADHD, moodiness and depression, and anxiety resulting from high academic pressure, life stress, or divorce. I also have a strong background in addressing technology-related issues, including healthy-mind balance, boundary setting, and mindfulness practices for relaxation and increased frustration tolerance.

Life can be overwhelming for all of us at different times.... whether it's feeling worthy that you deserve good things, struggling in relationships, not knowing which direction to take next, or feeling like the weight of the baggage from childhood trauma or loss will never be released. There is never a need to struggle alone. I believe that we all have inner resilience and strength at our authentic core and that it's possible to release the trauma, self doubt, and negative patterns that keep us from living life to our fullest potential.

I am a clinical psychologist and Co-Director of the OCD & Anxiety Program of Southern California. We are a group of compassionate clinicians who understand how difficult it can be to live with OCD and anxiety disorders. We specialize in providing effective treatment for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, OC Spectrum Disorders, Anxiety Disorders, and depression. We utilize Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT), particularly Exposure and Response Prevention (E/RP), which is considered to be the gold standard for the treatment of anxiety disorders. We also utilize other effective interventions, such as mindfulness and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy.

I work with young adults and adolescents seeking support in navigating the challenges of life. I help my clients to improve various relationships in their lives by strengthening self-esteem and confidence, working on setting boundaries, and focusing on self-care. I also provide support for people experiencing symptoms of depression and anxiety, trauma, major life changes/transitions, and co-dependency. I do so by helping my clients gain awareness of patterns and providing tools for shifting into healthier patterns aligned with each individual's goals.

I’ve worked with adolescents, young adults, and adults from a variety of cultural and ethnic backgrounds and in a variety of settings. I see many people dealing with stress, anxiety and depression, and I specialize in life transitions and adjustment, including experiences such as adjusting to a new job, beginning college, becoming a new parent or transitioning to more than one child in the family, and family structural changes like separation & divorce. I also specialize in both academic research and clinical work on the role of fathers in the family and issues that fathers face.

Are you feeling overwhelmed by obsessive, unwanted thoughts and anxiety? Maybe you're experiencing concerns about harm, a past event, contamination, or being with the wrong partner. Do you feel trapped in a cycle of repetitive mental rehearsing, checking, cleaning, reassurance-seeking, or avoidance behaviors in an attempt to get relief? OCD is a frequently misunderstood disorder that can present itself with a myriad of themes, leaving the sufferer feeling trapped and hopeless. Luckily, effective treatment is available. I offer a safe, supportive space for clients to learn the tools to break free from the exhaustive grip of OCD.

My clients are generally very smart and motivated people that are tired of being held back by their anxiety, depression, and past trauma. They are looking for immediate tools that can help them feel more empowered today, while also ready to do the work of healing these issues for good!

Karina is a bilingual Spanish-speaking associate marriage and family therapist in Santa Monica, California, specializing in child development, including work with at-risk youth, neurodivergent disorders, and developmental delays. Working from an attachment-based lens, Karina is passionate about supporting families and children experiencing conflict and a variety of stressors, including high conflict family dynamics. Karina has a strong appreciation for the relationship between the body and the brain, thus integrating mindfulness, self-regulation, and other somatic-based modalities into her work.

Greetings, we are delighted that you've embarked on this journey of self-discovery, growth, & healing. We are a group practice based out of California led by Founder/Director, Patricia Alvarado. Collectively, we have over a decade of experience in the helping profession, assisting children, teens, and adults. Our approach involves viewing situations through a multicultural lens, enabling us to comprehend your unique needs through active listening, empathy, and a non-judgmental perspective. We specialize in EMDR, CBT, Solution-Focused Treatment, & Mindfulness.

Being human is exciting and beautiful... and challenging! My work is grounded in respect and empathy for how individuals, couples, and families pave a path in life. Together we make change possible by bringing your unique, personal knowledge and experience into awareness, and then moving through the stuckness of painful trauma, unkind thoughts, or feelings of powerlessness before problems. Together we will work to reconnect you to the whole experience of being human: feeling emotions, attuning to thoughts and beliefs, creating healthy relationships, and recognizing your whole life story in its complexity of joy, sorrow, and growth.

In Network with OPTUM, Optum EAP, Oscar, United Behavioral Health. (online virtual counseling only) When someone is in conflict, some common false beliefs are that my feelings, my worth, and my value come from outside of me, therefore someone else should take care of me. As a result are power struggles in which each person tries to control the other. The way out is to change the system by changing those beliefs. It is only when love becomes appreciation instead of dependence on the other person that this will happen.

I work with motivated, loving clients and with folks who are ready to heal from childhood wounding. My clients engage in self-study, discovering who they are and how to love and re-parent themselves. I work with teens, young adults, and families. I offer parent coaching to parents who want to learn how to effectively communicate and intervene with their children. My style is warm, curious, direct, and relationship focused. In the course of our work together, my clients learn skills that are accessible yet powerful. I've been in the field over eighteen years and feel lucky to support such incredible people on their healing path.

Therapy is a platform to identify and nurture your strengths, explore emotionally charged topics, and discover potentials in order to create a strong, loving relationship with yourself. I am certified in Dialectical Behavioral Therapy and I work from an integrative framework, combining mindfulness, somatic interventions, and strengths based approaches.

All of us create patterns of behavior in our formative years to help us survive real and perceived dangers. What are those patterns? How have those patterns inhibited our lives today? How can we break free from those patterns and develop a more alive and integrated sense of self?

If you are looking for long-term change and a team of highly effective therapists, look no further. We believe that therapy begins with finding the right fit with the perfect therapist who takes a collaborative and holistic approach. Our team incorporates techniques from cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), mindfulness, and motivational therapy. Please contact Shannon Kalberg, LMFT to book a free 20-minute phone consultation.

You can walk on the beach while you talk with your therapist! I specialize in anxiety and related conditions, including panic attacks, worry, depression, social anxiety, PTSD, and phobias. Feelings of loneliness are often associated with anxiety and depression. As we walk side-by-side on the beach, you may feel that you are, in fact, not alone. Walking in nature can enhance your feelings of joy and connectedness, and together with effective coping skills, can help you develop more resilience toward life’s challenges. Imagine doing all of this work while breathing in fresh air, listening to crashing waves, and walking in the sand!

Society often projects certain beliefs onto individuals, which can lead us to feel disconnected from ourselves and others. We can find ourselves lost in the sea of expectations how we should or should not act, feel, love, do, pursue, or be. This can develop into debilitating symptoms of never feeling good enough or always striving for perfection that does not exist. We are all human. We all deserve to be heard, seen and to be a little messy. Your emotions, thoughts, dreams are not a burden. This is your space. Your time.