Therapists in San Luis Obispo, CA

My name is Mackenzie McFarland and I am Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist located in San Luis Obispo, California. I got my education from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo for BA in Psychology and MS in Clinical Psychology. I have multiple years experience working with those struggling with substance use / recovery, mood disorders (Bipolar), anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, change of life phases, and trauma.

Welcome! Please take your time to review my information in order to make an informed choice of therapists to meet your current needs. I recently retired from SLO County Behavioral Health where I provided therapy and case management services to clients since 1989, and am now in private practice in Atascadero. I would be happy to assist you in discovering how to improve your mood, your relationships, and your life. Initial phone consultations are free, so you can decide if I am the right therapist for helping you along your journey.

Prometheus Psychological Services offers a full range of outpatient psychological services. The services include psychological assessment and a variety of therapies. People use our services for depression, anxiety, and problems in relationships. Treatment can also be utilized to address anger, marital conflict, and low self-esteem. Work with children and adolescents can focus on behavior problems at home and at school, developmental disabilities, and attention deficit disorders. We can also tailor programs for individuals with learning disabilities and problems with daily living. Many athletes are turning to us to help them reach their peak performance. Together we can develop a specific program tailored to your particular sport and your unique strengths and weaknesses. Our services can help athletes manage anxiety, develop relaxation techniques, and enhance leadership skills. Others have sought our services for help with a lack of consistency, to address difficulty maintaining focus, or to aid with recovery from injury. We can assist with goal setting, confidence, and visualizing yourself being successful, in an attempt to help you reach your full potential.

Do you seek more balance, understanding, connection and freedom in your relationships with yourself and others? I create a safe and supportive environment to help you through difficulties to become more positive and live with presence in acceptance and peace. Whether we work to create boundaries, increase self-esteem, decrease destructive patterns, or move through painful life experiences, together we will process what you are going through in order to obtain clarity, solutions, and personal growth. My hope is that we can find contentment in our present moment & live fully in that moment each day.

Let’s be real, life can be hard. The decision to look for a therapist and seek support is a brave and vulnerable step toward taking much deserved time for yourself. You may have sensed that something needs to shift in your life, and you aren't alone in that. In our work together, we will collaborate to learn to compassionately observe and change dysfunctional physical, mental, and emotional patterns that are keeping us stuck. We will work to help you to feel empowered to consciously create a life on your own terms, shift from self judgement to self compassion, and (most importantly) stop taking shit to yourself.

As an adult, the effects of childhood trauma can show up as overwhelming emotions and destructive behaviors that are difficult to manage and problematic to our relationships. I help adults heal the wounds of childhood trauma and resolve internal conflicts that may contribute to repetitive unhealthy patterns. With an emphasis on inner-work, self compassion and healing in the here-and-now, I provide an approach to therapy that seeks to strengthen self-esteem and worthiness. I believe therapy is a space in which this work can be done safely, authentically and with reverence to the human experience.

Do you struggle with Depression, Anxiety, ODD, ADHD , PTSD, Low self-esteem, and living in the present? Does your child have behavioral and/or attachment problems? Utilizing evidenced based psychotherapy interventions, I can help you identify and change negative thoughts patterns, implement effective behavioral management strategies, replace negative behaviors with positive behaviors and live a more wholesome life.

Dr. Holli Stewart has multiple specialties in Psychology with two Masters, PHD & 30 years of experience. w/children as young as 2 years, teens, adults & couples. Her specialties include: Play Therapy, PTSD, ADHD, Anxiety w/ Panic, Family conflict (such as past or current abuse, domestic violence, & reunification), Depression, Chronic Pain, & OCD. In general self esteem, life transition skills & identifying patterns that contribute to current stressors are incorporated into care. Dr Stewart also treats anger substance & co-dependency. She’s written a psychological advice column for 24 years,taught classes and many news & radio shows.

At its best, therapy helps you find answers within yourself. I start with a belief in the basic, natural goodness of every person. I believe, as did Carl Jung, that even the most distressing symptoms are expressions of the individual’s tendency toward growth and healing. In other words, symptoms like anxiety, anger, and depression are signs not of a “sick person,” but of the psyche protesting against unhealthy circumstances.

There is no time like the present to get help. Maybe you’re looking to learn how to cope with current issues that are stressful or maybe you’re ready to tackle old issues that eat away at you. Old or new, I understand that stress results in depression, anxiety, persistent worry, grief, feeling hopeless and alone, and damaged self-esteem. Mood, thought patterns, relationships, and job performance suffer and can feel dreadful. I am able to help you work through stress and trauma, in order to better manage your life regardless of the root cause. Change is always possible!

When working together, my aim is to create an environment rich in compassion, curiosity, and collaboration with my clients. I offer a diverse range of skills and experiences within a warm and welcoming environment. I enjoy working with individuals of diverse ages, couples and families from various cultural backgrounds. I tailor a range of approaches to meet your unique needs and through these techniques, I empower clients to challenge unhelpful thought patterns, fostering personal growth and resilience.

Grace (licensed as Margaret Peavy), offers client-centered therapy to adults, youth, and families navigating life’s challenges. Taking the time and energy to earn your trust, she shares a relational approach to spark genuine connection in a non-judgemental space where you’re encouraged to build on your strengths. Over a decade serving youth and families of all ages in the mental health community makes Grace an impactful facilitator of personal growth.

If you’re a parent or caregiver looking for mental health treatment for your child or teen, we’re here to help. The CCAMH Treatment Center specializes in evidence-based treatments that have been extensively researched and shown to be effective. We will do a full assessment and evaluation to determine the best treatment to address the young person's specific condition. We use evidence-based treatments for anxiety disorders and OCD, depression and mood disorders, attention deficit and behavior disorders and trauma. We work with the entire family and provide support and tools for parents including monthly virtual parent-drop in groups.

My primary focus in private practice is evaluation and assessment for a variety of psychological conditions, such as ADHD, Autism, Mood Disorders, Learning Disabilities and Personality Disorders. The second focus I have is treatment. I have an integrative approach to therapy in which I use multiple modalities that fit my clients’ individual needs. Some of the modalities I use are interpersonal therapy, supportive therapy, and cognitive behavioral therapy. I also view other factors that can affect the client, such as cultural, medical, and environmental factors.

I'm a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist practicing in California since 2014. My style of therapy utilizes Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), but I am trained in a variety of orientations and integrate which ever is best for my client. I believe in providing a holistic approach to treatment in order to ensure overall wellbeing. I have worked with a variety of clients ranging from youth to adults, and dealing with a wide range of concerns from everyday life stressors to severe mental illness. Within my Master's program at Cal Poly and through my practice, I have gained a variety of skills that I would love to pass on to you.

With specialties in addiction and dual diagnosis; including depression, anxiety and trauma history, I take an integrated, holistic approach to care. The therapeutic relationship is one in which optimum healing is, as a result of the reciprocal bond, between the therapist and the client. One can only be open to the experience of change and improvement in their life if they feel safe. This is the therapy space that I provide in order to help shape authentic, loving and accurate self-awareness. I provide nurturance, guidance, affirmation and compassionate reflection in order to help clients feel grounded in their own decision-making.

Currently, I'm mostly using Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy with my clients. When, as a child, we find ourselves traumatizing or trapped in negative circumstances, parts of our self system compensate by locking away that which at that time was too much for us to handle. Later, if we do not go back to this locked away material, the pain, confusion and injustice of what happened to us long ago, can get triggered, or, awakened, when similar such challenges arise in the present. IFS provides a safe way for that locked away material to be approached and reprocessed, allowing our core self to take back control of our lives.

The difficulties of everyday life can sometimes become overwhelming. When on top of those difficulties we add the stresses of illness, anxiety, depression, our identity, our love lives and more-we can easily feel burdened to our breaking point. We just don't feel heard. Sometimes these situations can linger for months or years, making it hard to meet our obligations and live our lives in the way we would like. However, those difficulties and stresses don't need to define who we are-or where we're going. It's my goal as a therapist to help you tell your story.

Do you ever wonder why you have anxiety, nervous tension, mood fluctuations, an inability to concentrate, or a lack of motivation? There are reasons for symptoms such as these, some of which may be environmental, including past trauma or adverse childhood experiences, some biological or hereditary and some related to current stressors. But it is important to have an understanding of these factors, as this type of knowledge is power. In my practice, I offer supportive, compassionate counseling that encourages insight and understanding on the part of my clients, but is also solution-focused with feedback and guidance where needed.