Finding a therapist in California can be challenging. Even in some of the biggest California cities, barriers to treatment, like concerns about cost or a lack of available providers, can make finding in-person therapy difficult. If you’re looking for mental health care in the Golden State, consider an online therapy platform like BetterHelp.
BetterHelp therapists have extensive experience and can help you work to overcome your unique challenges and meet your highest potential. From young adults needing help managing the effects of ADHD to seniors struggling to heal from events of the past, therapists can help adults of any age navigate the challenges in their lives and learn how to improve their mental wellness.
If you’re looking for a licensed therapist, CA has many online options available. Contact one of the providers below to schedule your first session and learn more about the benefits of online treatment.
Shannon Lee
Shannon Lee is a Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist. Shannon has over 30 years of experience working with children and families in various settings. Shannon has worked with high profile families, including royalty, traveling to different countries, broadening her understanding and appreciation for the cultural variety and cultural differences that exist in the world. She has over 23 years of experience working as a therapist with a highly diverse population of individuals, couples, children, adolescents, and families. Shannon has a positive, supportive manner with a direct solution-focused approach. Shannon is down to earth and uses laughter, humor, art, music, and creativity to reach children, adolescents, and adults. Her focus is on the present. She is working with each client to purge past painful experiences, coaching each client to acquire and apply skills to help them improve functioning and decrease maladaptive symptoms. She believes that each client is unique and tailors each session to that client and their needs. She collaborates with the individual concerning goals and works toward assisting them in meeting their goals to live life fully with a positive outlook. She will work to empower each client, using an enthusiastic nonjudgmental approach. Open discussion of the direction of the session will help the client meet their needs and goals. At the same time, gentle confrontation of issues supports change as appropriate to increase coping skills and awareness. Shannon has extensive experience working with children and adolescents. She has worked with children and teens from privileged backgrounds to those underprivileged, lacking resources, and family support. Shannon has run several residential group homes (Level 12) for nearly ten years, with a diverse population of children and teens placed in residential care due to severe behavioral and emotional problems. She has worked with abused, neglected, and delinquent children as well as children and teens struggling with teen issues and parent conflict. She has worked closely with the Department of Probation and other community organizations. She was collaborating to promote juveniles to acquire skills to assist them in making healthy choices and move forward confidently in their lives, to reunite with their families, and be successful in the home, community, and school settings. Her work with parents is to encourage them to gain positive parenting skills. She works closely with each parent, modeling and coaching the use of effective communication skills to increase positive interactions with children. Encouragement to parents includes using a positive and practical approach with children. Support to parents to validate and understand their children, as well as increasing consistency, follow-through, and positive parenting techniques, provides an encouraging environment. Encouragement to parents includes taking responsibility for parenting, receiving, and accepting support to implement new strategies, resulting in improved relationships. The therapeutic environment provided is warm, caring, and confidential, focusing on the client-therapist relationship and effective treatment. Depending on presenting information and goals, Shannon will use several treatment modalities to assist each client with improving functioning and using the well researched, effective methods of cognitive-behavioral therapy, including DBT and several other treatment modalities, tailored to suit the client. Dialectical Behavioral Therapy-D.B.T. is an evidence-based approach for effectively treating impulsive behavior, oppositional defiant behavior, and self-injuring behavior. Originally designed by Marsha Linehan, Ph.D., Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) was specifically used for individuals with self-harm behaviors such as self-cutting, suicide thoughts, urges to suicide, and suicide attempts. More recent use of DBT addresses other problems, including anxiety, eating disorders, depression, bipolar disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, and alcohol and drug problems. DBT is an “empirically supported treatment,” researched in clinical trials and shown to be effective in reducing self-harm behaviors and emotional dyscontrol. Trained in DBT, Shannon uses this modality, or components of this modality when working with many of her clients. Other approaches for treatment include eclectic, humanistic, positive psychology, parent coaching, family/marital therapy, and existential. The approach for treatment depends on each client and their presenting problems and goals. When Shannon is not working, she is surfing, creating, making art, or music. Shannon also appreciates education and learning and is regularly pursuing educational goals. Currently, she continues to pursue her doctorate with a plan to continue to help children, teens, parents, and families. Providing effective treatment and staying informed with current developments and research in psychology is necessary and rewarding for Shannon.
Joyce Caroll
I am a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in California and Nevada. I have worked with individuals, couples and families over the past 20 years in both private practice and community agencies. I have supervised over 100 interns and held clinical director titles. I returned to counseling therapy last year to assist people with a wide range of needs and concerns including depression and anxiety, physical and emotional abuse, couples counseling, career challenges and recently Pandemic fear and overwhelm. My counseling style is compassionate yet directive. I believe in treating everyone with respect and sensitivity, but don't shy away from honesty. My approach combines Humanistic, Cognitive Behavioral, Solution Focused, Psychodynamic and Mindfulness theories. Recently I have started using principles of Relational Life Therapy to boost people's ability to find accountability, vulnerability and empathy. When working with couples, this promotes an environment where fast change can often happen. So if you are ready to take the next step, let's get started. I look forward to working with you!
Dr. Matthew Meyers
My experience is working with individuals/ couples, children, and families. I look forward to supporting your journey. I am a Licensed Profesional Clinical Counselor in the states of California, Nevada, Florida, New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, Indiana, Idaho, and a Nationally Board Certified Counselor. My doctorate is in counseling psychology. I have 20 years of counseling experience. My practice focuses on working with individuals, and couples with relationship issues as well as work-related challenges. I work with my clients to create an open and safe environment where issues, thoughts, and feelings can be shared. My goal is to build upon what is working in the client's life and collaborate with my clients to address the needs that they feel should be addressed in a way that they feel comfortable with. I do ask thought-provoking questions during sessions to help engage the client. Scheduling Availability is usually on weekdays evenings or weekends. I am in the West Coast time zone I look forward to working with you!
christine joseph
I am licensed in California with 20 years of professional work experience. I have experience in helping clients with stress and anxiety, motivation, self esteem, and confidence, depression, & coping with life changes. I work with my clients to create an open and safe environment where thoughts and feelings can be shared without fear of judgment. It takes courage to seek out a more fulfilling and happier life and to take the first steps towards a change. I am here to support & empower you in that journey.
John Vangerov
I am licensed in California with 25 years of professional work experience. I have experience in helping clients with addictions, family relationships, coping with grief and loss, anxiety and depression. I work with my clients to create an open and safe environment where thoughts and feelings can be shared without fear of judgment. It takes courage to seek out a more fulfilling and happier life and to take the first steps towards a change. I am here to support and empower you in that journey.
Jarvis Jimenez
I am licensed in California with 13 years of professional work experience. I have experience in helping clients with stress and anxiety, coping with addictions, family conflicts, & depression. I believe in treating everyone with respect, sensitivity, and compassion. I will tailor our dialog and treatment plan to meet your unique and specific needs. It takes courage to seek out a more fulfilling and happier life and to take the first steps towards a change. I am here to support & empower you in that journey.
Sierra Bush
I am licensed in Louisiana, Nevada, and California with over10 years of professional work experience. I have experience in helping clients with family conflicts, relationship conflicts, parenting issues, motivation, self esteem, and confidence, & career difficulties. I believe that you are the expert of your story and that you have many strengths that will assist you in overcoming things that challenge you. It takes courage to seek out a more fulfilling and happier life and to take the first steps towards a change. I am here to support & empower you in that journey.
Paula Scallions
I am licensed in North Carolina with 5 years of professional work experience. I have experience in helping clients with stress and anxiety, coping with addictions, motivation, self esteem, and confidence, & depression. I believe that you are the expert of your story and that you have many strengths that will assist you in overcoming things that challenge you. It takes courage to seek out a more fulfilling and happier life and to take the first steps towards a change. I am here to support & empower you in that journey.
Nimra Gardley
I am licensed in California with 18 years of professional work experience. I have experience in helping clients with stress and anxiety, relationship issues, motivation, self esteem, and confidence, addiction, & depression. I believe in treating everyone with respect, sensitivity, and compassion. I will tailor our dialog and treatment plan to meet your unique and specific needs. Taking the first step to seeking a more fulfilling and happier life takes courage. I am here to support you in that process.
Dr. Tracy Mallett
Hello! I am a licensed psychologist, licensed marriage and family therapist, and an international parenting, divorce, and coparenting coach. I have been working with single adults, couples, children and families for over 25 years. I have extensive experience working with individuals who have problems with self-worth, who have experienced trauma, and with families in conflict. I am Level II trained in the Gottman Method, and utilize this extensively with couples. My clients are learning to master such issues as overcoming depression; trauma recovery; anxiety reduction; managing existential and identity issues, reducing stress, and controlling anger. I have counseled in mental health, addiction treatment, and criminal justice settings. Currently, I have a private practice in south Florida (family-options.com), where I supervise master's level mental health counseling and psychology trainees. I also teach graduate-level courses in ethics, disaster and trauma response, abnormal behavior, community counseling, and criminal behavior, and I mentor graduate dissertation students in forensic psychology. I have worked with individuals who are struggling with a wide range of concerns, including such things as managing anxiety, stress and depression; estrangement from family; career changes; marital infidelity; recovery from divorce; marital communication difficulties; and parenting challenges. I have extensive experience working with individuals who have problems with self-worth, who have experienced trauma, and with families in conflict. Through our interactions, I hope that you will find a safe place where we can explore your concerns and develop a plan that will have you actively pursuing your goals and living the life you want. Together, we can undo false belief systems and unhealthy habits. My therapeutic style is strengths-based, meaning that I will work with you to identify your strengths and the strategies that have worked well for you in the past, and nurture those skills to their highest potential. I am committed to getting to know you as an individual, and working hard to earn your trust and discover exactly what changes you hope to make in your life. You are the expert in your own life and in what you need, and the pace in which you would like to go, and it's my honor to adapt my counseling style to your needs and help you create the life that you want. I may "push" you out of your comfort zone at times in order to challenge you to meet the goals you have set for yourself, but I will provide you with a safe environment and will always be empathetic and patient and put you first. I am licensed as a psychologist in Florida, California, Arizona, and Iowa, and have obtained an Authority to Practice Interjurisdictional Telepsychology (APIT) from the PSYPACT Commission. ** Please note that I am available ONLY via asynchronous messaging and will not be scheduling live sessions. *** ** If you choose me as your counselor, our work together will be exclusively via messaging -- I will substantively answer any of your messages within 24 hours or less. ** I strive to support, encourage, educate, and empower my clients. I encourage lots of feedback from my clients, and I am very open to constructive criticism, because I want this process to be helpful and useful for you. Together, we will create an individualized treatment plan that empowers you to overcome obstacles and create specific, achievable tasks that will put you on the a solid path to meet your goals. Therapy is an investment in time, money and emotional energy, and I look forward to joining you in helping to ensure that your investment pays off! (Disclaimer: I am a contracted employee for BetterHelp; any posted reviews of my work were not solicited by me).
Socorro Gomez
I am licensed in California with 24 years of professional work experience. I have experience in helping clients with stress and anxiety, relationship issues, coping with grief and loss, & motivation, self esteem, and confidence. I believe that you are the expert of your story and that you have many strengths that will assist you in overcoming things that challenge you. Taking the first step to sign up for therapy can take courage and I am proud of you for getting started!
Daniel Leone
I am licensed in California with 7 years of professional work experience. I have experience in helping clients with stress and anxiety, relationship issues, family conflicts, & motivation, self esteem, and confidence. I believe that you are the expert of your story and that you have many strengths that will assist you in overcoming things that challenge you. Taking the first step to sign up for therapy can take courage and I am proud of you for getting started!
Glenda Dillingham
I am licensed in California with 30 years of professional work experience. I have experience in helping clients with stress and anxiety, lgbtq+ related issues, relationship issues, & trauma and abuse with adolescents , couples and adults. I believe in treating everyone with respect, sensitivity, and compassion. I will tailor our dialog and treatment plan to meet your unique and specific needs. It takes courage to seek out a more fulfilling and happier life and to take the first steps towards a change. I am here to support & empower you in that journey.
Breanna Rodriguez
I am Licensed Clinical Social Worker in California with 7 years of professional work experience. I have experience in helping clients with depression, postpartum depression, stress, anxiety, relationship issues, motivation, self esteem and confidence. I also have experience working with coping with life changes. I believe that you are the expert of your story and that you have many strengths that will assist you in overcoming things that challenge you. Taking the first step to seeking a more fulfilling and happier life takes courage. I am here to support you in that process.
Suong Le
I am licensed in California with 10 years of professional work experience. I am bicultural and have proficiency in Vietnamese. I have experience in helping clients with stress, anxiety, coping with grief, coping with loss, motivation, self esteem, confidence, & depression. I also have experience working with coping with life changes. I work with my clients to create an open and safe environment where thoughts and feelings can be shared without fear of judgment. Taking the first step to seeking a more fulfilling and happier life takes courage. I am here to support you in that process.
How can therapists in California support you?
Therapists in California can practice many types of counseling, from marriage and family therapy to cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and dialectical behavior therapy (DBT). They may also assist you with symptoms of depression, stress, or anxiety.
Therapists may help you set and achieve career goals, work on current issues you may be facing, or address your past. Over 32,349,851 people live in California, and one out of five Americans has a mental health condition. Searching for licensed professionals in California may help you find mental health support for personal growth, anxiety disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and other mental health concerns. You do not need a mental health diagnosis to seek support from one of BetterHelp's licensed providers above.
The mental health field can include psychiatric medication management, online therapy, marriage counseling, couples therapy, clinical social work, licensed counseling, and other mental health services in person and online. Seeing a licensed provider can help you navigate mental health conditions and life circumstances through mindfulness and other specialized techniques.
Please note that BetterHelp does not offer diagnostic or medication management services.
Why are many residents in the state of California working with a licensed counselor?
People reach out for mental health support for a variety of reasons. Many individuals work with a counselor for general life advice, while others may attend therapy for a specific concern. Whether you live in a large city or a smaller county in California, BetterHelp can match you with a licensed professional tailored to your preferences noted when you sign up.
Mental health counselors in California support clients with varying issues, which can include:
- Challenging situations or life stressors
- Eating disorders
- Anxiety disorders
- Depression or depressive conditions
- Adjustment issues
- Emotional support for a terminal illness
- Chronic pain emotional support
- Grief
- Personality disorders
- Trauma
- Relationship conflicts and concerns
Finding a therapist that takes new clients in online therapy can be the first step in finding a treatment plan that works for you. Your therapist can provide a safe space for you to focus on self-care and well-being.
If you're interested in speaking to one of the therapists above or being matched with a counselor in 24 to 48 hours, consider signing up for BetterHelp. BetterHelp has over 35,000 providers, including those listed above.
Emergency services
If you are experiencing a crisis or emergency, don't use this site's online services. If you are in life-threatening danger, call 911. If you require support for a crisis, reach out to the hotlines below:
- National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-SAFE (7233)
- National Suicide Prevention Lifeline:1-800-273-TALK (8255)
- Crisis Text Line:Text HOME to 741741
- Veterans Crisis Line<:Call 1-800-273-8255 (and press 1) or text 838255. For support for the deaf and hard of hearing community, please use your preferred relay service or dial 711 then 1-800-273-8255.
- Trevor Lifeline(LGBTQ Lifeline): (866)488-7386
- SAMHSA National Helpline: (Substance Use): (800)662-4357
- National Eating Disorder Association Helpline:1-800-931-2237 (M-Th: 9 AM-9 PM EST, Fri 9 AM - 5 PM EST
- Child Help Hotline Call 1-800-422-4453 or use the online chat featur
- National Anti-Hazing Hotline: 1-888-NOT-HAZE (1-888-668-4293)
- Physician Crisis Support Line: Call 1-888-409-0141 if you are a first responder or medical provider experiencing crises related to Covid-1
- Sexual Assault Hotline: Call RAINN at 1-800-656-4673
Frequently asked questions (FAQs)
Some commonly asked questions can be found below.
How much does a therapist cost?
Mental health professionals can differ in price. Forbes found that the average cost of in-person therapy in the US is around $100 to $200 per hour. Pricing can also vary based on your location.
BetterHelp offers payment plans of $60 to $90 per session, charged monthly in a lump sum. You can also take advantage of this pricing on one of BetterHelp's sister platforms, like ReGain for couples or TeenCounseling for teens aged 13 to 19.
Many therapists may be upfront about their pricing and whether or not they take health insurance from the beginning. Additionally, some in your area may offer a sliding scale plan to allow those with lower incomes to pay less for therapy. However, services online can often save individuals a few hundred dollars per month.
How do I know if I should get a therapist?
Mental health services and mental health providers may help you navigate various concerns. You do not need a diagnosis or condition to attend therapy; You can discuss grief, relationship concerns, stress, or life changes and ask for general advice. A counselor may help you gain power over your life and emotions while you navigate day-to-day experiences.
Mental health issues don't always present as a crisis. Many professionals provide talk therapy and support for life transitions, skills learning, relationship problems, or life coaching. Online therapy sessions in California can allow clients seeking therapy to experience professional help through video, phone, or live chat sessions without commuting to an office.
Does insurance cover therapy?
Different counseling services can vary in cost. Therapists must apply to accept insurance through insurance companies, which may take time and money, so not every therapist offers services through insurance. If you cannot find a therapist that accepts your plan, BetterHelp may be cheaper than visiting an in-person therapist.
Is online therapy safe?
Online therapy through BetterHelp and its sister platforms is safe. Therapists are licensed, experienced, and vetted before being contracted with the platform. If you experience any concerns with your therapist, you change your counselor through the platform or app at any time.
Popular cities in California
- Los Angeles, CA
- San Diego, CA
- San Jose, CA
- San Francisco, CA
- Fresno, CA
- Sacramento, CA
- Long Beach, CA
- Oakland, CA
- Bakersfield, CA
- Anaheim, CA
- Santa Ana, CA
- Riverside, CA
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