For 25 years I have had the privilege to help people navigate difficult passages in their lives, in a variety of settings. Give yourself credit for reaching out, because a good therapist during these times can make a huge positive difference. In retrospect you may see that ill fortune, suffering and emotional pain helped you grow, and that without these challenges you may not have learned what you needed to progress. As Eckhart Tolle has said, suffering can be your greatest teacher. I did not become a therapist until midlife, and have had my own share of major life changes, transformations, suffering, and loss. These experiences have deepened my empathy and compassion, which I hope to bring to you. I have learned that creating trust in the therapeutic relationship is a vital part of the process, and like all therapists I am sworn to hold you with unconditional, non-judgmental positive regard. I have earned two Masters Degrees (in Psychology and Counseling Psychology), and hold two licenses – Licensed Professional Counselor and Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. Whether you are seeking longer term therapy to illuminate hidden patterns, or solution focused brief therapy for a specific problem, we will tailor our work accordingly to your goals and wishes. I am committed to helping you discover your ability to heal and grow, to listen to your inner wisdom, and find peace, self-acceptance, and self-confidence instead of fear. I have expertise with relationship struggles of all kinds, including dating, and alternate lifestyles. Addiction is a special interest, having developed a comprehensive alternative addiction treatment program in India suitable for any addiction – alcohol, drugs, food, gambling, sex, polysubstance cocktails, internet addictions, and others. I am open minded and abide by the principles of Harm Reduction. As an EAP counselor, I enjoy helping people with workplace and career issues. Other areas of expertise include grief and loss, blended family issues, stress, coping with the narcissists in your life, mild depression, anxiety, social anxiety, procrastination, guilt, anger, self blame, PTSD, family conflict, highly sensitive people, spirituality (mindfulness) and existential issues. I wish you all the best in your journey, and should you choose me, I look forward to working with you.

Hello, my name is Starr Lee, a Licensed Marriage Family Therapist (LMFT) in the state of California. I have nine years of experience as a clinical therapist, working with individuals and families from diverse communities. I worked with a wide range of clients struggling with PTSD, trauma, grief and loss, stress, anxiety, depression and relationship issues. I provide person-centered therapy with the focus of self-awareness and self-acceptance to encourage growth. My therapeutic stance is to encourage self-exploration of thoughts and feelings, looking at every aspect of a person’s life to identify strengths and build resiliency. Therapy is focus on you and exploring the use of your skills and abilities to develop small changes that will lead to bigger changes. I have training in a range of modalities including art therapy, parenting skills, grief counseling, solution-focused, strength-based model, family therapy, existential therapy and cognitive behavioral therapy. I take a holistic approach to therapy, addressing an individual as a whole person. My goal is to build a meaningful relationship with you through unconditional positive regard, empathy, and genuineness on your path to regain health, wholeness and wellness. I am looking forward to getting to know you on your journey of self-discovery and healing.

I am a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in California with over 10 years of experience. I have worked clients across the life span; my experience ranges from toddlers to young adults in foster care, school aged kids, college student, couples, families, homeless and the elderly population. I have worked with a wide range of client concerns including depression, anxiety, ADHD, relationship issues, parenting problems, career challenges, self-esteem, and grief and loss issues just to name a few. I also helped many people who have experienced physical trauma or emotional abuse. My counseling style is warm and interactive. I believe in treating anyone with respect, being sensitive, and meeting you where you are at. My approach combines a few theories that I pull from but I will primarily use Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Solution Focused, and Client Centered Therapy. I will tailor our dialog and treatment plan to meet your unique and specific needs and goals. I like to provide feedback, share suggestions, and encourage home practice from our previous sessions so you can see the interventions used in action. I also believe in the healing process of therapy and I am also comfortable with focusing on helping you to heal by being a supportive presence. It takes a lot to seek help for a more fulfilling and happier life, I applaud you for taking the first step towards a change. I am here to support and empower you, and I look forward to working with you! You don’t have to see the whole staircase, you just need to take the first step. –Martin Luther King

I am a Bilingual Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist with 10 years of experience. I have worked with children, adolescents, adults, couples and families. I particularly enjoy working with adults, couples and families. Throughout my career I have supported clients as they dealt with and overcame issues with depression, anxiety, trauma, relationship conflicts, co-occurring disorders, bereavement and anger problems. My counseling approach and theoretical orientation is person-centered. I believe that providing my clients with a safe, supportive and encouraging environment will assist them in their life journey and in accomplishing their goals. As all individuals are different and require various ways of being supported, I utilize Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Solution Focused Therapy and Dialectical Behavioral Therapy as needed. My role as a therapist is to meet you where you are, support and guide you through your journey in life. Together, in a supportive environment, we can work towards creating a healthier and happier life for you!

My name is Kevin Farrell and I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in California (#22616). I have almost 20 years experience as a Clinical Social Worker and Psychotherapist. I previously had a successful career in media and in my mid-30s I returned to school to obtain a Masters Degree in Social Work in order to find a more rewarding career path for myself. As a Psychotherapist, I have worked with a wide variety of adults and I use a range of therapeutic tools. I view therapy as a partnership and for me the most important aspect of therapy is the therapeutic alliance, which refers to the quality and strength of the collaborative relationship between client and therapist. This is strongest when there is agreement on goals and objectives. I work closely with each client to establish goals and achieve a strong alliance built on mutual trust. I utilize an eclectic approach to therapy with reliance on core theoretical concepts from Psychodynamic Psychotherapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, and Existential Therapy, among others. I tend to emphasize solution-focused strategies that assist a client in understanding themselves, improving their problem-solving/coping techniques, and building resiliency for future challenges. I seek ongoing feedback and collaboration with clients to evaluate and improve a client's experience in therapy. I have been told that my non-judgmental style engages people and they find me respectful, sincere, and easy to relate to. My primary goal with clients is to successfully address a client's challenges in order to improve overall quality of life.

Hello there! Welcome to the pages of better help, and welcome to my counselor profile. My name is Anke Kalaiah, I am a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, and it is my pleasure to be able to introduce myself to you. This year has been extremely tough for so many of us. Anxiety and depression seem to be on an all-time high. Every week or even every day seems to bring on some other uncertainty and challenge - from Pandemics to economic struggles, societal unrest, natural catastrophes like fires and storms, and questions about how to juggle all of our different responsibilities: working from home, caring for others and teaching our children. It seems to become more and more difficult to be able to find security and plan ahead, while at the same time self-care is becoming more important than ever before. All of these issues can feel very overwhelming, and it can feel like we have so many things on our plate that we do not even know where to start. Many people are experiencing sleeplessness, mood changes, stress related issues, relational stress and maybe even somatic symptoms like chronic headaches or pains brought on by the current circumstances. In this challenging situation having a counselor available to reach out and to connect with from the comfort and safety of your own home, 7 days per week can be extremely helpful. I congratulate you for having been brave enough to take the first step in reaching out for help, and I'm looking forward to getting in contact with you to learn more about your individual situation and to assess together and collaboratively with you how I might be able to be of assistance. I have a Bachelor degree in German and Socialpsychology from Ruhr University in Bochum (Germany,) and as an immigrant myself I am very familiar with issues related to immigration, expats, multicultural families and difficulties related to cultural assimilation. I completed my Masters degree in Counseling Psychology at Santa Clara University in CA in 2011, and I received my license as a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in 2014. I have in total over 12 years of clinical experience with clients in a variety of clinical settings, and I have worked with a wide array of clients from diverse cultural backgrounds and all age groups. My focus within the last years has been Trauma and Abuse, Domestic Violence, Sexual Abuse, as well as Family and Marital Conflict, Divorce, Coparenting Problems, Blended Families and Parenting Problems. My approach to therapy is eclectic. I draw on a variety of therapeutic approaches and modalities to be able to provide my clients with tools and skills that they can use to be able to better master the challenges that they are facing. I work from a client centered perspective, which means that I believe that clients are the best experts on their own lives and should be able to determine the direction and depth of therapy. I utilize a strengths-based and solutions-focused lens to guide my clients in identifying strengths and developing treatment plans that accomplish their goals. Through Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), I assist clients in exploring relationships among thoughts, feelings, and behaviors to aid in discovering dysfunctional thought patterns leading to self-destructive behaviors and beliefs. Using Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), I support clients through developing skills: mindfulness, distress tolerance, interpersonal effectiveness, and emotion regulation with the goal of moving clients towards a life involving the capacity for experiencing joy and freedom. Please reach out to me any time. I am looking forward to working with you.

I am licensed in California with 25 plus years of professional work experience. I have experience in helping clients with struggles that I believe affect us all. It is the human condition to experience stress and anxiety, family conflicts, trauma and abuse, & parenting issues. No one is exempt from struggles in life. I believe in treating my clients with respect, sensitivity, and compassion. I will tailor our discussions to what you want to achieve and a treatment plan to meet your specific needs. Taking the first step to sign up for therapy can take courage and we can work together to deal with the situations and struggles that you want to overcome.

I am licensed in California with 6 years of professional work experience. Some of my experience is in helping clients with stress and anxiety, lgbt-related issues, motivation, self esteem, trauma, and confidence. I also have experience working with depression. I believe in treating everyone with respect, sensitivity, and compassion. My approach is Solution Focused/ Strength Based however I do have training in Motivational Interviewing, DBT, and CBT. My goal is to help you build on skills and strengths you already possess and I utilize a Trauma Informed approach. I will tailor our dialog and treatment plan to meet your unique and specific needs. Taking the first step to sign up for therapy can take courage and I am glad you are getting started! My current practice hours are 8:00am—5:00pm Monday- Friday. I generally can respond at least once per morning and once per evening, sometimes more! You can also book a live session with me ahead of time, if you do not see an open slot please message and I’ll try my best to accommodate you. Please remember that BetterHelp (or specialty site!) is not appropriate if you are in crisis or in immediate need of support. In crisis situations, please call 911, 988 or local emergency services. You can also call 1-800-273-TALK (8255) to talk to someone right away! CANCELATION/NO SHOW POLICY This counselor encourages at least 24-hour notice of appointment cancellation. Should an individual need to cancel an appointment, the individual will inform the counselor at their earliest convenience. Should the individual need to cancel fewer than 24 hours before their appointment, the cancellation will be reported as a “no-show/late cancellation” and they will receive an auto-generated alert email from BetterHelp indicating this. This counselor will wait 15 minutes after the scheduled appointment start time, if the individual does not come online prior to that time, the counselor will consider the individual as a no-show and the session will need to be rescheduled. After 2 late cancellations/no-shows within a month, the counselor may not be able to continue to accommodate preferred session times and dates. If this occurs, the counselor will not allow scheduling during “premium hours” such as Early Morning (before 10 am), Late Afternoon (after 3 pm). The counselor will require attendance at 2 consecutive appointments in order to begin to allow scheduling during “premium hours” again. Should there be 3 late cancellations/no-shows within a 6-week span, the counselor may recommend that the individual seek in-person treatment and/or switch counselors on the BetterHelp Platform.

Hi! I'm Anastasia, a licensed clinical social worker (LCSW) in California with a total of 8.5 years of professional work experience. I have experience in helping clients with stress and anxiety, motivation, self esteem, and confidence, bipolar disorder, & 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. Please note that I primarily schedule client sessions on Friday's between 8am-5pm, with Saturday's being help on a case by case basis.

I am licensed in California with 32 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 seeking a more fulfilling and happier life takes courage. I am here to support you in that process. NOTE-I do provide asynchronous text messaging only and prefer it for the following reasons: very flexible with no scheduling necessary, can refer back to our conversation at any time day or night and get a response anywhere from within a few hours to no later than 12 hours typically, with multiple exchanges in one day/evening when not busy, allows both parties to be on their own time schedule at their convenience, and for some it is easier to express thoughts and feelings in writing versus verbally or when on camera. I have worked this way for over a year and have had success with many clients who work well with this format. It is not for everyone, but for some, it does work really well and provides more contact than a weekly live session does. I hope to work with you soon!

I am licensed in California with 10 years of professional work experience. I have experience in helping clients with stress and anxiety, lgbtq+ related issues, relationship issues, & trauma and abuse. 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.

Hello! I am Garysha Youngblood, a Licensed Marriage and Family therapist in California. Through my 6 years of experience I've served people within locked, legal and recovery settings. My primary work is to empower clients to achieve the life they want and deserve. Within that work, I have supported people through the following issues: coping with addictions, lgbtq+ related issues, trauma and abuse, motivation, self esteem, and confidence. Let's explore these things with curiosity and compassion.

I am licensed in California with over 20 years of professional work experience. I have experience in helping clients with stress and anxiety, trauma and abuse, & depression. 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 sign up for therapy can take courage and I am proud of you for getting started!

I am licensed in California with 10 years of professional work experience. I have experience in helping clients with stress and anxiety, coping with addictions, lgbtq+ related issues, & coping with grief and loss. 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.

I am licensed in California with 10 years of professional work experience. I have experience in helping clients with stress and anxiety, relationship issues, 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. Taking the first step to seeking a more fulfilling and happier life takes courage. I am here to support you in that process.