Therapists in Costa Mesa, CA

Do you find yourself feeling depressed or sad? Do you worry a lot and feel scared? Are you having a difficult time in your relationship? We often hold in our feelings of anger, sadness, fear, and even happiness. This leads to feeling depressed and anxious. People often seek therapy for not living the life they want. Therapy can provide a space to help with life challenges and to achieve healthier relationships. Together, we can begin to explore your feelings and beliefs, which will allow your depression and anxiety to lift. Repairing low self esteem will get you to achieve the things you want. I provide individual and relationship counseling for those who are interested in living their lives from a place of balance, wholeness and compassion. 

When a therapist is welcoming and non-judgmental, it is much easier to seek help. I am passionate about working with clients to find more effective communication strategies. You can make positive changes in your life. There are ways to regulate anger and anxiety and I can help. I can also show you the path toward healing unresolved grief and loss, as well as trauma. These issues can keep you from living your best life without shame and sadness. I have spent most of my working life in a helping profession. I have been providing counseling for 14 years. Before becoming a licensed therapist, I had a career as a special education teacher. That experience informs my work today whether I am working with children, adolescents, couples or adults. I stay current on clinical research and the many writings in the areas of psychology, sociology and marriage and family therapy. My specialized training includes (but not limited to) cognitive behavioral therapy, trauma and abuse, domestic violence and play therapy. I look forward to meeting potential clients and joining them in their path toward becoming their best selves and living their best lives. I have an eclectic toolbox that includes many aspects of different psychological theories and interventions. At the beginning, there is an assessment process taking place for the first few sessions. I determine at that time what drawer in the toolbox would work most effectively. I may have the client complete certain questionnaires as part of the assessment. Throughout therapy, there is a fine tuning of the process. It is important to mention that during the initial phase of therapy, the primary focus is on meeting the client where they are. This is a collaborative relationship that is driven by the direction the client needs to go and my experience and knowledge in helping them get there. I am very curious and observant, as every good therapist should be. Some of the therapies I utilize are Person-Centered, Cognitive Behavioral, Psychodynamic and Narrative. We can certainly go into greater detail about these orientations when we meet.

I am a family and marriage therapist licensed in California with over 25 years of experience as a caring witness working with youth, adults, couples, and families to help them increase their ability to balance personal motivations with social and relationship challenges. As a passionate and curious learner, I embrace a "each one teach one" and "it takes a village" counseling style. I have had the honor and blessing of a few caring witnesses in my life. I pledge my life's work to pass on the attentive sense of care that was instilled in me. It takes courage to seek a more fulfilling and happier life. If you are ready to take that step toward change, I am ready to support and empower you. I look forward to working with you.

I am licensed in California with 8 years of professional work experience. I have experience in helping clients with stress and anxiety, relationship issues, parenting issues, & 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!

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, relationship issues, & family conflicts. 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 9 years of professional work experience. I have worked with a wide variety of folks, supporting individuals experiencing stress and anxiety, 2slgbtqia+ related issues, trauma and abuse, & coping with grief and loss. I believe that you are the expert of your story and you have strengths that promote your resiliency. My therapeutic approach is a combination of attachment theory, dialectical behavioral therapy, and feminist therapy. Exploring therapy takes courage and I am proud of you for getting started! (Pronouns - They/She)

LIFE CAN BE FULFILLING! We have ALL experienced stress, anger, anxiety and depression at different points of time, yet sometimes having one or all of these emotions can be overwhelming to the point of creating constant dysfunction in day-to-day living. Therapy is a liberating avenue to explore oneself and find inner peace that may be hidden under internal and external factors. It is important to feel heard and validated, especially when one is at their wits’ end. I am a firm believer in meeting each client where they are at in their journey of life and learning how they would like to approach their presenting problem(s), whether it be though visiting past experiences or keeping the discussion within the present moment; we will be able to co-create an individualized plan to help alleviate symptoms, as well as promote a healthier you, through psychoeducation, healthy interventions and self-care techniques. I am a graduate of Case Western Reserve University and bring six years of clinical expertise to the field of adult mental health. During graduate school, I interned at Circle Health Services (formerly The Free Clinic) in Cleveland, Ohio, where I advanced my therapeutic skills in cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), anger management skill training and brief psychodynamic therapies, while keeping a person-centered approach to the therapeutic relationship with my clients. Later, I had the privilege to join Jewish Family Service Association of Cleveland (JFSA), where I completed additional education in Alzheimer’s disease and related disorders. Here, I learned not only about different causes of cognitive decline and the biological facets that may be affected, but how to engage with an individual no matter what stage of cognitive impairment they are experiencing. In addition to working with affected individuals, I provided on-going psychotherapy to family caregivers, to help reduce the stress and burden that often occurs while caregiving. Throughout my time at JFSA, I earned my clinical license in social work, while being supervised by a clinical social worker who helped deepen my breadth of knowledge in Gestalt therapy, as well as grief and loss, experientialism, depression and anxiety. I have been trained by the co-founder, Dr. Carey Sherman, PhD., to facilitate the Savvy Caregiver Program and by Dr. Elizabeth O’Toole, MD, to administer an array of psychological measures, including the GDS, MoCA, PHQ-9, The Neuropsychiatric Inventory Questionnaire, QOL-AD, and the Revised Scale for Caregiving Self-Efficacy. Additionally, I have completed training and one-on-one supervision with Dr. Todd Pressman PhD. who created and certified me in his Deconstructing Anxiety model. https://toddpressman.com/certified-practitioners/

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

I am licensed in California with 9 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 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 3 years of professional work experience. I have experience in helping clients with stress, anxiety, relationship issues, family conflicts, motivation, self esteem, & confidence. I also have experience working with 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.