Therapists for college students near San Diego, CA

Many people find their way to my work simply because they feel a sense of “stuckness” or dissatisfaction. Together, our work will explore your aspirations, struggles, and life experience, in order to gain a deeper understanding of yourself and increase aliveness in all areas of your life.

Hi! I’m Jen, a therapist living & working in Santa Monica, CA. I offer in-person and virtual therapy for teens, adults, and couples, with a special focus on supporting college students navigating life’s big transitions. College can feel like a constant pressure to have it all figured out, like keeping up with classes, planning your future, maintaining relationships, becoming independent. It’s easy to go on autopilot and miss the internal struggles happening under the surface. In our work together, we’ll take a closer look at the patterns, beliefs, and experiences shaping how you move through the world - not with judgment, but with curiosity. That might mean noticing how the past shows up in the present, tuning into what actually feels good (which often gets overlooked), or learning how to ask for what you need with more confidence and empathy. I know firsthand what it’s like to seem “fine” on the outside while feeling overwhelmed inside. My own experiences navigating high-pressure environments, family dynamics, and personal growth have shown me how powerful it is to have a space for reflection, connection, and honest support. My approach is insight-driven, relational, and strength-based. This means we'll work on understanding why you do what you do, not to label it, but to learn from it, and build on the strengths you already bring to the table. The relationship we build in therapy becomes a space to practice things like vulnerability, setting boundaries, and getting your needs met, so that over time, the changes you make here can ripple into your everyday life — in classes, friendships, dating, and beyond.

Please visit my profile to learn more about my services.

I treat individuals who are experiencing symptoms of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), and related conditions of anxious rumination and Binge Eating Disorder. My treatment approach primarily uses the gold-standard of Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) while also addressing issues of trauma and family dynamics. I approach the treatment of emotional eating with a skills based DBT approach, emphasizing emotional regulation, mindfulness, and distress tolerance.

I am an Associate Marriage and Family Therapist supporting people doing their best to hold things together while life feels heavier or more complicated than they expected. Many of my clients are thoughtful, caring adults and teens who appear steady on the outside but feel overwhelmed, stuck, or tired of being the strong one on the inside. I offer a warm, grounded space where we slow things down, make sense of the quiet struggles that don’t always get spoken aloud, and rebuild a sense of clarity, steadiness, and choice.

During my clinical training at a college counseling center, I worked closely with students navigating anxiety, self-doubt, emotional overwhelm, relationship difficulties, trauma, academic pressures, and major life transitions. I also currently serve as a clinical supervisor for doctoral trainees in a graduate psychology program. As a contributing author in a Cambridge Scholars Publishing volume exploring the transcultural unconscious, I am especially attentive to the ways psychological suffering can emerge across emotional, relational, somatic, cultural, ancestral, and intergenerational layers—particularly for individuals navigating between multiple cultural worlds, identities, or systems of meaning. In addition to my clinical work, I draw insight from four decades of lived experience across business, music, holistic practices, and cross-cultural traditions, which continue to inform my understanding of psychological resilience, creativity, identity, and the complexity of human experience. Many of the individuals I work with appear highly capable on the outside while privately struggling with a persistent sense of disconnection from themselves or uncertainty about who they are beyond achievement and external expectations. If you are trying to meet academic, familial, cultural, or social demands while also struggling with questions of identity, self-worth, meaning, or belonging, therapy can offer a space where your inner life is approached with greater curiosity and depth rather than reduced to productivity or performance. Therapy may also help you develop the psychological flexibility to hold the tension between external expectations and your own emerging questions about identity, meaning, and authenticity without forcing one side of yourself to disappear. I work particularly well with students and young adults who are psychologically curious and interested in understanding the deeper patterns shaping their emotional lives. This may especially resonate if you tend to organize your inner life and external world primarily through thinking, analysis, and intellectual understanding. The capacity to reflect, reason, and make meaning from complexity can be a profound strength that supports resilience, creativity, and achievement. At the same time, thinking can sometimes become a way of creating distance from emotional or somatic experience, especially when vulnerability or relational life once felt difficult to navigate. You may genuinely enjoy ideas, self-reflection, and intellectual exploration, while also sensing that certain emotional experiences remain difficult to access, articulate, or fully feel. Together, we may explore how early relational experiences, unconscious dynamics, cultural and family histories, and internalized expectations influence your self-esteem, relationships, perfectionism, emotional regulation, and sense of meaning or purpose. My approach is psychodynamic and depth-oriented while also integrating evidence-based trauma treatment, including EMDR. Therapy is not only focused on symptom reduction, but also on helping you develop a more reflective and compassionate relationship with yourself. I value both the importance of making practical progress in daily life and the longer process of psychological development that unfolds as your inner and outer worlds begin to come into deeper dialogue. For many young adults, this stage of life involves more than adapting to social expectations—it can also become an important period of questioning, identity formation, and emotional integration. Therapy can provide a space for you to think deeply, process difficult experiences, and cultivate a more grounded and genuine sense of self.

I have witnessed and personally experienced the human ability to grow and adapt with the assistance of a caring professional. I believe we all have the innate capacity to heal ourselves, and often the journey begins with feeling heard and supported. An important part of the therapy journey begins with selecting a therapist who is the right fit for who you are and the goals you want to achieve. As a clinician and a person, I pride myself on my ability to connect with people through unconditional positive regard and authentic and meaningful dialogue. Trust in the therapeutic relationship is an essential ingredient toward a beneficial outcome for you, the client. My approach to building trust is collaborative and focused on your comfort level one session at a time. You are in the driver’s seat and we will work together to pace our weekly sessions and their content at a speed that feels right, and safe, for you.

I work with individuals who are seeking support with living a richer, less restricted life navigating anxiety, difficult transitions, complex trauma, and challenges with relationships.The process of turning inward in therapy - to interrogate how your present is being colored by the past and bringing understanding to patterns of relating to yourself and others can be incredibly transformative and life changing.

I conduct psychoeducational evaluations to assess children and adults for Learning Disabilities including Dyslexia, Attention/ADHD, Executive Functioning, Autism Spectrum Disorders, Giftedness, Depression, Anxiety, and other educationally relevant mental health concerns. Comprehensive evaluations may include assessing a student's cognitive functioning, processing abilities, academic achievement, social/emotional functioning, and/or adaptive behavior. Psychoeducational evaluations for adults are conducted on those who may need support within higher education, in the workplace or to seek employment, and with high-stakes professional exams. Comprehensive evaluations allow us to identify needs and areas of concern, as well as highlight areas of strength. They allow us to best determine a student's learning profile and what supports they may need to access their education, which is why assessment is a crucial first step. Please reach out for your assessment and consultation needs.

Being able to help others learn how to thrive, not just survive, in their lives and find fulfilment are just a few of the reasons I love my job! Change can feel like hard work and I‘m honored to be able to help make change more accessible to those wanting to grow into their potential. I strive to provide a safe place to empower and encourage members in finding and growing into your best you. My techniques are highly strength-based and I use collaboration with members to reach their goals. You are the expert of you and I am here to help you build awareness and skills that fit for you and your needs. I specialize in an eclectic mode of therapy which means I like to create a session that is unique to you, your needs, and your goals. I use evidence-based skills and practices from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Mindfulness Therapy, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, Solution-Focused Therapy, and Humanistic or Person-Centered Therapy. I am a believer in the holistic treatment of the mind-body-spirit connection and a strong advocate for self-care and awareness. I work with individual adults with many experiences and life circumstances such as medical or chronic health and pain issues, burnout (work or personal), ethical non-monogamous relationships, and much more.

Are you struggling to find positivity in and around your life? You may be having a difficult time with your relationship or going through a stressful life transition. Perhaps you're experiencing more downs than ups these days. If you relate to any of these statements I'd be glad to sit down with you, because I care. I want to hear your story and your goals that may feel far away right now. Let's work together to reinvigorate you to start living life with joy again. I have extensive experience assisting adults through life's challenges and many transitions. I also provide tools to couples to help focus on strengths as couples and individuals. The therapy I provide sees our past as our stories, and that as authors of our own stories, we get to decide what the next chapter's theme will be. I want to help you write that next chapter.

Please visit my profile to learn more about my services.

Dr. Thomas G Letourneau, MD, brings kindness and clinical expertise to the treatment of a wide variety of conditions, including depression, anxiety, panic, bipolar disorders, relationship problems, and life transitions. He believes truly caring about his patients and showing them kindness and compassion is the first step in healing. He is an experienced psychopharmacologist who specializes in medication management. He stays on the cutting edge of the most current research and treatment methodologies in order to manage various psychiatric conditions in the most effective way possible. A skilled diagnostician with over 40 years of clinical experience, Dr. Letourneau provides compassionate, evidence-based care, engaging patients in collaborative treatment planning within a welcoming, reassuring environment.

As an immigrant who identifies as Chinese/Chinese American, I understand the challenges and nuances of growing up bicultural and have helped individuals/families navigate these issues. I am committed to understanding each client’s unique experiences with various identities (e.g., culture, race, ethnicity, gender), as well as the intersectionality of these identities, family values, and belief systems. As a result, I view my clients as whole people, rather than just focusing on diagnoses and symptoms. I approach each client with curiosity and am committed to helping you connect with yourself and others, nourish your growth, and flourish in all areas of your life. My approach is warm, collaborative, direct, open, and honest. I have worked with the following: ASD, ADHD, OCD, anxiety, depression, self-esteem, academic stress, emotion regulation issues, life transitions, identity development, gender/racial/sexual identity, family conflict, and LGBTQ+ issues. I utilize an integrative approach, including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), mindfulness, and other evidence-based treatments when warranted.

Hi, I’m Joanna — welcome in. As a trauma-informed therapist, I provide integrative psychotherapy, interweaving therapeutic methods including Somatic Experiencing® (SE™) and Internal Family Systems (IFS). My priority is building a relationship based on safety, trust, and respect, where you feel accepted and challenged to grow in new and meaningful ways. Together, we will blend conversation, mindfulness, and body-based practices to help you uncover your authentic self, challenge old patterns, and create space for new possibilities. An integrative approach to therapy means that you get support that is as unique as you are. I tailor my approach to create a holistic treatment plan tailored to your individual needs. Whether you're dealing with trauma, anxiety, depression, or done trying to fit into a mold — I'm here to support you with warmth, intuition, and empathy.

Elizabeth is a licensed psychologist who aims to provide a caring, person-centered approach while delivering effective and high quality evidence-based psychotherapy. As a therapist, she is guided and motivated by her desire to help people pursue health and meaning throughout the course of their lives. She celebrates diversity and welcomes feedback so that she can better adapt her treatment approach to your individual needs.

At New Wave Youth and Family Therapy Services, we provide affordable, trauma-focused mental health care to children, adolescents, and families. As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, we combine evidence-based therapies with compassionate, culturally inclusive care to make healing accessible for all. With in-person and telehealth services, we're building a healthier, more resilient community—one individual and family at a time.

The thing that inspires me most to work in mental healthcare is my desire to help people live the best lives they possibly can. I have always believed that the relationship you have with your clients is the most important foundational part of successful therapy. I foster that by providing a warm, inviting, non-judgmental space for my clients to be open and to feel heard, validated and supported. With my clients, I try to make sure they feel understood and like they know what to expect as we work through the healing process.

I became a therapist because I want to help people become their best selves. I always want to help you feel understood, safe, and supported, in a completely non-judgmental space, especially if these things are already lacking in your life. You should know that you can talk to me without fear of judgement and that I care about you, and all of my clients. I have experience with both children and adults. All ages are welcome! I make an effort to meet clients where they are and ask what they hope to gain from their time with me. I try to build trust by taking a nonjudgmental approach of positive regard for all my clients. I will tailor my approach to the situation and to what the client wants. For some that will mean more empathetic listening, for others it may mean more praise, positive feedback, coping skills, increasing awareness, reframing a situation or a certain level of coaching. I find that everyone is different and has different needs, so I adjust my approach accordingly. Thanks for taking the time to read this and I hope to see you soon!

Are you struggling with non-stop worry about all the things that feel out of your control? Or maybe you find yourself terrified of embarrassment, consumed by doubt, or suddenly overwhelmed by dread for no apparent reason. I would love to give you the tools to ease your anxiety, take back your life, and truly be yourself. The never-ending worries and intense physical discomfort of anxiety can be exhausting and overwhelming, especially when you're also trying to manage a course load! As your therapist, we would work together to identify what is driving your anxiety and then find the most effective strategies for you so that you don’t have to feel powerless anymore.