Therapists for college students near San Diego, CA

I became a clinical counselor because I believe healing begins when someone feels authentically heard. Life can be incredibly loud, leaving us feeling disconnected from what matters the most. I provide a quiet, attentive space dedicated to your voice and your experiences. Whether you’re facing uncertainty or deep challenges, my goal is to ensure you feel fully understood and supported during life transitions. I believe the therapeutic relationship is important and I foster transparency in my work. I seek to have genuine curiosity to collaborate in having clients identify connections in thought process, emotions, and behaviors. This process is your journey, and you are the expert on your own life. I follow your lead, respecting the pace that feels right for you. This collaborative approach ensures that our work together is grounded in safety, dignity, and a shared sense of purpose. If it rains during our session, I might look out a window for a second because that ‘rain smell’ is my favorite.

Hi, I’m Madison Steele, LMFT, specializing in eating disorders and related challenges. Since 2019, I’ve worked with individuals across various settings, supporting them at different life stages. I recognize that disordered eating often intertwines with broader emotional issues, and my approach is client-centered and judgment-free. I collaborate with registered dietitians to provide comprehensive care tailored to your needs. As a BIPOC therapist, I understand the diverse experiences that shape our relationships with food and self. I’m here to meet you where you are and support your journey to holistic well-being.

I am a Harvard-trained, Harvard-affiliated, board-certified child, adolescent, and adult psychiatrist. I strongly believe that the best psychiatric care is centered on the whole person, not just on a diagnosis or a specific medication. I provide weekly therapy and work with patients to determine if medications can be of help. I do not believe that everyone needs a medication, but they can be useful in treating particular psychiatric symptoms; I will work with you in order to find the best treatment modality that meets your goals and needs. My training in psychotherapy includes psychodynamic psychotherapy, play therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT), Exposure/Response Prevention (Ex/RP) and Prolonged Exposure (PE). I provide psychotherapy for children, adolescents, adults, couples and families. In order to offer comprehensive treatment, I do not accept insurance in my private practice. I am currently conducting sessions via telemedicine only. Please feel free to send me an email to set up a complimentary 15-minute phone consultation so I can answer any questions and see if I can be of help.

I support students who put a lot of pressure on themselves to succeed—whether that’s in school, relationships, or planning for the future. Many of my clients appear to “have it all together," but inside they feel anxious, burned out, or unsure of how to manage the stress. My clients come to me because they’re struggling to balance everything on their plate or want support navigating big changes like moving away from home, figuring out their identity, or making decisions about what’s next. If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed, stuck, or like you’re carrying the weight of expectations (your own or others’), you’re not alone. In our work together, you’ll have a space to slow down, feel understood, and learn practical tools to feel more grounded and confident in your everyday life.

At The Centered Self (CSP), our interest in the practice of psychotherapy is founded in the idea that all people want to be the best version of themselves and are capable of achieving that-- whatever that may mean to them. We want to help individuals cope with the challenges that can interfere with achieving their goals and what they want for their lives. All humans struggle and fall short of their own ideals at times, learning to successfully cope through these moments of difficulty can lead to a more fulfilling life and an ability to thrive more completely during moments of success. We believe the most caring and compassionate thing that we can do as therapists and coaches is help our clients achieve their own goals. Sometimes this requires pushing towards change and other times it requires working on acceptance. We value creating a warm and validating environment for you to feel safe to focus on your own growth. The Centered Self is anti-racist and LGBTQIA affirming. We are dedicated to utilizing interventions and skills based in science so that we can most effectively help you reach your goals. We value you.

I am a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist with over 20 years of experience working with adults with depression, anxiety, work stress, self esteem and relationship issues.

I support those who are looking to understand both themselves and their relationship to the world and others more deeply. I am a queer, Asian American woman living with a chronic health condition in a world shaped by many systems that create barriers for people like me. My mission is to challenge those systems and empower my clients to do so as well by helping them discover their individual needs and find meaning along the way. I believe healing is not linear, and I support my clients in finding comfort within discomfort by exploring creative approaches that align with their unique needs.

I became a therapist because I genuinely care about people and believe we can all use a little extra support sometimes. We are complex, unique individuals shaped by our emotions, relationships, and life experiences. My goal is to create a space where you feel safe, accepted, and supported as you grow. Wherever you are in your journey, I’m here to meet you there and root for you along the way. I believe therapy works best when it feels collaborative. You are the expert on your life, and I tailor our work to your individual needs, experiences, interests, and goals. Therapy can feel intimidating, especially at first, so we can move at a pace that feels comfortable. I will never force you to discuss or do something you are not ready for. At the same time, meaningful growth can sometimes ask us to step outside our comfort zones. Part of my role is to gently encourage and support you as you explore difficult emotions, experiences, or new ways of coping. You won’t have to navigate those moments alone. I bring honesty, authenticity, compassion, and a little creativity into the therapy room. I enjoy incorporating your interests into our work to make difficult topics feel more relatable and approachable. Most importantly, I want you to feel heard, understood, and supported while gaining a deeper understanding of yourself and building tools that work for you. I’m human, too. While I can’t know exactly what you are experiencing, I understand what it is like to feel angry, lonely, discouraged, anxious, or misunderstood. In my own life, I find comfort in simple things like spending time in nature, hugging my cat, coloring, or settling in with one of my favorite movies.

I am very passionate about meeting people where they are at. I truly believe that each individual is doing their best with what they have and what resources are available to them. The compassion that I have for others has led to me to invest in groups that are near and dear to me personally. I am committed to serving those that have felt out of place, are underrepresented, and those that experience prejudice due to various elements of their identity. I believe that all individuals have the ability to seek growth, connect to their values, and are generally trying to do their best with the cards that life has dealt them. My hope as a therapist is that I can provide you with a genuine, authentic, and safe connection that provides a space for you to tap into your ability to heal and live a life that is fulfilling. I will be an ally from a non judgmental stance and respect your own individual sense of agency. I will also collaborate with you on your journey to wholeness no matter what stage of the journey you are on. I am committed to providing culturally sensitive and holistic therapy that takes into consideration one’s physical, emotional, mental and spiritual self.

I would like to first congratulate you on being here and taking that first step towards improving your health and wellbeing. If you are trying to navigate the physical and mental struggles of day-to-day life, want to learn effective ways to cope and manage symptoms, to practice healthy communication with others, improve your outlook on life and lived experiences or even just want someone to listen to your story in a nonjudgmental space, you have come to the right place. Together, we will work towards identifying what goals you have in order to promote balance and help you live your life!

Are you looking to make a change in your life? Feeling stuck with behaviors that used to serve you and now seem to weigh you down? Do you have plans and dreams that you never quite get around to enacting? You are not alone. We have all been there at one time or another. I know I have been. In fact, by some estimates, at any given time 80% of people are feeling ambivalent about a significant decision or change they want to make in their lives. It was with this in mind that Time for Change, Psychotherapy Services was born. I offer an approach that is respectful, compassionate and hopeful. I believe you will find me easy to talk to and a place where you can find courage, take risks and be vulnerable. I am humbled and honored when people trust enough to share their personal stories and together we can seek to find a way forward.

You’re trying to find your footing after a major loss, a breakup, or a life transition that’s turned everything upside down. Whatever has led you here, one thing is likely true: something has shifted and you’re left trying to make sense of it. I offer a space to process the complex layers of change including grief, transition, and identity exploration. You may be holding the weight of a loss while also trying to figure out who you are and where you’re going. That’s a heavy lift. In our work, we’ll explore how your past has shaped you, how your values can guide you, and how to build a life that both honors what you’ve lost and allows you to stay connected to hope. Through compassion, insight, and gentle challenge, I’ll help you rediscover your worth and reconnect with the parts of yourself you’ve missed. This work is personal to me. My own experiences with grief and therapy are what led me here, and they give me a lived understanding of what it’s like to rebuild after loss—not from a textbook, but from my own life. I’m not here to lead from a distance. I’m here to be with you through the work, honoring your process while drawing from what I’ve learned in my own journey. If you’re feeling lost, isolated, or unsure where to start, I want you to know—you don’t have to figure it all out alone. I’d be honored to walk alongside you. Text, call, or email today and let's take that first step together.

What inspires me to work in mental health is the possibility of supporting another person or family through a difficult phase of their life. I have experience in trauma focused care, anxiety, depression, and parenting across all ages. I hope to use this experience to assist my clients in improving their quality of life. As a provider, I come from a place of non-judgement, curiosity, and view my client as the expert of their own life. Therefore, I ask clarifying questions to make sure I understand what they are saying, validate, and respect where they are coming from. I value transparency, consistency, and authenticity and I bring that to session each time. I respect the fact that trust is valuable and I allow time for my clients to feel comfortable with me.

A desire to uplift others and highlight their strengths is what inspires me to work in the field of mental health care. I ensure that clients feel heard and understood in sessions through asking reflective questions to better understand their inner world and perspectives and creating a space that allows client to share their thoughts without judgment. It is important for me to make the client feel that they are the expert of their own issues and that we are collaborating together to shed light to solutions. I focus on client’s strengths and interests throughout our work, not just the struggles of their issues.

Treating mental illness requires innovation, compassion, flexibility, and focus. Pacific Mind Health integrates evidence-based treatments into a customized health plan that optimizes mental health outcomes. Pacific Mind Health practitioners are here for patients who need help managing a myriad of mental health issues: • TMS- Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation • Anxiety • Depression • Substance Abuse • Mood Disorders • Addiction • Panic Disorders • Sleep Disorders • Coping with Dementia • Behavioral Disturbances • Coping with Chronic Illness • Life Transitions • ADD & ADHD • Schizophrenia • Bipolar Disorder Pacific Mind Health was founded in 2017 by Dr. Joshua Flatow, a board-certified psychiatrist with specialized training in innovative therapies, including Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) for treatment-resistant depression. With his team of providers, Pacific Mind Health treats patients across California with in-person and telepsychiatry appointments, making continuity of care readily accessible.

Providing thoughtful psychiatry for children, adolescents, and adults.

Therapy that encourages and empowers Guiding Healing versus Treatment Do you feel alone? Like the world is burning? In today's day and time, it is hard to cope with the day to day. We have political overwhelm as well as climate overwhelm. I hear you. I see you. I don't promise to have all of the answers but I promise to meet you where you are as a human being. I am here to help you cope and provide a nonjudmental and safer space to process your experiences. I will help you learn how to be present in your body and identify what subtle messages your body might be telling you. Clients often describe my "superpower" as being a calming, gentle presence for my clients. You will be the expert of your experience and I am here as a guide. I aim to encourage and empower you to be your authentic self. My therapy style includes the belief that we all live within larger systems that have significant impacts on our physical, financial, mental, and emotional well being. In addition to clinical trauma work, I am a registered yoga teacher. My approach is grounded in the idea that trauma is stored in our bodies and requires more than just talk therapy. I am passionate about helping queer and gender non conforming clients live their most authentic selves with kindness. My experience includes providing therapy to individual adults, typically in the 18-45 age range. My practice is trans affirming and I have experience providing Gender Affirmation Surgery letters. I enjoy working with individuals struggling with anxiety, depression, trauma, life transitions, and identity issues. I provide kink and poly/CNM informed therapy and have both clinical and lived experience with religious trauma. I’m a sex positive and fat positive clinician. I actively engage in personal and clinical work to provide a safer space for all humans and bodies. I use an anti-racist, person-centered, and trauma-informed lens. It is my opinion that therapy should be collaborative and non pathologizing.

As a Licensed Clinical Social Worker since 2010, I’ve been treating adults and adolescents experiencing life challenges which sometimes leads to symptoms of anxiety, depression, relationship issues, and substance use. I believe we are all unique and our life experiences shape how we see the world. I work with the individual to find a path that facilitates self-growth and clarity. I graduated from the University of Southern California in 2007 and am licensed in the state of Nevada and California. I provide service in office and/or Telehealth.

Please visit my profile to learn more about my services.

Congratulations in starting this journey! Initially reaching out for support is often one of the most challenging steps of treatment. I love working with clients who have found the courage to take on that first obstacle and started looking for help. I believe in people where they are at in terms of their emotional lives and working to guide them where they want to be. I love working with people who are willing to put in effort to reduce their own suffering and lead a more authentic life.