Therapists for college students near San Diego State University
Fire Poppy Therapy
Hi, I'm Katerina from Fire Poppy Therapy! I understand that we can't just "find 5 blue objects around me" to be able to deal with life's stressors, so let's work together to find some practical ways to process, cope, and thrive in the spaces you're in. I aim to make the therapy experience authentic and validating for those I work with. Believe it or not, you do know and have intuition of what's best for you, so we'll spend our time working to get the echoes of naysayers out of your head and amplifying the encouragement from yourself and others. The approach I take with our sessions is a more relaxed style and I use a variety of techniques to inform how I support you. I value practical self care and coping strategies, honoring your roots, and empowering my clients with knowledge about how their body and brain work. I also like to balance humor with reflection, encouragement with accountability. Check out my website for more info and/or send me an email if you'd like to set up a complimentary 15 minute Zoom meet-n-greet. Whether we work together or not, I hope you find what you need. [**side note for any clarification purposes] I'm firmly supportive of the following Communities in alpha order: Armenian, Congolese, Haitian, NHAAPI, Neurodiverse, Palestinian, PGM (People of the Global Majority), Pro-Liberation, Queer, Sudanese, SWANA.
Ben Molland
Ideally, this process involves the development of insight into how one experiences blocks or challenges in the world outside our selves – in relationships, work, academics, or creative pursuits. In my opinion, any successful therapy relationship must first begin with an atmosphere of safety, trust, and mutual understanding of the challenges that lay ahead. Using this as a starting point, I view therapy as an opportunity for my clients to safely explore the self, which involves taking a closer, more intimate look at how one's experience of self impacts and is impacted by the world in which one lives. While I tend to understand clients through a psychodynamic lens, I also believe in the importance of tailoring therapy to fit the individual. Using individualized interventions, I focus on helping my clients not only gain insight into those aspects of themselves that are outside usual awareness but also to develop an understanding of how those insights can be harnessed in an action-oriented manner to manifest lasting, positive change. This can and often does involve setting achievable behavioral goals between sessions to encourage steady forward progress in those realms of functioning that are most critical to the client. I'm a therapist with Octave and Evernorth Behavioral Care Group. Octave is a mental health practice providing high-quality care covered by multiple insurances. Evernorth Behavioral Care Group is a behavioral health provider group in-network with Cigna Healthcare and Evernorth. For my availability, please reach out to Octave’s team by emailing or calling.
Donna Cohen Cretcher
I believe life is a journey and everyone has their personal challenges. I enjoy the experience of understanding you and helping you. I am an active participant in sessions by asking questions to fully understand who you are and how best to support you. I individualize your treatment based on what you want, need and who you are. I see myself as a coach to support you in obtaining your goals and a sense of wellness in your life. I'm a therapist with Octave and Evernorth Behavioral Care Group. Octave is a mental health practice providing high-quality care covered by multiple insurances. Evernorth Behavioral Care Group is a behavioral health provider group in-network with Cigna Healthcare and Evernorth. For my availability, please reach out to Octave’s team by emailing or calling.
Melissa Morales
When clients ask what inspired me to become a therapist, I share that I’m passionate about creating a safe, supportive space for children, couples, and families to feel seen and understood. As a first-generation Mexican-American, I’ve experienced how culture, family dynamics, and life experiences shape who we are, which led me to this work—helping individuals and families better understand themselves and each other. To help you feel heard, I focus on building a warm, nonjudgmental, and collaborative environment. Whether I’m working with a child, a couple, or a family, I approach each person with curiosity and cultural humility, making sure everyone’s voice is valued and understood. Working together is a partnership. I use a systems perspective, so we’ll explore how relationships, communication patterns, and family dynamics impact your experiences. With children, this may look like play-based or developmentally appropriate support; with couples and families, we’ll work on communication, boundaries, and strengthening connection. I build trust by being consistent, transparent, and genuinely engaged so you feel supported as we navigate challenges together. My ultimate goal is to understand you as an individual and provide a space where you can become your authentic self. I have had success working within the LQBTQ+ POC community as well as with children of immigrants. I enjoy joining my clients on their path to self-acceptance and self-empowerment.
Virginia Sanchez
Please visit my profile to learn more about my services.
Marianna Arens
Allowing others to feel heard, understood, and valued is very important to me. I feel everyone deserves to be met with compassion and empathy, especially when seeking support. While it’s not my place to give advice, I will always ensure that the therapy space is safe to explore thoughts, ideas, and feelings in a way that feels supportive and non-judgmental. I will push and challenge when needed, as a way to support growth and positive change. I’ll follow you and want you want to work on. I’ll provide direction as needed, but ultimately you’re the one that decides what therapy is about, given it falls within my scope of practice. My style will fluctuate based on your needs; I’m a bit “loosey-goosey”, but I’ve found that it helps me work with lots of different people and meet a variety of needs!
Wendy Silva
My name is Wendy Silva, I am a bilingual (Spanish & English) Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist offering Teletherapy in the State of California. I work with individuals who may be going through difficult times and may be struggling with managing their responses. You may be noticing patterns that continue to perpetuate thoughts and emotions that can be difficult to understand. In therapy, we can work together in identifying and understanding the “origen” of our patterns and work towards embracing growth, healing, and change. I believe therapy should be a safe space to process your emotions and thoughts without feeling judge and I aim to create a safe and trusting therapeutic space to facilitate growth and healing. I utilized an eclectic approach, utilizing therapeutic approaches and interventions that tailor to my clients needs. With that being said, I mostly work from a psychodynamic therapeutic approach and my focus is to support the client with self-reflection, self-examination and explore the source of your challenges. I will support you with identifying and implementing effective coping skills to live a healthy emotional lifestyle.
Ann Gerber
Please visit my profile to learn more about my services.
Griffin Saxon
College can be a period of life, and it can suck. My goal is to help it be a great experience! I mostly work with students dealing with depression, anxiety, or trauma. Maybe you're having difficulty finding motivation to complete work, or feel like you're lost at sea and overwhelmed with the ton of responsibilities you have to take on. Or it could be figuring out who your are, who your people are, and what's your greater meaning in life. My goal is to help people build positive relationships and habits to bring joy and meaning to their lives. If you're looking for some support and guidance as you go through college or are looking into the future (it's some scary/awesome stuff!), please reach out for a free 15-minute consult. You can contact me via text, phone, or schedule a consultation on line. Also I'm a queer therapist, using a trauma-informed and intersectional lens in my work. If that vibes with you, sweet!
Julie M Roman
College can be an exciting chapter—but it can also feel overwhelming, isolating, and uncertain. You may be struggling with anxiety, depression, academic pressure, relationship challenges, grief, pet grief, or simply trying to understand who you are and where you are headed. You don’t have to work through it alone. I offer a warm, supportive space where you can speak openly without judgment, develop practical coping skills, and better understand the patterns keeping you stuck. Together, we will build on your strengths and help you feel more confident, grounded, and equipped to navigate college and life beyond it. I offer telehealth sessions to clients throughout California, as well as in-person sessions in Santa Barbara. If you are ready to feel less overwhelmed and more confident about what comes next, I would be honored to support you.
Nirvana Bravo
Let’s be real. Therapy isn’t just for when everything’s falling apart, it’s for when you’re tired of pretending you’re fine. I work with women who overthink, feel all over the place, or feel disconnected from themselves. We cut through the noise and get to what’s actually going on, using tools like CBT, DBT and a grounded, real, and warm approach. I specialize in supporting women navigating culture shifts, family dynamics, identity questions, and the pressure to keep it all together. You don’t have to do it alone, and yes, we’ll probably laugh along the way.
Mended Heart Family Counseling & Trauma Recovery Center
Feeling overwhelmed, anxious, or like something just isn’t right inside—even if you can’t explain why? You’re not alone, and you don’t have to figure it out by yourself. I’m a trauma therapist who understands what it’s like to feel broken, lost, or stuck after going through tough experiences—whether that’s childhood trauma, bullying, abuse, or just the weight of everyday pressure and expectations. I’ve been there myself, and I know healing is absolutely possible. If you’re struggling with anxiety, anger, depression, PTSD, or even feeling disconnected from who you really are, I offer a safe space to unpack what’s going on—and begin to heal. I specialize in helping students like you who are trying to balance life, emotions, school, relationships, and maybe even past pain that hasn’t been fully processed yet. My approach is focused on helping you get results, not just vent. We’ll explore what matters to you—your values, goals, strengths—and figure out how to start building the life you want. I also offer energy healing and spiritual guidance if you’re open to deeper, more holistic support (but only if that resonates with you—this space is always about you, not my agenda). If you’re ready to feel supported, heard, and guided toward real change, I’m here. You don’t need to have it all figured out. You just need to take that first step.
Rosa Blasi Therapy
I specialize in addiction and recovery, I have many clients I have helped navigate anxiety, codependency or toxic relationships, the transition into college life, and recovery from trauma. I am available in person in my office in Hermosa Beach, or via tele-health. I pride myself of being very casual, down to earth and having authentic conversations. I don't shy away from sarcasm, profanity or humor (therapy doesn't have to be all intense). And the best compliments I receive are hearing "I didn't think I was a therapy person... until I started therapy with you".
Jennifer Holt, PhD
Hello! I specialize in rapidly clearing anxiety and depression issues, as well as self-esteem and procrastination. I specialize in a type of treatment called EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing), a method scientifically proven to release all kinds of psychological disturbance, negative belief systems, and dysfunctional behaviors, quickly and efficiently. I love working with students from all backgrounds and diversities. I only work remotely, via GoogleMeet.
Clay Crosby, MFT
Are you feeling overwhelmed, stuck, or disconnected? Want to connect with a human being rather than an AI bot? I help highly creative people with relationship issues, depression, anxiety, trauma and PTSD, life transitions (bereavement, loss of relationship, career change, etc.) and the challenges of creative careers. Many of my clients are performers, writers, musicians and visual artists. In addition, I practiced in Europe for 6 years and have broad experience working with expats, immigrants, and cross-cultural couples.
Madison Holland
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.
Nova Mindset Counseling
Hi, I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) with over 15 years of experience working with individuals that are dealing with mental health issues across their lifespan. I believe my experience as a first-generation college student has helped me make connections between the mental health issues we face with the addition of the insecurities and overwhelming experiences encounter simply by becoming a college student. I have experience providing services to help those facing trauma, depression, anxiety, grief/loss, anger, parenting support, men’s mental health issues, and various other presenting problems. I use my trauma-informed background and lessons learned in my own experience to gently help guide you toward a new shift in mindset that you want to establish, guided through your strengths, and with empathy every step of the way.
Daniela Paolone
As a therapist with chronic pain and chronic illness, I have incorporated my experiences with my clinical training so that I can provide you with tools, resources, and education. My therapeutic approach is interactive. We will work together so that the approaches and methods we explore will match what you are looking for. We will focus on your strengths and your current ways of coping and use that as a foundation to build upon and create an action plan. It is normal to experience those emotional ups and downs. It is my hope to have the opportunity to help you in this process in learning to manage and reduce those symptoms so that you feel more resilient and prepared to handle whatever stressors come your way. I am a therapist at Octave, a behavioral health practice creating a new standard for mental health care that’s both high-quality and accessible. To learn more about my availability, please reach out to our Client Experience team by emailing or calling.
Deniss Pleiner
I specialize in working with individuals who are ready to go deep: people tired of surface-level solutions and hungry for real, lasting change. I help clients struggling with anxiety, burnout, boundary-setting, inner child healing, intergenerational trauma, and the work of finding their way back to themselves after years of people-pleasing or disconnection. If you're someone who wants to understand why you struggle, not just how to cope better, we'll likely be a good fit.
PsychServes
We try to make scheduling as convenient as possible for our clients. The quickest and easiest way is to register as a new client under "schedule today" from our website www.psychserves.com. Once, you're in your patient, then you'd be able to send an appointment request to your preferred therapist. If there's any questions, email us at info@psychserves.com or call us as 213-373-6647. We look forwarding to helping you!