Therapists for college students near San Diego State University

I have always had a strong desire to help others, and working in the field of mental health has given me a meaningful way to live out that purpose. I truly consider it a privilege to be part of someone’s journey—to support them as they navigate challenges, grow, and move toward their full potential. Being able to positively impact others’ lives, even in small ways, is what continues to inspire me every day as a therapist. In our work together, I prioritize creating a safe, supportive, and nonjudgmental space where you feel comfortable being yourself. I do this by actively listening, reflecting your emotions, asking clarifying questions, and always focusing on your perspective and needs. My goal is for you to feel genuinely heard and understood, not just by what you say, but by the meaning behind your experiences. I also use evidence-based approaches tailored to your unique needs, including EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing), when appropriate. EMDR can be especially helpful for processing difficult or distressing experiences so they feel less overwhelming and more manageable over time. Building trust is a process that takes time, and I approach it with patience, consistency, and openness. In the beginning, we’ll focus on getting to know you—your experiences, your goals, and what you hope to gain from therapy. I’ll meet you where you are and move at a pace that feels comfortable for you. I believe that collaboration is key. I encourage you to share feedback about our work and our relationship at any time, and I want you to know that your voice is always welcomed and valued. My role is to support and guide you while respecting that this is your journey. As trust develops, we can explore deeper challenges, build meaningful coping skills, and, if it feels like a good fit, incorporate EMDR to help process past experiences and support lasting healing and change. One lighthearted thing I like to share is that I really enjoy finding small ways to relax and recharge—whether that’s watching a favorite show, spending time with loved ones, or just taking a moment to unwind. I think those simple moments are so important, and I often encourage clients to find what helps them feel grounded and refreshed, too.

We are a team of clinical social workers specializing in yoga/mindfulness, EMDR, and CBT. Our understanding is that in order to truly heal, we must honor our whole-body and mind working together. Many of our clients find that much of their suffering is stored throughout their bodies as anxiety, depression, and stress begin to take over. We support students as they navigate the unfamiliar and sometime daunting transition into adulthood and offer a warm, hopeful guide towards joy and purpose. Our virtual counseling services are available to individuals located in Massachusetts, New York, North Carolina, Vermont, Maine, Illinois, and California. We welcome you to get to know us, the services we offer, and reach out to schedule session.

Hello, My name is Lisa Chester-Schyman and I'm an LMFT practicing in Los Angeles, California. I provide a safe and compassionate environment to support you in your life journey and its many challenges. Through our work together you will develop a deeper understanding of yourself, which will allow you to navigate your life with more ease, manage stress, change and transitions, and live a life filled with meaning. Together we will explore your true nature and I will support you to find more comfort in your life by teaching you tools to overcome obstacles to your emotional well-being. Our collaboration will allow you to move through the more challenging times in your life with a greater sense of ease. I work with adults, teens, and adolescents. I specialize in grief and loss, relational issues, transition and trauma. I believe the relationship between a client and therapist is essential in creating personal healing. I nurture a trusting relationship where you will feel safe to explore your thoughts and feelings without any judgment. From this safe place we will explore what coping mechanisms will best help you and I will help guide you through. I would love to help you on your journey especially during this very difficult time in life and the world. Looking forward to working with you.

Hello, and welcome. You are probably reading this because you are looking for someone who will get you—someone who can understand your struggles, offer a fresh perspective, and help you to move forward, letting go of the heaviness that you have been carrying. Maybe you have tried therapy before, or perhaps this is all brand new. Either way, finding the right therapist can be stressful. PAUSE A MOMENT. TAKE A DEEP BREATH. You are not alone. You can heal. You can experience joy and feel loved in your relationships and within yourself. I understand your struggle. I offer hope when you feel hopeless. I create a safe place for you to encounter your whole self with acceptance and compassion. My passions and specialties include working with people who are recovering from trauma, abuse, and unhealthy relationships and/or managing stress, depression, anxiety, chronic illness, grief, or loss. Contact me today for a free 15-minute consultation for counseling and let’s create a plan that will work for you

My name is Diadra Smith. I am an licensed clinical therapist and I use she/her pronouns. I am a clinician who identifies as black, queer, and neurodivergent. I believe all of these intersections has given me the opportunity to see myself in these communities who are often overlooked and underserved in the field of mental health. Why I got into this field was to create a space that is safe, brave, and encourages you to help find your most authentic self. I believe in abolishing and decolonizing what therapy is “supposed” to look like and who it is "supposed" to be for. I view relationships with my clients as a collaboration, asking you for your expertise on your life while I provide guidance through empowerment and advocacy. I am drawn to working with adolescents, adults, and families. I have a passion for working with BIPOC, neurodivergent folx, and LGBTQIA+ communities. My mission is to help to heal complex traumas, environmental inequities, and address intersections of identity unique to our experiences. If reaching out for help feels scary or shameful, I’d like to offer the idea that you are on the verge of change. Acknowledging what isn’t working today is a big first step to making the changes you'd like to see tomorrow. You’re coming at just the right time. However you found your way here, I am honored to be considered to walk with you on your journey.

Please visit my profile to learn more about my services.

I am a Stanford trained Physician with a specialization in Psychiatry. I have advanced training in Cognitive Behavior Therapy or "CBT." CBT is a very well researched form of counseling that is highly effective for depression, anxiety, insomnia and many other conditions. I love what I do and previously served as the Director of Evidence Based Practice and Ongoing Education in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Division of Behavioral Medicine. I conducted research, taught, and saw patients at Stanford for more than a decade and I received numerous awards for excellence in these areas. I was trained for more than ten years with a person named Stewart Agras, and another named David Burns - they are pioneers in Behavioral Medicine and CBT. I was very blessed to have excellent mentors and training. I have extensive experience sharing this experience with those students I have consulted with in higher education at Stanford and in the University of California. I have worked all of my career with undergraduate, graduate, law, and medical students and believe that these formative years are critical times in the formation of a person, and they are often challenging times. I am warm, friendly and approachable. I laugh frequently (and often cry) with my patients. My family is from Italy where sincerity and the authentic sharing of emotions is valued and respected. Parlo un 'po l'italiano ma non molto bene! (I speak a little Italian but not very well!) I am very conservative with respect to use of medications and prefer to help students develop skills in managing life stressors by getting trained in CBT. This art is disappearing sadly in my field as brief medication checks are much more lucrative to clinics but there is a cost to the patient in this reductionist approach! I am very comfortable and prefer to help persons manage stress with CBT alone without medications as it can provide a lot of sophisticated and lasting protections that are well supported in the scientific research literature. As professionals, we should do what is right and not what is most profitable as we take the Hippocratic oath to defend our patients. I can add medications if they are indicated and supported by good research when CBT is not helping on its own as I am a physician trained in all scientifically supported modalities of providing support. I respect my patients' values in this. If we can work through though times without medicines, I really try to encourage that, and, for many persons willing to grow through stress, it is definitely achievable, and strongly supported by randomized controlled trials (fancy studies used to test treatments for effectiveness). There is substantial evidence that suggests that this approach is very important in reducing risk for relapse in the long term. I love helping students build confidence in themselves when the circumstances are really challenging and have many, many patients who have reached out to me over many years thanking me for the times we spent together getting through the roughest of times. I don't have a lot of material wealth. The pictures and post cards of so many smiling, happy, and good persons graduating, getting married, getting started in their careers, and getting started with their families and overall being in a good, secure place are the real treasures that I have collected in my career. I am a practicing Catholic and am very comfortable incorporating faith in treating my patients. Many persons are referred to me when seeking a caring Catholic Psychiatrist who is highly trained in using Cognitive Behavior Therapy to promote resilience and virtue when life becomes really challenging. I am sadly quite familiar with the pain of having lost very precious persons in my life including my own dear wife to devastating metastatic cancer at an extremely young age. That was tough and occurred shortly after we lost our infant daughter. I have two beautiful college aged children who are doing very well despite all of the things our family was beset with. We came together and got through. Faith, family and fellowship can be crucial sources of support when things feel really overwhelming. I was highly trained in CBT and combining this with the above made all of the difference. I will encourage you also to protect yourself with these types of resources when all seems lost. Note that I do not manage ADD or ADHD or prescribe habit forming medications or perform evaluations for these conditions or autism spectrum disorder. I do see students who need to use their insurance through Headway and MyCatholicDoctor at the links below: Headway: https://care.headway.co/providers/anthony-mascola-m-d?utm_source=pem&utm_medium=direct_link&utm_campaign=201271 MyCatholicDoctor.com https://mycatholicdoctor.com/resources/doctors/anthony-mascola-md/ Accepting insurance in private practice in Psychiatry is unfortunately not very common. The majority of the most highly qualified Psychiatrists and Psychologists forego seeing patients with insurance as it is really tough to manage coordinating insurance in a small practice and does not reimburse well. This does not feel right to me as when life is hardest, finances are tight. My Italian family were poor and commercial fishermen and I am sworn as a Catholic to help persons when they don't have a lot of resources. The portals above are trying to help persons who are seeking help who don't have a lot of money to get connected to really good care. If you are going through a tough time and looking for someone who is both qualified and kind to support and encourage you, then don't wait any longer. Don't go through this alone! Please reach out and call me. I have spent all of my life training to help you! I promise I will support you and push you to find strength that you don't even realize you have. You can't realize it when you are stressed and often working with a professional person can help. Be prepared to work though, as sometimes this means facing a fear you'd rather avoid, or examining uncomfortable patterns of thoughts and behavior. I need a willing collaborator and promise you that I want ask you to do more than you can. I know from a lot of my own life experience how devastating stress can be but I also want to be honest and real and genuine and effective. I don't see passive treatment reduce suffering effectively in the long run. I don't want my students to suffer their whole life. I want my students to grow and recover, just like a good coach or teacher. You are smart, you have a good head on your shoulders and if we can learn from the circumstances that evoke stress we will be able to overcome stress in the future. Those who do not train in CBT are often on medications for years and suffer a great deal with a very high rate of relapse. Taking time to train in CBT is a more challenging treatment but it can develop powerful skills that will help you for your whole life! If while reading this you get a good feeling inside, then please schedule a free fifteen-minute visit to see if it is a good fit for you. If you are looking for a really caring Psychiatrist who is warm and kind, highly qualified, who really enjoys helping persons find their strength with a healthy, proactive, evidence based and highly effective approach to dealing with stress, you will not be disappointed!

I was born a helper and my experience in the navy enhanced my desire to help others who are struggling with mental health issues regardless of how small or how big. As a therapist I want to be able to help those who are courageous enough to seek help to improve their mental health. Being heard and understood in each session is important for every client and encourages vulnerability and completion of recommended treatment. I support this by actively listening to them, validate their emotions, ask clarifying questions, paraphrase what they say to confirm understanding, and maintain eye contact. As a therapist I know how important it is to have a healthy and therapeutic relationship with each client because no two clients are alike. I utilize active listening skills, demonstrate genuine empathy, maintain an open line of communication, and create a safe space for vulnerability to support the development of a trusting and strong therapeutic alliance with each of my clients. A key element in me building a therapeutic alliance with each client is being transparent about the therapeutic process and assisting each client with setting individualized realistic treatment goals.

At Bee Haven Psychological & Behavioral Health Wellness Inc., we provide compassionate and supportive mental health services designed to meet the unique needs of college students. Whether you are managing academic pressure, anxiety, depression, relationship concerns, identity development, or the challenges of adjusting to college life, our team is here to help. We are guided by the values of ethics, compassion, respect, belonging, and integrity. Our goal is to create a safe, inclusive, and welcoming environment where every client feels heard, supported, and treated with the dignity they deserve. At Bee Haven, you do not have to navigate college life alone.

Waking up in the morning doesn't have to be exhausting. I can show you how to feel more joy and satisfaction in your life by learning skills in: assertiveness, communication, decision-making, self-confidence, relationships, and how to reduce any anxiety or depression. Since 1991, I've successfully helped people enjoy their lives more. I accept insurance.

Are you finding it difficult to stay focused, manage your time, and stay organized? Do you struggle with meeting deadlines, keeping track of tasks, or following through on projects? As an ADHD-CCSP (Certified Clinical Services Provider), I can help guide you with targeted strategies that you can use in your daily life to perform better at work, school or in your relationships. In addition to supporting adults with ADHD, I also enjoy working with emerging adults (ages 18-29) who are navigating the challenges of undergraduate or graduate school, as well as those in the early stages of their careers. If you’ve found your way here, it’s likely because you’re ready for change. Reaching out to begin therapy can be intimidating, so good for you for taking this step. Let's find out if we may be a good fit! I offer a free 15 minute consultation call.

I believe that healing begins with a trusting, supportive relationship. My goal is to provide a safe, compassionate space where you feel seen, heard, and empowered. I am committed to walking alongside you as we work together toward greater insight, resilience, and wellbeing. Your growth matters to me, and I am here to support you every step of the way.

Hello, my name is Dayna Hunt and I am a Licensed Marriage Family Therapist in the State of California. I was born and raised in Northern California, specifically Marin County. I have lived in Southern California and also Seattle, Washington. I have traveled across the United States as well as to Europe and lived a short time in Australia. I enjoy being outdoors, hiking, spending time in nature and with family. I received my Bachelor of Science Degree at California Polytechnic University in San Luis Obispo, CA and my Master of Science Degree in Counseling Psychology at Dominican University in San Rafael, Calif. I have always enjoyed listening to people's stories and problem solving. I knew I wanted to be a counselor at a very young age and began pursuing psychology early in life.

Our mission is to help our communities live a healthy life. Our team of Bay Area therapists at Mind-Body Care focuses on nurturing the health of your mind, body, and soul by helping you find ways to pause, recenter and restore. We are a group of compassionate, sensitive, and engaged clinicians who can help you develop a healthy, more meaningful, and positive relationship with yourself and others. It is our passion to walk alongside individuals, couples, and families as they navigate the journey of living, relating, and loving each other well.

We are a group therapy practice that offer a wide variety of therapeutic specialties. We are committed to building up the walls of our community by supporting people. We have a saying at Castle Rock Family Services: Help More People More. We strive to meet you where you are at in your journey and help you to find peace. Our clinicians support clients through therapy and connection to resources to help them reach their greatest potential.

Please visit my profile to learn more about my services.

Are you feeling lost and unsure about yourself and how you are feeling? Are you struggling with anxiety and depression and are weighed down by the societal and social pressures of having to have your life figured out? Being a young adult can be very challenging with all of the pressure to succeed, "be the best" and having to stand out academically and socially. As a therapist with 20 years experience, allow me to explore with you how to become the "best" version of yourself in a safe, warm, and accepting environment. "There are far better things ahead than any we leave behind." -C.S. Lewis

What inspires me to work as a therapist is the opportunity to make a meaningful contribution on a daily basis. As an immigrant woman of color, who is bilingual and bi-cultural, my family’s struggle to achieve mental health despite deep seated stigma and shame illuminated my commitment to work as a therapist. Clients are the owners of their lives, and I respectfully honor their right to self-determination. A basic guiding principle in my therapeutic work is that clients are able to succeed when they choose their goals and their psychological needs are met. As such, it is my job to encourage competence and mastery of their own paths. That is, what works is what works for the client! Trust is the cornerstone that allows positive growth in therapy, which for me includes empathy, validation, and unconditional positive regard of the client. Reinforcing that we are all doing the best we can, and that coming to therapy is not a failure, but rather it is a growth opportunity.

I specialize in providing therapy to young men and women struggling with life transitions, identity development, family, and relationship issues.

Welcome! If you're feeling overwhelmed by anxiety, life's uncertainties, grief, or struggling to find your footing in relationships and big decisions, then you're in the right place. I work with people who are carrying a lot and are ready for something to shift. This might also include busting through low self esteem or imposter syndrome and addressing childhood & trauma healing. Whether these struggles are long-standing or recently intensified, you don't have to navigate this alone.