Therapists for college students near 94132

Hi! I’m Jada Thompson, a Licensed Couple and Family Therapist. I am a proud second-generation Mexican American, born and raised in the Big Sky State of Montana. I moved to the Los Angeles area over ten years ago to feed my sense of exploration and reconnect with my family, culture, and self. My early life experiences, including the sudden death of my mother during childhood, have shaped me into the person I am today and fueled my drive to pursue a career in mental health. I graduated from Alliant International University in Los Angeles with a master’s degree in Marriage and Family Therapy. While working in community mental health, I continued to grow in my work with children, adolescents, adults, and families. I offer individuals a compassionate space to explore identity, relationships, and life transitions with curiosity and respect. Whether facing cultural or religious trauma, rejection, or the pain of not feeling fully seen, we work together to uncover the roots of struggle and build tools for greater freedom, resilience, and fulfillment in the present.

As a therapist I believe that all of use can benefit from the use of help at times in managing the struggles brought on by the stresses of daily living, work, or school, life transitions, grief, and past traumas. Therapy may also be the right choice when long-standing feelings of anxiety, unhappiness or shame have hindered you from living your best life. I focus on the whole person: physically, emotionally, mentally, sexually, and spirituality. It is my goal to join with you and together work towards healing and a more meaningful life. The heart of my practice is to empower clients as they journey towards wholeness and health. I provide a safe, respectful, nurturing, and nonjudgmental environment for clients to process and explore concerns that brought them to therapy. Am I a good fit to walk with you on your journey? The best way to find out is to begin with a free phone consultation.

Starting college or graduate school —or navigating your way through them—can be both exciting and overwhelming. Many students find themselves facing stress, anxiety, relationship challenges, identity questions, academic pressure, or major life transitions, often for the first time. You don’t have to figure it all out on your own. I specialize in working with college students and young adults, and I understand the unique pressures of university life—from managing expectations and finding your place, to coping with self-doubt, loneliness, or burnout. Whether you’re struggling or simply wanting to better understand yourself and grow, therapy can be a space where things begin to feel more manageable and more hopeful. My approach is warm, collaborative, and nonjudgmental. I believe that meaningful change happens in a strong, trusting therapeutic relationship, where you feel safe to be yourself and explore what’s really going on beneath the surface. Together, we’ll work at your pace to better understand your experiences, build resilience, and develop tools that help you move forward with greater confidence and clarity. I have over 15 years of experience in the mental health field, including working in university counseling centers, where I supported students through many of the challenges you may be facing now. I’ve worked with individuals from diverse backgrounds and identities, and I am committed to creating an inclusive, affirming space where you feel seen and respected. I also have experience working with international students, students with disabilities and chronic health conditions, Deaf and hard of hearing students, and those navigating complex family or cultural dynamics. Reaching out for support can feel like a big step—but it can also be the beginning of feeling more like yourself again. You deserve support, understanding, and a space to grow. I would be honored to be part of that process with you.

Everyone has a story. Do you ever find yourself feeling overwhelmed by thoughts that bring fear, leading to a cycle of overthinking? Do you tend to be tough on yourself, which can result in feelings of sadness, loneliness, or isolation? Are there times in your relationships when you feel unheard, leaving you frustrated and unsure? Have you considered that things could get better? Just remember, you're not alone in this. There’s hope! Many people go through similar struggles with relationships, challenging thoughts, and a mix of emotions.

We are a group of Psychotherapists who provide treatment for an extensive range of mental and emotional disorders using psychological techniques aimed to improve a person’s overall psyche. We work with adults of all ages, adolescents and children as young as four. All of our Psychotherapists are Licensed Marriage and Family Therapists with extensive training in counseling psychology.

“It is only with the heart that one can see rightly—what is essential is invisible to the eye” (The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry). As a therapist, I work to see people with my heart and hold a hopeful space of unconditional compassion and empathy. As a trauma survivor with personal experiences in therapy, I’m aware of how vulnerable and uncertain starting with a new therapist can be. I honor the courage and openness it takes to begin any healing process. Creating safety in the therapeutic relationship is essential to me. I believe everyone has the capacity for healing already within them, and I work to empower people to connect with themselves and their unique strengths. I believe we are relational beings, and our different experiences with attachment can have profound effects on us. I value flexibility and creativity in my therapeutic style, and I draw from and integrate diverse approaches to discover what resonates with each different person. It is important to me to be intentional and considerate when holding space for culture and how different forces of marginalization affect mental health, and I work to be culturally responsive and attuned. My approach is continuously curious and trauma-informed, and one of my many passions is affirmatively supporting people around intergenerational trauma and attachment wounds. As a therapist and a human being, I try to embody a tree. This means moving slow, breathing deep, and being grounded enough to nourish connection. My favorite place on earth is the old growth forest! I also love to surf and meditate, and I appreciate breathwork and somatic/body-based techniques along my own healing path. I’ve been working in mental health for about thirteen years. I received my bachelor’s degree in English from University of California, Santa Barbara, and I finished my master’s degree in Counseling Psychology at California State University, Long Beach, where I also started writing poems for people on an old typewriter. I view therapy as a poetic process where someone gets to tell their story and shape its continuation to best honor their soul. We all need to be heard, seen, and believed in, and as a therapist, I work to cultivate this heartfelt connection.

I am a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist with over 20 years of experience providing psychotherapy to adults in the Bay Area, both in non-profit agencies, schools and in my private practice. My therapeutic style is authentic, warm, supportive and interactive and my focus is to collaborate with my clients to create realistic goals, personal growth, and meaningful change. I am unique in that I balance listening and reflecting with offering concrete ideas and interventions, and am honest and straightforward when I sense resistance or ambivalence that might be keeping the client from moving forward. I am passionate about helping adults struggling with depression and anxiety as the symptoms can be extremely challenging to overcome and they can create significant emotional pain, isolation and affect quality of life. I also specialize in working with young adults, relationship issues, substance abuse, grief and life/career transitions. I feel that therapy is successful when my clients' goals have been reached, effective new coping strategies and communication styles have been developed and they are feeling more fulfilled in their career and personal life. Part of this journey often includes increasing self-care, creating a better work/life balance and focusing on how to experience more joy, gratitude and self-compassion despite life's many challenges. My therapeutic approach is to use an integrative model utilizing Cognitive Behavioral therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment therapy (ACT), psychodynamic therapy and mindfulness aimed at specific symptoms, patterns of behavior and unhelpful core beliefs. Feedback from the client is encouraged and welcomed during the therapeutic process, as I believe it creates a more collaborative and productive experience.

My experience working directly with students in school settings has been the most meaningful and rewarding part of my professional journey. I found that I connect naturally with students and genuinely enjoy supporting their emotional, social, and academic growth. Because of my passion for this work, I consistently sought out additional opportunities to work with students and often exceeded the minimum requirements in order to gain more experience supporting them. In my work with students, I focus on providing simple, practical, and easy-to-apply tools that help them successfully reach the goals we set together in session. I strive to create a supportive and encouraging environment where students feel heard, understood, and empowered. I make it a priority to ensure they know they have someone in their corner at all times, and I approach my role as both a strong supporter and advocate for their well-being and success.

I know how difficult it can be when lack of motivation, worry, or stress keeps you from living the life you want. That's why I use evidence-based techniques to help you bring the color back to life. I specialize in academic stress, life transitions (like entering college or getting ready to graduate), work-life balance, anxiety, depression, trauma, relationship difficulties, and perfectionism. I take an individualized approach to therapy by prioritizing client goals, celebrating client's unique cultural traditions, and integrating relevant diversity and contextual factors into treatment. Clients who work with me describe me as compassionate, validating, and a great accountability partner. As a queer identifying clinician, I have extensive experience working with LGBTQIA+ individuals and have developed and led trainings in affirming care across the country. I also have specific expertise in gender issues, where I've helped clients unlearn unhelpful myths about gender and reimagine gender roles that no longer serve them. I strongly value a holistic approach to care which includes paying attention to often overlooked aspects of health such as sleep, chronic pain, and finding joyful ways of moving your body. I work from a health-at-every size perspective to help individuals learn to appreciate, love, and thrive in their own body.

I became a mental health provider because everyone’s gone through something in their life that made them the person they are today. Good or bad, I truly feel passionate about using my experiences to help others achieve their goals and feel supported. I have been providing counseling services for over 12 years and have extensive experience working with the student population. I am a proud Alumni of CSU Channel Islands and Azusa Pacific University! Cannot wait to start working with you!

I joined Thriving Campus because college students are faced with a variety of challenges, including adjusting to being in college and becoming self-sufficient as a young adult, and these challenges have an impact on the mental health of college students. I find it is very important to work with college students to meet them where they are currently and help them build on their strengths in order to navigate college life and its challenges.

Welcome to Cultivate Grace Counseling and Consultation Services! I am a Registered Play Therapist™ (RPT™) and I specialize in therapy for children and teens navigating emotional ups and downs, life transitions and stress related to adjustment challenges. Through play therapy, parent-child relational work, and solution focused techniques, my goal is to help young people build confidence, strengthen emotional regulation, and feel more connected at home and at school. Parents are an important part of the process. I offer consultation and practical guidance to help you feel more equipped, supported, and less alone along the way.

I'm a therapist because I've had my own process with therapy. It takes strength to reach out, and I'm so glad you're here. I believe therapy can help, and that weekly sessions are only part of the picture. True growth and healing happens in applying what we talk about to your life outside of sessions. Like recovery, the therapy process is nonlinear, and the road can feel dicey before it starts to even out. I am honored to sit with my clients in the uncertainty and hold space for this, until the light begins to show through. I specialize in helping my clients with connecting to emotions, managing anxiety, life transitions, relationship issues, perfectionism, and trauma. I'd love to chat with you to learn more about what brought you here, and how I can help.

My journey to becoming a psychotherapist began when I was thirteen years old. I remember listening to my radio every night just as I was falling asleep. It wasn’t music I was listening to, but a psychologist who ran a call-in talk program. Troubled listeners would call in seeking the good doctor’s advice and in just a few minutes time, they were soon at ease by her reassuring words. I thought, “What a wonderful job that must be; to help so many people in feeling heard and connected with a caring human being. I’d like to do that too!” The same issues that plagued those callers are still around today; feeling alone, confused, different, unloved, a sense of hopelessness. The list goes on. What inspires me to work in mental health care is my desire to help make the lives of others much easier, less burdened, more worth living. To make certain that my clients feel accurately heard and understood, I check in with them often throughout our sessions. This can be done by sharing with them what I think I heard them say and then by checking in with them to make sure this is fairly accurate or if I was off the mark. I learned long ago that if I don’t get it quite right, my client’s are quick to correct me! This is usually a positive. If I get it wrong and seek clarification, it’s my hope that I convey my genuine interest in my client’s experience and that they are worth the extra effort to be understood. Trust and a strong therapeutic alliance between client and therapist are two aspects of therapy I find to be essential for meaningful work to take place. I do this by starting and ending sessions at our agreed upon time, curating a mutually agreed upon treatment plan and perhaps most of all, relating with all of my clients as my equals. I see ours as a dimly lit journey we’re walking together. Our only difference is, I am carrying the lantern helping us to see ahead. When appropriate, I’ve even been known to share a personal story involving myself if that story will help drive home a particular point.

It’s important to me that my clients feel that the therapeutic relationship is a good fit. The first session is free to make sure we click and I can provide referrals in the event that you’d rather see someone else. I have personal experience with many of the issues I treat which makes for a relatable and nonjudgmental experience.

My name is Terry Alcántar Nelson and I am a licensed clinical social worker who has been providing counseling for over 25 years. After all this time, I still love my work and am passionate about helping people heal. Every day is a new opportunity for me to join with clients in healing past hurts, traumas, and relationships, and addressing current life stressors and painful experiences. I am privileged to do this work and hope to be doing it for many years to come. I am trained and have expertise in the following modalities: -Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)- a type of therapy that helps to examine negative thinking and long held beliefs which make us feel bad and stuck; it is modality that is particularly helpful for depression and anxiety -Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) which focuses on improving relationships by increasing emotional safety with loved ones, and takes into account past attachment injuries originating in childhood and current and/or past relationships -Mindfulness, which works on increasing our focus on the present by using breath, body and grounding techniques -Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) which uses eye movements and other types of bilateral stimulation to process traumatic experiences and memories I see my role as a mental health provider as a guide to clients who are looking for a path to wholeness and healing. Working with with a therapist should be a collaborative process in which the client feels empowered with every session. I consider successful therapy to be one in which clients says that they feels shifts in behavior, feelings, and life circumstances. I am a proud Latina woman who was born and raised in a small town, but was transplanted many years ago to a big city and I can see the value in both experiences. I have worked with a vast array of ethnicities and cultures and feel comfortable with diversity. I am unique in that I am bicultural, bilingual and come to every client session ready to hold big emotions in compassionate ways. I know trauma and relationship injuries can make us feel very vulnerable and I want my clients to feel safe and emotionally held so that the work of healing brings peace and restorative experiences in all areas of life.

Please visit my profile to learn more about my services.

Choosing a therapist is a deeply personal decision. It's important to find someone that you can relate to and most importantly someone that you trust. We will work together to create a secure relationship, where you begin to feel less alone experiencing emotional vulnerability. My capacity to truly see you, and your capacity to feel comfortable being seen, will be essential to your healing. It is my belief that lasting growth does not occur as a result of insight and understanding alone. Deep healing and change happen when you are able to explore new emotional experiences and to try new behaviors, in the presence of a supportive person (therapist). I work with adults and older adolescents to address old wounds, to increase self compassion and to develop increased emotional stability and flexibility. If you are interested in learning more about me and my practice, please visit my website or email/call to schedule a brief phone consultation.

We specialize in treating anxiety, depression, burnout, and emotional overwhelm in adolescents and adults, often those who are high-functioning but feeling stuck, stressed, or disconnected. Our approach is collaborative and tailored, combining insight-oriented therapy with practical tools to improve emotional regulation, reduce distress, and increase clarity. We help clients identify underlying patterns while building sustainable coping strategies. The goal is greater stability, self-trust, and a more grounded sense of direction in daily life and relationships.

Call 818-927-0478 for a same day intake appointment with our office and therapy appointment in as little as 3 days. We are professionally trained in evidenced based practices that will help you maximize your full potential. We will provide you with enthusiastic support, an objective perspective and the insight that you need to feel supported and the best you that you can be. Our Mission at Find Your Balance Center At Find Your Balance, Center for Growth & Change, our mission is simple but powerful: to create a world where mental health is prioritized and accessible to all. ​We believe that everyone deserves the opportunity to heal, grow, and thrive — regardless of their background or financial circumstances. That’s why we proudly accept a variety of health plans, including Medi-Cal, ensuring that quality mental health care is not a privilege, but a right. ​​Because when care is accessible, communities grow stronger. When mental health is prioritized, lives transform. Together, we’re building a culture where seeking help is a sign of strength — not limitation. We have over 45 clinicians to choose from. www.findyourbalancecenter.com