Find a therapist, counselor or psychologist in San Diego, CA

"As a therapist, I feel very fortunate to work in a field where I am helping and supporting others as they work on their personal goals."

Sarah Stovall is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) with over 15 years of broad experience in the mental health field. She is dedicated and compassionate about helping others grow, develop healthy relationships, and strengthen their overall emotional well-being. Sarah works with children, adolescents, adults, and families to address their personal challenges. She specializes in depression, anxiety, trauma-related issues, PTSD, relationship issues, parenting, and adjustment to recent life changes.

Sarah completed her Master's degree in Psychology at Phillips Graduate Institute in Encino, CA. She has since used her skills and knowledge with all types of clients, where she has observed positive growth and change in others who have overcome many challenges. Sarah utilizes multiple treatment modalities including cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), motivational interviewing (MI), solutions-focused therapy (SFT), family systems (FST), parent-child relations, trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy (TF-CBT), and rational emotive behavioral therapy (REBT).

Sarah has a great understanding of many different challenges and life experiences that come to each and every one of us. She also has the tools and techniques to offer supportive change. Sarah has the genuineness, open mind, and willingness to work together with you to support whatever challenges you might be facing. She looks forward to you scheduling your first session.

"Life is tough, you are tougher. Let me help you make sense of it and equip you with the tools you need to enjoy a better tomorrow. "

Tawnie Putignano is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) who has over 15 years of diverse experience in the field of social work, including working with adolescent youth in juvenile probation centers, adults and families with disabilities, older adults in healthcare centers and skilled nursing facilities, hospital social work, and in providing therapeutic counseling to children, adolescents, families, couples and individuals in both school, home and clinical based settings.

Tawnie completed her Master of Social Work (MSW) at California State Long Beach University. She enjoys working with adolescent youth and helping to bridge communication gaps with parents. She has an excellent ability to quickly gain trust and build rapport with her clients to aid in meeting counseling goals. Tawnie enjoys working with individuals, and enjoys helping couples improve their communication skills to enhance their quality of life with themselves and with each other.

Tawnie will work with you to identify your goals, and will provide you with the skills and support that you need to meet them. She brings a humanistic, solution-focused, client-centered approach to her therapeutic counseling. Tawnie will create a personalized treatment plan that meets your specific needs, utilizing narrative therapy, solution-focused therapy, and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT).

"As a Latina woman, I understand the unique role we play not only in society but in our own family."

Selene Alvarado is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with 10 years of experience. Her ideal client is someone who is struggling with depressive symptoms and needs to learn new coping skills in order to manage their depression. Their goal would be to be able to implement a variety of techniques to better help them get through their problems.

Selene has a Master of Science in Social Work San from Jose State University. She focuses on self-reflection and looking at ways clients can build their self-confidence. Through your relationship, you and her will focus on what is the most important thing for the client to improve.

As a Hispanic woman, Selene understands what the stigma is in Hispanic culture related to mental health. However, there is no shame in needing support and guidance. Mental health is just as important as our physical health. We all need someone at some point to help guide us through difficult periods of our lives.

"Whether you are looking for supportive guidance while navigating a challenging situation or as you turn toward a new direction in life, I look forward to working with you to achieve your goals."

Dr. Susan Barrett is a Licensed Psychologist with 20 years of experience in mental health care. Her passion is to empower others with the skills and know-how to achieve life-long change. Dr. Barrett specializes in treating anxious conditions such as panic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, social anxiety, specific phobias, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, adult autism spectrum disorder, and depressive conditions. Dr. Barrett completed her Master of Science in Counseling Psychology at the University of North Texas and her Doctorate of Psychology in Clinical Psychology from Ryokan College.

Dr. Barrett also completed the rigorous training and supervision required to become a diplomate of the Academy of Cognitive and Behavioral Therapies. She takes a collaborative approach to therapy that incorporates the client's self-knowledge, past experiences, and preferences with her own expertise to determine the best plan for treatment.

Dr. Barrett's intent is to create an environment in which you feel supported, understood, and valued. Together, you will work side-by-side throughout the therapeutic process of making sense of your problems, and then developing and applying workable solutions so that you can resolve your symptoms and achieve your goals.

"Your goal is my goal, and I will provide the same support others have provided me to get to where you want to be."

Alan Okamoto is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist with over 10 years of experience. He provides counseling to individuals ages 18 and older and also to families and couples. Alan’s clients may be facing mental health concerns including anxiety and depression. His approach to therapy gets to the heart of the matter to help create significant changes in self, behavior, and perspective. Alan’s goal is to offer you the support you need and help build the skills to sustain change. Outside of work, Alan loves spending time with his family, trying new recipes, and being outdoors.

Alan has a Master’s in Counseling from San Diego State University. His most often used approaches are cognitive behavioral therapy, solution-focused therapy, and mindfulness-based techniques.

Alan was drawn to the field of therapy to serve others and help individuals, families, and couples create significant changes and life-changing impacts. If you’re ready to begin working on a brighter future, Alan looks forward to meeting you!

"I work to provide an affirming and nonjudgmental environment for exploring areas of growth where you want to make changes."

Brian Sharp is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) with over 5 years of Counseling experience. He specializes in treating anxiety, depression, relationship difficulties, mental stress, and other issues that can hold us back. Brian believes everyone has a unique desire and ability to grow and develop, and he enjoys helping others on their journey. Brian entered the Counseling profession after a long Corporate career, and he can also help those who may be struggling with work-related stress and burnout. 

Brian completed his Master of Education in Clinical Mental Health Counseling at Lamar University. He is also a Certified Clinical Anxiety Treatment Professional (CCATP) and Certified in Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (C-DBT). Depending on your individual needs and goals, Brian will utilize dialectical behavior therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, positive psychology, and motivational interviewing to help you achieve your goals.

Brian fosters a client-therapist relationship based on acceptance, understanding, and respect. He will work with you to help clarify your needs and expectations, and then collaboratively develop a plan to achieve your goals and support your growth and healing. Together, you will explore sources of problems and discover solutions to help you heal.

"As a single mother of 3, I know how difficult life can be at times, but with help, you can always improve your situation and feelings."

I am a licensed clinical social worker (LCSW) with 35 years of experience supporting individuals as they navigate life’s challenges. I have dedicated my career to helping people create meaningful change, strengthen their emotional well-being, and improve their overall quality of life. I work with adults seeking clarity, growth, and support as they move through transitions, stressors, and personal obstacles.

I earned my master’s degree in social work from San Diego State University. My approach begins with respect for each person’s lived experience, and I incorporate supportive, goal-oriented treatment to help clients build insight, develop coping strategies, and create positive change in their lives.

Therapy can feel intimidating, and I strive to make the process safe, encouraging, and accessible. My goal is to help you explore your life with honesty and confidence so you can move forward in ways that feel healthy and empowering. I would be honored to support you as you take the next step toward improving your life.

"I am passionate about helping others find harmony, cultivating compassion, and instilling hope."

Dr. Kimberlee Rubin is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist (LCP)specializing in anxiety disorders, depression, grief and loss, and addictive disorders. She has over 15 years of experience in the mental health field. She is passionate about working with adults aged 18 and older.

Dr. Rubin completed her Doctoral degree in Clinical Psychology (Psy.D.) at Alliant International University. Dr. Rubin has a subspeciality in geriatric mental healthcare. Her therapeutic approach is nonjudgmental, person-centered, strengths-based, and humanistic. Dr. Rubin has in-depth experience working with individuals from different backgrounds who have struggled with a variety of hardships. She is passionate about helping those who struggle with performance anxiety, imposter syndrome, body image, and self-acceptance.

Dr. Rubin's treatment philosophy includes honoring each person's individuality and what they may need. Dr. Rubin's specific aim in therapy is to help individuals find harmony and stability in their life and help each person move forward, cultivating compassion, and instilling hope. Dr. Rubin values diversity, equity, and inclusion. She will help you live the life you desire, session by session.

Doreen Peasley is a licensed Marriage Family Therapist in both Maine and California. In her over forty years as a licensed Marriage Family Therapist, she has successfully assisted individuals, couples and families in discovering and achieving their goals and living more engaged and meaningful lives. Doreen supported our military by working with our service members and their families at military bases in the United States, Europe, and Asia for over twelve years. She completed her Bachelor of Arts in English and Psychology at San Diego State University and received her Master of Arts in Psychology at Pepperdine University. 

Doreen takes a creative approach to each client and utilizes relational, strength based, collaborative, solution focused, mindfulness based and art approaches to best meet the needs of every unique individual and couple. She is also a certified Prepare Enrich facilitator and SoulCollage facilitator. 

Doreen connects with you in a warm and caring way in order to help you build on your strengths and collaborate with you towards meeting your goals and living the meaningful life you desire.

"I use various approaches to make sure treatment is catered to my client's specific needs."

Aurelio is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with 10 years of experience. Aurelio’s specialties include adults experiencing difficulties with depression, anxiety, trauma, self-esteem, loss of a loved one, relationships, and stress. Aurelio has a wealth of experience with overcoming life traumas, the loss of loved ones, and improving personal communications.

Aurelio draws upon his 26 years of military service and nine overseas deployments, along with his passion for serving others, to provide a meaningful therapeutic experience. He enjoys providing psycho-education and using cognitive behavioral therapy.

In your first session, Aurelio will explore the process of therapy, identify what brings you to therapy, and together, develop some goals of what you want to accomplish in therapy. Aurelio also thinks it is important to work together to help you better understand the "what" and "why" of what you are experiencing.

"I understand the internal conflict associated with life transitions and exploration of self-identity. I strive to support clients to reach their goals."

Elizabeth Janca is a Licensed Professional Counselor with 9 years of experience who specializes in depression, stress and anxiety, child therapy and parenting, self-esteem, and coping with life changes. She also works with those with concerns around autism, LGBTQ+-related issues, polyamory/ENM, trauma, grief, chronic pain, and ADHD. Elizabeth offers play therapy for children, activity and group therapy for adolescents, and talk therapy for adults. Before becoming a counselor, she spent 5 years in middle school education as an Academic Counselor and Assistant Principal.

Elizabeth holds a Master’s in Counseling and Development from Texas Woman's University. She supports a person-centered approach with techniques and psychoeducation from cognitive behavioral therapy and dialectical behavior therapy to challenge and change unhelpful thoughts and behaviors, improve emotional regulation, and develop coping strategies.

Elizabeth believes counseling is a collaborative process to support and guide individuals to reach their goals. She lets clients set the focus of sessions and encourages them to take an active role in treatment planning. If you are ready to begin, book an appointment with Elizabeth today.

"You don't have to face your challenges alone — let me walk the path of self-care with you. It's important to me that my clients feel that I'm able to help them reach their goals and find peace and healing in their therapeutic journey. While I do not provide ESA or FMLA letters and am not experienced in treating substance use/abuse, eating disorders, obsessive compulsive disorders, or active psychosis, I encourage you to continue to review many of the great Thriveworks therapists who could be an excellent fit for you!"

Dr. Maddy Brener, a Licensed Clinical Psychologist based in San Diego, California has over a decade of experience in the mental health field. She has worked with a diverse range of children, teens, adults, and seniors with a wide variety of diagnoses. Dr. Brener's particular areas of expertise include LGBTQIA+ issues, nonmonogamy/polyamory, kink/BDSM, chronic pain, negative self-talk, military service-related issues, anxiety, depression, grief and loss, and interpersonal communication. She puts a great deal of focus on increasing clients' self-acceptance, which includes aiding them in rising above stereotypes and stigmas.

The therapy Dr. Brener provides is primarily based in Cognitive Behavioral and Acceptance and Commitment Therapies. She believes that everyone is the expert on themselves and that it is her role to assist people in the process of creating the road map for their individual emotions, thoughts, and behaviors. Her counseling style is pretty laid back and patient-centered, and she is always open to questions.

Dr. Brener has been described as supportive, relatable, and compassionate, with a pretty good sense of humor. She likes to focus on identifying patients' strengths and helping to maximize them to overcome obstacles in a safe place to be open and honest without fear of judgment. You are not alone. You have taken the first and most important step by reaching out for help — things can and will get better.

"Therapy is about empowering you to become the person you are meant to be. After years of experience as a therapist and meeting lots of people, I believe that there is someone amazing and strong in everyone."

Dr. Karen Ferguson is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) and Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor (LPCC) in both Arizona and California with over 35 years of experience. She has had the opportunity to work with individuals of all ages and families who are coping with issues such as anxiety, depression, trauma, grief, parenting, low self-esteem, attachment issues, relationship issues, bipolar disorder, and abuse. She has significant experience working with those who have suffered child abuse and those who have lived through foster care.

Dr. Ferguson earned her Doctoral degree from the Chicago School of Professional Psychology. She designs sessions to meet the individual needs of each client or family to create a warm, caring, judgment-free environment. During sessions, she utilizes a combination of family systems, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), attachment therapy, existential therapy, or trauma therapy techniques, depending on the unique needs of each client.

Dr. Ferguson will work together with you to help you accomplish your goals by exploring your concerns, thoughts, and feelings. There will be a discussion of how your family and culture have become a part of you—in order to increase understanding of your strengths and challenges and how these have affected and created the person you are today. 

"I started in this field because I want to help others and often enough, simply having someone to talk to can be healing"

Katrice Maliszewski is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with more than 6 years of experience supporting individuals and couples ages 10 and above as they move through life’s challenges. She specializes in treating depression, anxiety, stress, PTSD, and burnout. Katrice has worked with the military population and foster families and offers a holistic, empathetic, non-judgmental, and trauma-informed approach to help clients progress toward their goals. In her free time, she enjoys doing yoga and being in nature.

Katrice received her Master of Social Work from the University of Southern California. She utilizes evidence-based methods including solution-focused therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, motivational interviewing, and mindfulness techniques.

Whether you are looking for a non-biased listening ear or seeking help in brainstorming solutions to a problem, Katrice is confident she can support you. If you are ready to begin, schedule an appointment today!

"As a therapist with over 20 years of experience, I am ready to help you through this stage of life! "

Nona Kelly is a Licensed Marriage and Family therapist (LMFT) with over 20 years of experience in both the public and private sector. Nona enjoys working with individuals, couples, and families who are wanting a healthier life. She has extensive experience treating many issues and diagnoses, including depression and anxiety, women’s issues, family issues, addiction, and life transitions. 

Nona completed her master’s degree at Loma Linda University and is licensed both in California and Tennessee. Nona has contributed to publications in Women’s Health, HealthScope Magazine and The Tennessean Publication. She brings an energetic and flexible approach to her work with clients, while also offering a supportive, empathic, and safe place to process client concerns. Nona appreciates the whole person and utilizes cognitive-behavioral and person-centered techniques in her approach to therapy. 

Nona seeks to journey alongside you, encouraging self-growth by active listening and giving feedback that will assist you in meeting your established therapeutic goals. Let’s get started working towards your best life!

"I am a very compassionate therapist with the gift and ability to connect very quickly to clients so that they can begin the changes they desire to reach their immediate goals."

Susan Farris is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker who graduated from the University of Texas in Austin. She has been licensed by the Texas State Board of Social Work Examiners since 1999 and obtained her clinical social work status in 2004. Her experience and continuing education has been in anger and stress management; grief and loss; abuse healing and trauma; depression; anxiety; substance abuse therapy and in teaching positive communication skills to individuals and couples. 

Susan uses brief therapy and client centered techniques such as solution focused, cognitive-behavioral and acceptance & commitment therapy approaches because she believes that with direction, individuals are capable of making lasting changes. Susan is a compassionate therapist with the gift and ability to connect very quickly to clients so that they can begin the changes they desire to reach their immediate goals.

"I believe the world is in great need of Love, understanding and healing and I seek to help those in need as they find their way through life."

I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with over 33 years of experience helping individuals navigate life’s transitions, challenges, and emotional stressors. I specialize in supporting clients facing anxiety, depression, and major life changes. I take a client-centered, collaborative approach to therapy, creating a safe and supportive environment where you can be yourself. My goal is to help you feel seen, understood, and empowered to make meaningful progress in your healing journey.

I earned my Master’s in Social Work from Tulane University. I use mindfulness strategies, cognitive processing therapy, and cognitive-behavioral therapy to help reshape unhelpful thoughts and promote emotional balance. Together, we’ll set achievable goals that support personal growth, resilience, and lasting change.

I believe every client is the expert in their own life, and I’m here to guide you toward the clarity, peace, and fulfillment you deserve. In our first session, we’ll work together to identify what you need most in your journey toward health and well-being. I invite you to schedule an appointment and take the next step toward living your best life.

"Through both personal and professional experience, I’ve seen how trauma and loss can reshape us and how, with compassionate care and evidence-based support, it’s possible to rebuild strength, balance, and a renewed sense of self. I aim to make mental health treatment feel like a conversation, not a clinical checklist."

I’m a board-certified Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner with 6 years of experience supporting individuals on their journey toward emotional well-being and stability. I’m passionate about helping clients navigate challenges such as depression, anxiety, mood instability, trauma, and relationship stressors. My goal is to create a safe, collaborative space where healing and self-discovery can take place. I believe in meeting clients where they are and working together to help them regain a sense of balance and control in their daily lives.

I earned my Master’s in Nursing from Western University of Health Sciences. My approach blends evidence-based psychiatric care with empathy and empowerment, focusing on each person’s unique story. I integrate medication management, education, and lifestyle strategies to support both symptom relief and long-term growth.

Taking the first step toward care is a powerful act of courage. My goal is to make you feel understood, valued, and supported as we work toward greater peace and stability. I’m here to listen without judgment and help you uncover your strength, purpose, and clarity. When you’re ready, I invite you to begin your journey toward healing with me.