Therapists for college students near San Diego State University
Jordan St. Pierre
I have extensive experience working with adults experiencing persistent and severe mental health disorders and substance use disorders. I have worked with clients with a wide range of concerns including depression, anxiety, bipolar, schizophrenia, paranoia, relationship issues, couples issues, communication issues, trauma, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), grief and loss, substance use, and personality disorders. I have also helped many clients who have experienced physical, emotional, verbal, and sexual abuse. During my years of practice, I have identified the benefits of focusing on client's self-esteem in order to improve within themselves, specifically focusing on ""the here and now"". I am highly trained in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Dialectical behavior Therapy (DBT) which I have utilized within individual, group, and family therapy sessions as as well as solution focused therapy and motivational therapy. My therapy style is warm and nonjudgmental as I want all of my clients to feel they are in a safe environment when working with me. I believe in treating everyone as an individual and meeting my clients where they are during sessions. I also work with my clients in identifying their individual goals and completing unique and specific treatment plans. 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.
Samson Shulman
I believe in the transformative power of art and deeply understand the challenges creatives face—addiction, burnout, anxiety, procrastination, and the search for identity in an ever-evolving world. With over 15 years in the music industry— working for Interscope, Atlantic, The Tonight Show, and as an artist manager—I combine deep industry insight with a master's in clinical psychology. This unique blend allows me to offer a holistic, personalized approach as a therapist and substance use disorder counselor, helping artists find clarity, resilience, and creative fulfillment. As a creative, you may find yourself balancing big emotions while keeping up with the demands of your work. Maybe you're struggling with burnout, self-doubt, or the thousand other aspects that make being a creative challenging in today's world. I’d be honored to walk with you on this next chapter of your journey. In 2020, I launched Connection is Magic, a top-ranked Spotify podcast where artists and entertainment industry leaders share vulnerably about their triumphs and setbacks. These powerful conversations have uncovered profound life lessons and transformative wisdom, which now shape the heart of my clinical approach.
Leslie Del Cid
My therapeutic approach stems from a person centered lens that views all with a fundamental respect and a belief that we carry strengths from our unique histories. I've worked with individuals from Latinx, LGBTQ+, and neurodiverse communities to manage stressors utilizing CBT, trauma informed care, and a strengths based approach. My past experience includes community and private mental health settings working with individuals experiencing challenges related to anxiety, depression, and stressful life circumstances. I welcome all individuals to learn how to cope with the curve balls that life throws at us. My hope is that through collaboration, commitment, and connection in therapy, we will develop a safe path for clarity. 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.
Emmanuel Torres
As we all know, life brings us different experiences and stressors. Such stressors can affect how we function at work, school, within our relationships and self-esteem. Allow me to work with you during this time of difficulty. I’ve had the privilege of working in this field for the past 5.5 years and have found it very rewarding. My therapeutic style is tailored to the individual and their strengths while using the following approaches: strength based, solution focus, mindfulness and cognitive behavioral therapy. I truly believe with the right coaching, exploring, processing and guidance, we are able to overcome many of our life stressors. 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.
Tim Hooey
Hi, I’m Tim Hooey, a Level II Certified Restoration Therapist and Marriage and Family Therapist (MFT). College can be an exciting time of growth and discovery — but it can also feel overwhelming, confusing, and lonely. Many of the students I work with are struggling with anxiety, depression, relationship stress, identity issues, or feeling disconnected from themselves or others. You might feel stuck, unsure of who you are, or weighed down by pressure to figure it all out — and that’s okay. You don’t have to navigate these challenges alone. In our work together, I create a compassionate and nonjudgmental space where you can be real about what you’re going through. My approach focuses on helping you understand yourself more deeply, heal from what’s holding you back, and build healthy, meaningful relationships. Whether you’re facing academic stress, family issues (including foster or adoptive family dynamics), or just feeling lost, I’m here to support you. I also bring years of experience working with adolescents, young adults, and individuals navigating personal growth, which gives me insight into the unique challenges of this life stage — like managing independence, setting boundaries, and figuring out your identity. Together, we’ll explore what matters to you and find practical tools to help you move forward. What makes me passionate about this work is seeing students reconnect with their authentic selves, gain confidence, and feel empowered to face life’s ups and downs. You deserve a space where you’re fully seen and heard — and therapy can be that place. In our first few sessions, you can expect to feel supported and understood. We’ll talk about what’s been weighing on you and what you hope to change, and I’ll help guide us toward a plan that feels right for you. Therapy is a journey of self-discovery, and I’ll be there to walk alongside you every step of the way. If you’re ready to start working through what’s holding you back — or even if you’re just curious about what therapy could be like — I’d love to connect.
Spark All Wellness
We are a private therapy practice located San Francisco and Pasadena specializing in psychotherapy for women and children in individual and group settings. Spark All Wellness helps children and mamas through difficult life situations, trauma and the challenges of parenting. Our team specializes in EMDR, CBT, Play Therapy & Trauma-Informed Yoga Therapy and offer both in-person and telehealth sessions.
Iroko Psychiatry PLLC
In network telehealth psychiatry for Texas, Tennessee, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts and California. We know college can be overwhelming, but the right support can make all the difference. At Iroko Psychiatry, we specialize in helping college and graduate students thrive, with particular expertise in ADHD, including comprehensive evaluations, medication management, and practical strategies to improve focus, organization, time management, and academic performance. We also provide compassionate, evidence-based care for anxiety, depression, burnout, stress, sleep difficulties, and life transitions that commonly affect students. Founded by Harvard-trained, board-certified psychiatrist Dr. Henry Onyeaka, our practice offers personalized, measurement-based treatment through convenient virtual appointments, making it easier to get expert mental health care that fits your busy academic schedule. Our goal isn't just to help you feel better. We are here to help you succeed in the classroom and beyond.
Olajumoke Adeyemi
Hi, I’m Olajumoke Adeyemi, a dual board-certified Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP-BC) and Family Nurse Practitioner (NP-C). I offer integrated mental health care, combining talk therapy, medication management, and compassionate support. I work with women, adults, and young adults facing emotional pain, life transitions, trauma, and identity challenges. My goal is to help you feel supported and empowered to rediscover your voice and capacity to thrive. I address concerns such as anxiety, depression, trauma, life transitions, grief, and relationship issues. I also offer Christian counseling. I have a relational, integrative, and trauma-informed approach, meeting you where you are and collaborating on your goals. My therapy style is warm and down-to-earth, blending modalities like CBT, ACT, and mindfulness. I also provide psychiatric evaluations and medication management for a comprehensive approach to your care. In our sessions, you can expect an honest, gentle, and safe space to unpack what's weighing on you. We'll explore root causes, develop coping tools, and gain clarity for a more connected and authentic life. I am passionate about human connection and healing, and my own experiences shape my approach. I advocate for accessible, culturally affirming mental health care. Healing is possible, and you don’t have to walk the path alone. If this resonates, please reach out. I’d be honored to support you.
Tiphanie Bowens
Hello, hello! My name is Tiphanie. I am an EMDR trained LCSW who is bicultural and bilingual in English and French. If you are looking for a supportive space to navigate feelings of depression, anxiety or overwhelm, a space to self-reflect, or address cycles of self-sabotage, let’s meet. I especially seek to serve BIPOC and/or LGBTQIA+ adults. In my practice, I draw from trauma-informed care, client-centered approaches, culturally and racially responsive lenses, as well as LGBTQIA+ affirming modalities.
Minds Moving Forward
At Minds Moving Forward, we provide highly customized, private-pay mental health care designed to support your entire family. From helping young children navigate big emotions and supporting teens through academic stress, to guiding adults through deep trauma recovery and training elite athletes to win their inner game, our therapists offer the advanced expertise you need to thrive. You deserve a space where you can be yourself, talk openly, and not feel judged or rushed. In our work, we move at your pace, especially if therapy is new to you. Together, we will have real conversations, explore your emotions and experiences, and gently face the parts of life that feel overwhelming so you can build coping skills and confidence.
Jonathan Stein, LEP
Balancing college with the rest of your life can feel overwhelming, but you don’t have to do it alone. I am here to offer insight and practical support as you navigate your educational journey. I believe in a collaborative approach that honors your unique history and individuality, ensuring you feel heard and valued rather than just evaluated. Whether you need formal assessments for test accommodations (for your classes, or high-stakes exams like the GRE, LSAT, MCAT, or other licensing exams like the Bar exam), counseling to manage the stress of increased academic demands or adjusting to being a college student, or executive functioning coaching to handle your growing workloads, I am here to help. Let’s work together to find solutions, and build a strategy that makes your educational and life goals achievable.
Alexa Heinemann
Life can be overwhelming and challenging at times. College can be a time of discovery and big questions about who you are and how you hope to live your life. I offer a warm and compassionate space to safety explore these curiosities as well as any past traumas, recent losses, and emotional challenges. I find symptoms often lead us to a deeper understanding of ourselves and believe therapy can be a place to find the road back to our center. I enjoy working with young adults as they navigate their personal journey of self-discovery or as they experience deep suffering in life. With dedication and commitment, therapy can be a space of growth and resiliency. Please feel welcome to reach out for a free consultation call or to schedule a session. I see clients online and in person in Petaluma, CA.
Manveen Chahal
Beginning therapy can feel daunting, and choosing to start is an act of strength. I offer a supportive, welcoming space for people of all genders who are ready to explore growth and healing. I have extensive experience working with men, especially men of color, who may be new to therapy and navigating stigma. Using evidence based approaches like cognitive behavioral therapy, along with training in nutrition and mental health, I help clients understand the roots of their concerns and build practical tools for change. My goal is to create relaxed, trusting sessions grounded in collaboration and understanding. 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.
Paul Thomas
You have the innate ability to uncover, identify, explore, and ultimately change unwanted or problematic thoughts or behaviors. My style is personal, collaborative, and responsive to your needs. I start from the premise that you are the expert on yourself. Therapy is a safe and empowering space to pursue the best version of yourself. I walk alongside you throughout the process, lending support, offering validation, teaching skills, and providing accountability. 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.
Ethan Briggs
I primarily focus on anxiety and trauma related disorders. I work best with people who might have trouble shaking memories, have experienced complex trauma, religious trauma, struggle with anxiety/panic, and members of the LGBTQ+ community. I have worked in higher education and am familiar with the stressors of college in the graduate and undergraduate levels including a focus on helping profession majors (education, social work, nursing, medicine, etc.)
Darcy Dittrich Psychotherapy
Please visit my profile to learn more about my services.
Tony Lee
My education, and both lived and serviced experiences have taught me the importance of being honest, open-minded, compassionate, patience, reliable, dependable, and helpful. The reactions, feedbacks, and rewards that I have received from my hard work have always made me want to continue to do what I have been doing. I want to be helpful to others and give a helping hand to others who need it. I care about other people’s feelings and like to help others to be safe, healthy and happy. With such characteristics, I realized that being a Marriage Family Therapist will give me the opportunity to contribute back to our community, assist those who may challenge with difficult challenges. My communication style is calm, accommodating, and personable. I want my clients to feel comfortable talking with me about anything, and I pride myself on my ability to listen without judgment. I will use active and reflective listening, empathetic dialogue, and validation to allow my clients to feel heard, respected, and supported. The first session will be a rapport building and information gathering session where I will engage my clients in a conversation on their current concerns and needs for obtaining therapy. I will work with clients collaboratively to complete the assessment which will consist of gathering information on their background, current symptoms, strengths, and if needed, safety planning, and creating therapeutic goals in moving forward. Individuals will have the opportunity to discuss what they would like to be working on, how successful therapy will look like for them, and the fitness of working relationships. At the end of each session, I will use Session Rating Scale (SRS) to gather my client’s feedbacks in 1-10 rating: 1) Ensure they feel herd, understood, , and respected; 2) They worked on talked about what they wanted to work on and talk about; 3) The therapist’s approach is a good fit for them; and 4) Overall, the session was right for them.
Jessica Taylor Vara, LMFT
Hi, I'm Jessica Taylor Vara, LMFT, a Certified EMDR Therapist and EMDRIA Approved Consultant. On paper, your life might look pretty good. You're responsible. Capable. The person everyone turns to when they need help. But underneath it all, you're exhausted. Maybe you're constantly overthinking, struggling with anxiety, second-guessing yourself, or feeling like you're never quite enough no matter how hard you try. Maybe you're stuck in unhealthy relationship patterns, carrying the weight of childhood experiences you thought you should be over by now, or finding yourself overwhelmed by stress, perfectionism, and self-doubt. If that sounds familiar, you're not alone. I help college students, graduate students, young professionals, and adults heal from anxiety, trauma, low self-esteem, people-pleasing, relationship difficulties, and the lasting impact of difficult life experiences. Many of my clients are thoughtful, high-achieving people who have spent years trying to understand themselves but still feel stuck repeating the same emotional patterns. My approach is warm, collaborative, and deeply compassionate. I integrate EMDR therapy and traditional talk therapy to help clients move beyond insight and create real, lasting change. Together, we'll work to heal the root causes of your struggles, build healthier relationships, strengthen your confidence, and help you feel more grounded, resilient, and connected to yourself. You don't have to keep carrying everything on your own. I provide online therapy for residents of California and Florida.
Gregory Gooden
I once heard someone doing a lecture say, “we know what we believe when we hear what we say.” This would definitely inform the kind of therapy you would experience with me. I view the client as the one who has the answers, and we’re working together to solve a mystery. One of my roles is to help my client tell the story, point out clues being overlooked, gently challenge entrenched beliefs, provide unconditional positive regard, and help the client make sense of their difficulties and their world. Our work together would be collaborative. I’m not a “sit, nod, and take notes” therapist. I’m interactive, and socratic, and relational. I view thoughts, feelings, and behaviors from a lens of curiosity; wondering what beliefs are behind them; helping to root out dynamics that help those things persist. Often we are stuck in a distorted comfort in familiar pain and we simply cannot see it without someone reflecting that in the room. I am an integrative (drawing from multiple therapeutic orientations) humanist-existential therapist; an enthusiastic cheerleader. I will bring humor and validation into the session. I’m passionate about brain chemistry. I am social-justice oriented. I am also trauma-informed. While I work in many different focuses of psychotherapy, I find that the most pervasive themes in my work with clients include: adjustment to life changes, problems with alcohol and substance use (and the way that co-occurring mental health issues interact with it), LGBTQIA+ topics, issues of neurodiversity, anxiety and depression, personality disorders, identity & esteem development, and healthy relationships of all shapes and sizes. I am experienced, both professionally and personally, working with a variety of relationship configurations and am highly comfortable talking about issues of sex positivity and non-standard definitions of families and relationships such as polyamory and non-monogamy. I am a licensed therapist, an addiction professional, a bit of a technology geek, and a fellow traveler in recovery. In addition to those things, I am Compliance Officer at an all women’s addiction treatment center where I’ve worked in various capacities ranging from counselor to director since 2010. I have also been an adjunct professor in the Master’s program at Pacific Oaks College, an adjunct professor for Glendale College’s Drug Studies program, and I served on the board of the California Association for Drug/Alcohol Educators (CAADE). I am a member of CAMFT at both the state level and in the San Gabriel Valley chapter.
Candace Selover
I work with clients and their struggles. Therapy is your space to feel valued, heard, and to find your worth. I'm dedicated to empowering my clients by fostering self-discovery and resilience, guiding you to overcome life's challenge. Learn how to train your brain to reduce fear-based thinking and move forward. It's a start, being able to recognize what makes you happy.