Therapists for college students near San Francisco, CA

You’ve always been the one others lean on, and the go-to problem solver. Your known to be the steady hand in chaos, but no one sees what it costs you. But lately, it’s been harder to hide how much it’s costing you. You come home drained, carrying the weight of everyone else’s needs. Even when your body screams for rest, you keep going because slowing down feels dangerous. You’ve trained yourself to stay calm, to keep it all together… even when you’re unraveling inside. Maybe you lie awake at night, replaying conversations, second-guessing decisions, silently asking, “Am I doing enough? Am I enough?” Therapy gives you something you rarely get: a space that’s just for you. No pressure to perform, no need to hold it all together, just room to breathe, and be real. I’ll ask the kind of questions that help you understand what’s really happening underneath the anxiety, the overthinking, or the emotional shutdown your may be feeling. In our sessions, we move at your pace. I’ll invite you to share what’s on your mind, and I’ll meet it with care and curiosity, not judgment. I might ask things like, “Can you tell me more?” or say, “I hear you say that… am I right?” Because your story matters, you deserve to feel seen in it. We’ll use tools like a feelings chart to gently reconnect you with your emotions especially the ones you’ve had to push aside just to get through the day. You’ll learn to set boundaries that could help you feel like your taking care of yourself without feeling guilty. Little by little, you start to feel different, more present, more steady, more like you. You start to trust your emotions instead of stuffing them down. You'll recognize your needs, and you honor them not with an apology, but with clarity. The constant pressure to be everything for everyone? It softens. The worry that you’re not enough? It quiets. You still show up for the people you love, but now, you’re showing up for yourself, too. You'll start to feel calmer, clearer, and more connected to yourself and others. Therapy can be the space where you finally feel seen, heard, and supported. If you’re ready, I’m here. Let’s talk.

College can be exciting and full of new experiences, but it can also bring a lot of pressure. Between academics, relationships, and figuring out your future, it is easy to feel stressed, anxious, or unsure of yourself. Therapy offers a chance to slow down, reflect, and work through whatever feels heavy right now. My approach is warm, collaborative, and culturally aware. I focus on helping students manage stress, anxiety, and relationship challenges while building self-understanding and confidence. Sessions are available online for students across California, and my goal is to make therapy a supportive space where you can be heard and find balance.

College can feel overwhelming—whether you're dealing with anxiety, stress about the future, relationship struggles, or just trying to figure out who you are. I work best with students who are ready to be real, even if they’re not sure where to start. You don’t have to have all the answers to begin therapy. I offer a supportive, nonjudgmental space where we can explore what’s going on beneath the surface and build tools that help you feel more grounded and confident. If you’re feeling stuck, burnt out, or just need someone to talk to, I’m here to help you figure things out one step at a time.

I am inspired by providing others with the opportunity to have a safe place and somewhere they can go to feel respected, heard, and understood. I utilize active listening, empathetic communication, and being transparent and honest throughout our work together. I focus on creating a safe, non-judgmental space to allow the client to feel valued and respected. I also maintain professional boundaries and confidentiality to establish trust and rapport throughout our time working together.

If you're feeling overwhelmed, unfocused, anxious, burned out, or just not like yourself lately, you're not alone. I work with adolescents and adults navigating ADHD, anxiety, depression, mood changes, stress, and major life transitions. I especially enjoy supporting students, professionals, and high-achieving individuals who want to improve focus, feel more emotionally steady, and function better in everyday life. My goal is to help you feel understood, gain clarity, and move toward lasting relief with care that feels practical, personalized, and empowering. I’m a board-certified Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner providing compassionate, evidence-based telehealth care. In sessions, you can expect a supportive, collaborative approach where we explore your concerns, build practical coping tools, and create a treatment plan that helps you understand your mental health and feel confident in your care. If you’re ready to feel more like yourself, I’d be glad to help. Visit my website to learn more and book your first session online. Taking the first step can feel hard, but getting support can be simple, convenient, and life-changing—and help is only a click away.

Congratulations in starting this journey! Initially reaching out for support is often one of the most challenging steps of treatment. I love working with clients who have found the courage to take on that first obstacle and started looking for help. I believe in people where they are at in terms of their emotional lives and working to guide them where they want to be. I love working with people who are willing to put in effort to reduce their own suffering and lead a more authentic life.

Mindful Evolutions was started as a way to help adults, teens, and couples within the area feel happier and healthier through therapy. Each therapist has their own skills they bring to their clients. At Mindful Evolutions we happily welcome into our practices people from many communities and cultures. We provide counseling for all kinds of relationships including LGBTQ, multi-cultural, poly, kink, and heterosexual. Because we believe all people in a family need support, we have a therapist for everyone.

Hi I'm Maddi and I'd love to help you figure out college and all this adulting stuff. Let's face it, adulting is tough. It can feel so overwhelming trying to balance all the things like school, family, friends, errands, chores, work, self-care... Oh ya, and don't forget to make time to eat, sleep, call your mom, and figure out your future. (No pressure or anything!!) I know what it's like to feel like you have to put on a brave face for everyone and pretend that you're doing OK, while deep inside you are freaking out and on the verge of a breakdown. (It's fine, I'm fine, everything's fine...) I know what it's like to feel like you spend all your free time overthinking things, replaying interactions, and worrying that someone is mad at you. (Spoiler alert, they're not!) I want to help you do more than just survive college! Let's work together to help you break free from the self-doubt, stress, and overthinking that keeps you up at night and leaves you feeling exhausted and stuck at the end of the day. Together we can talk through things to make sense of them and find realistic solutions. This way you can leave therapy with an understanding of what's going on, and what you can do to make it better. We got this!! Reach out today and let's schedule a free phone consultation so we can see if I'm the right therapist for you. You can reach me by email or text message.

It’s not easy having feelings of “not belonging” and “not knowing how to fit in” – questioning “who am I” and “how can I be seen?” Wondering where your people are and then wondering “are these my people?” How to connect while allowing yourself to be vulnerable while allowing yourself to be safe while allowing yourself to experience the full experience of life … Mental / emotional health is a vital necessity for success in life; to be able to make clear decisions without doubt or fear or to practice compassion toward the self instead of letting insecurities take root or judging the self harshly. Symptoms of depression and anxiety can be debilitating and create interference in meeting daily demands – creating low motivation, low energy, a sense of excessive worry or irritability, struggling with concentration / focus or delaying making decisions; or becoming fearful of failing or of losing something valuable. My name is Laura, and I have over 25 years’ experience as a licensed mental health counselor; most of my focus has been on helping young adults make the transition from dependence to independence; to identify and support their own values and ideas for their own future. To assist the process of developing coping strategies to manage life and learning how to recognize and walk through emotional responses; I would like to be of assistance in helping you make the transition toward your mental health and recovery journey. I also have extensive experience in assisting individuals heal from traumatic events, to embrace a release from the emotional impact locked into the memories of the trauma. Providing an opportunity to allow the traumatic event to remain in the past and no longer interfere with your present. Please reach out to me via email or text me at 317-296-3279 if you have any questions and let's figure out how I may be of help to you.

Hi! I’m Jen, a therapist living & working in Santa Monica, CA. I offer in-person and virtual therapy for teens, adults, and couples, with a special focus on supporting college students navigating life’s big transitions. College can feel like a constant pressure to have it all figured out, like keeping up with classes, planning your future, maintaining relationships, becoming independent. It’s easy to go on autopilot and miss the internal struggles happening under the surface. In our work together, we’ll take a closer look at the patterns, beliefs, and experiences shaping how you move through the world - not with judgment, but with curiosity. That might mean noticing how the past shows up in the present, tuning into what actually feels good (which often gets overlooked), or learning how to ask for what you need with more confidence and empathy. I know firsthand what it’s like to seem “fine” on the outside while feeling overwhelmed inside. My own experiences navigating high-pressure environments, family dynamics, and personal growth have shown me how powerful it is to have a space for reflection, connection, and honest support. My approach is insight-driven, relational, and strength-based. This means we'll work on understanding why you do what you do, not to label it, but to learn from it, and build on the strengths you already bring to the table. The relationship we build in therapy becomes a space to practice things like vulnerability, setting boundaries, and getting your needs met, so that over time, the changes you make here can ripple into your everyday life — in classes, friendships, dating, and beyond.

Welcome! We are a telehealth group private practice based out of the Central Coast serving clients throughout California. We consist of myself as the founder and Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) and 4 Associate Marriage and Family Therapists (AMFT) excited to offer you supportive and compassionate therapy! We are accepting new clients to include teens, adults and couples challenged in the areas of interpersonal relationships, substance abuse/misuse, identity shifts, life transitions, divorce, trauma, depression, anxiety, self-harm, and grief & loss. Our therapeutic approach integrates person-centered, depth, psychodynamic, relational, attachment and trauma-attuned modalities, among others. Our website is under construction at the moment and will be launched in early September, but we invite you to reach out to us with any questions about our offerings! Warmly, Shana Burns, LMFT (415) 635-0415 Founded Ojai Marriage and Family Therapy Inc.

My personal background, culture, and values play a large role in my inspiration to be a therapist. I recognize how everyone has their own history, which will shape who they are and how they react to positive and negative situations. My cultural and educational background are a constant reminder of the importance of empathy when hearing someone’s individual story. I’m passionate about helping others who need support in current childhood challenges, processing childhood trauma, creating healthy communication habits to form strong relationships, and processing the impact of anxiety and depression. We will be working as a team to help you get closer to the goals you want to meet. With strength based approaches, I hope to empower you to reflect on your emotions and utilize the learned skills to start implementing them into your life, outside of our sessions. My priority is to include your own background, experiences, and values to set goals for treatment. Communication is key in all relationships and is necessary to feel safe and understood in your treatment. Building rapport is a vital part of beginning the trust between a client and a therapist. During my first session with adults, I like to review your goals and expectations of treatment, as well as any previous experiences in therapy, as those can shape our view of treatment. I want to make sure I take your most important values into account in order to create a safe therapeutic environment. From my experiences, children and teens have a harder time building that trust. Therefore, my first session with them includes a whole session dedicated to getting to know one another with an ice breaker activity. I find this helps form the foundation to that safe space to begin opening up.

I value the opportunity to support individuals uncover their inner strength, heal from the past, and rediscover hope. I utilize a trauma-informed approach and I am passionate about supporting individuals from diverse backgrounds, including those from culturally and gender-diverse communities. I belief that everyone deserves to feel heard, understood, and supported as individuals navigate life’s challenges. Witnessing the resilience and growth of individuals as they overcome obstacles is one of the most rewarding aspects of my work. I ensure individuals feel heard and understood by providing a supportive environment where one can openly share their experiences. I tailor my approach to each individual’s unique needs, drawing from evidence-based techniques like cognitive-behavioral therapy, mindfulness and self-compassion. I work closely with individuals throughout your therapeutic journey, encouraging and empowering them to take an active role in your personal growth.

I was inspired to become a therapist by my own healing journey. I felt motivated to support other people to find their meaning by living a genuine life, establishing healthy boundaries, implementing adaptive coping skills and strategies, and using their strengths to live more joyful lives. I value each person’s individuality and offer a safe and non-judgmental space for growth and healing. I am passionate about helping others and meet my clients where they are. My hope is to guide my clients through the therapeutic process with compassion, focusing on their strengths and support systems.

In our work together, we will strive to clarify and validate your emotional experiences. You will also learn skills to change the thoughts and behaviors that are not serving you. I aim to empower you to take control of your symptoms, foster self-compassion, and grow in ways that are important to you. I am committed to using treatments that work while flexibly adapting to your unique background and goals for therapy. I specialize in the treatment of anxiety disorders, PTSD, depression, and women's reproductive mental health, as well as provide evidence-based skills for coping with stress. In therapy, you may face feared situations, learn how to identify, challenge and create distance from unhelpful thoughts, cultivate acceptance, clarify life values, and practice mindfulness and emotion regulation skills. Therapy will be a collaborative experience. I respect that you are the expert about your life, and I will strive to understand and honor the unique ways in which your identities influence how you experience the world. My goal is to create space for you to be vulnerable and authentic through a warm and empathic style. I look forward to working with you.

Welcome! My name is Angela Austin and I am a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist providing online therapeutic services to college students residing in the state of California. My professional background includes forensic mental health, working with inmates in the county detention center and working with special education and general education students in the public school system. Currently, I am a business owner and private practice therapist assisting students struggling with depression, anxiety, trauma, life adjustments, stress and other relationship issues that happen during life transitions, especially while in college. I would be honored to have the opportunity to learn more about you and to be able to support you in your therapy experience!

As a Black woman who is often seen as "having it all together," it may be challenging to admit that you are having a difficult time. You may automatically say that you are "good" or "well" when people ask how you are doing but know deep down that this is a mask of how you are really feeling. Recognizing and admitting to yourself about the mask is the first courageous step to getting support. Even though many of us have been told to not let our guard down by showing others that we do not have it all together or that only "crazy" people who do not look like us go for therapy (not true!), you know what you need for yourself.

College is a time of huge transitions, and it’s easy to feel anxious, stressed, or unsure where you stand. If you're struggling with overwhelming worry (anxiety), feeling stuck after a tough transition (like starting school or a breakup), grappling with past trauma, or just trying to figure out challenging relationships, you've come to the right place. Your Therapy, Your Tools My practice is built on the belief that you already have what you need within you (though it may not feel like it, right now) —we just need to clear out all the noise and find and focus on what actually works for you. We'll ease your mind: We use practical, science-backed strategies to help you unhook from negative thought spirals and calm that constant feeling of being "on edge." We'll discover and heal the root causes : We'll gently explore the "parts" of you that are feeling anxious, unclear, or worn out, and use powerful processing methods to reduce the intensity of recent or past trauma or fear (like EMDR and IFS). We'll help you adjust: Whether you're dealing with the stress of major life transitions or trying to set healthier boundaries in relationships, we'll create space for you to process the change and build a stronger sense of self. We'll get you grounded: I integrate the calming power of nature-based tools (in or out of the office) to help your nervous system slow down, allowing you to find a peaceful space even when deadlines are looming. We’ll work together, at your own pace, to move you from feeling overwhelmed to thriving on campus and beyond. Ready to take a breath and start building a college experience that feels authentic and manageable? Let's connect.

I was drawn to becoming a therapist because I saw how meaningful it can be for people to have a safe, supportive space to talk openly and work through challenges. I really enjoy listening to others stories and helping them better understand themselves, their relationships, and their emotions so they can move toward positive change. I will work to make sure you feel heard and understood by really listening to you without judgement and taking your experiences seriously. I will reflect back what I am hearing to check that I’m understanding you accurately, and I will ask questions when I need more clarity rather than making assumptions. I also want you to know that your feedback matters, if at any point you feel misunderstood or something doesn’t sit right with you, I encourage you to tell me so we can adjust and make this space feel as safe and supportive as possible for you. Working together is very collaborative. We will move at a pace that feels comfortable for you, and we will focus on what matters most to you and what you would like to change or better understand about your life. Building trust takes time, and I see it as something we create together. I do that by being consistent, honest, respectful, and nonjudgmental, and by following through on what I say I will do. I will check in with you about how our work is going and invite your feedback so we can make sure this feels helpful and safe for you. My goal is for this to feel like a supportive partnership, where you can be open, ask questions, express concerns, and know that you are respected and taken seriously every step of the way.

Looking for a fresh approach to therapy? Student life is beyond stressful, and sometimes words are not enough. My approach is collaborative and creative. We step outside traditional talk therapy by incorporating drama therapy and other creative arts to imagine new possibilities, gain practical tools, and reawaken joy. Healing Arts Counseling Center specializes in depression, anxiety, life and cultural transitions, chronic illness/disability and neurodivergence.