Therapists for college students near University of Southern California
I've been there. I've had days where it's hard to get out of bed.. when you've laid awake yet another night trying to calm your anxieties and racing thoughts. When people tell you "maybe you should talk to someone"... I've been there. Scrolling and looking at tons of therapist profiles to start a journey to find relief or to find a therapist that's a better fit. Yup. Been there. A little bit about me: BA Psychology - University of California Santa Barbara MSW - New York University Over 18 years of experience starting in foster care social work, then onto being an individual, couples, and group therapist. I've also done medical/hospital social work. I specialize in addressing anxiety, depression, grief, and perinatal/postpartum issues. I believe that progress in therapy is 85% the relationship between the therapist and client and 15% therapeutic intervention. Like I said in the beginning, I've been there. I know what it's like to need help, relief, and support. It's possible to feel better and get to where you want to be. When you're ready, I'm here.
We specialize in Resiliency informed care. We believe that with the right environment and support from a healthy community of peers we can see radical change! It’s amazing when we discover our capacity and potential to heal. Our resilience is our superpower. We are here to support your journey and are happy to help in any way we can.
I was inspired to become a therapist through my genuine interest in understanding people and supporting them during difficult moments in their lives. I’ve always believed that with the right support, insight, and compassion, people are capable of growth and meaningful change. Being a therapist allows me to walk alongside others as they navigate challenges, discover their strengths, and work toward a life that feels more balanced and fulfilling. I focus on creating a space where you feel safe, respected, and genuinely listened to. I do this through active listening, asking thoughtful questions, and reflecting back what I hear to ensure I understand your experiences accurately. I also check in regularly to make sure our work feels helpful and aligned with your goals. Therapy is collaborative, and your voice guides the process. My role is to support you with curiosity, compassion, and consistency so you feel heard and understood throughout our work together. Working together looks collaborative, supportive, and paced to your comfort level. We start by building trust through consistency, transparency, and respect, making sure you understand the process and feel safe asking questions or sharing feedback. I work to create a nonjudgmental space where your experiences are honored, and we move at a pace that feels right for you. Over time, trust grows as you feel heard, supported, and see our work align with your goals and needs.
Please visit my profile to learn more about my services.
Hi, I’m Jamie. I am a board-certified Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner with years of experience treating various disorders. I believe in a compassionate approach to mental health treatment and will work closely with you to develop an individualized treatment plan. I take a holistic perspective on mental health medication treatment and will carefully evaluate your background, lifestyle, and health history to help you choose the right medication. I believe in providing a nonjudgmental and safe space to explore your treatment options. I value getting to know who you are today and understanding your past experiences and future goals. I look forward to meeting you.
If you’re a Gen Z or millennial woman who only realized you had OCD as an adult, you know what it’s like to feel stuck in your own mind. You might spend hours needing things to feel “just right,” second-guessing every choice, or checking and re-checking just to feel certain. You keep your thoughts to yourself because you know they don’t make sense but they still feel so real, and over time this can feel isolating and lonely. Decisions can start to feel impossible. Intrusive thoughts loop endlessly. The constant urge to get rid of doubt can be exhausting. If this sounds familiar, you’re not broken and you don’t have to face it alone. I support women questioning whether they have OCD or navigating a late diagnosis. Many feel trapped by intrusive thoughts, perfectionism, and the mental and emotional strain of trying to control every outcome. If you find yourself seeking reassurance just to feel a sense of relief, you’re in the right place. Therapy can be a space where you practice staying present even when your mind is loud. Together, we’ll work on sitting with discomfort, building safety in uncertainty, and developing tools that actually work for your life, not against it. My goal is to help you create more room for confidence and self-trust. I’m here and ready when you are. Reach out today.
Keeping up with expectations, family dynamics, social life, relationships... It's easy to feel disconnected from what we want out of life when we're just trying to get through the day. Many people who seek out therapy with me struggle to take time for themselves and set boundaries. I help adults overcome anxiety and people pleasing so they can feel empowered to live authentic, intentional lives. I support my clients in processing emotions, untangling the past, and gaining insight. Together we challenge those patterns that are no longer serving while building new ones. I'm passionate about helping my clients achieve more balance and fulfillment. You've already taken the first step- I invite you to reach out for a free consultation today.
Hello and welcome! I am a licensed clinical social worker with 14 years of experience working with children and adults struggling with the impact of trauma, depression, anxiety and other issues. I always work from a strength based perspective. I believe that therapy can be a place were a person can feel safe and work through life's challenges. I take a humanistic approach to therapy. I like to have a good understanding of who a person is and how things impact them day today so we can work together to fins solutions or relief to whatever may be going on.
Your mind never stops running, yet you still feel “behind.” You're juggling so much—college, career, relationships, identity, or maybe even starting a family. Add in anxiety, the weight of expectations, or ADHD and it can all feel like too much. There is an easier way. Let me help you find it. I’ll provide a culturally affirming, trauma-informed space where we work with who you are—not against it. Together, we'll develop strategies to manage overwhelm, improve focus, and quiet that inner critic. Our work will be collaborative, compassionate, and rooted in curiosity. My goal is to help you experience more calm, confidence, and clarity in your daily life. I'm Nicole Castillo, MA LMFT—founder of MentalPaz, Latina therapist, new mama, and young breast cancer survivor who gets what it's like to balance identity, ambition, and healing. With over a decade of experience, I couldn’t be more passionate about working in solidarity with my clients. Ready to stop figuring it all out alone? Reach out for a free consultation. Let's chat!
Rui Dolen is a licensed marriage and family therapist who specializes in the treatment of trauma, developmental trauma, and reactions to other stressful events in children and adults. Rui is a somatic therapist combining Sensorimotor Psychotherapy (SP) and Attachment-Focused Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (AF-EMDR), as well as parts work (ego states). Rui's approach is a holistic (mind-body-spirit), non-violent, mindfulness-based, and attachment-based somatic approach, as well as based on Interpersonal Neurobiology (IPNB) which is also the foundation of Rui's parenting consultation and coaching practice. Rui became passionate about parenting during her trauma work with children and families because she realized parenting is the prevention of trauma and we can all change the world through intentional parenting. After struggling with infertility, Rui now is a mother of a 28 weeks preemie baby who survived multiple surgeries and various feeding issues during the first year of her life. Embodying her own trauma practice, and with the support of her professional communities, she has been on her healing journey and grateful for her little miracle every day. Rui was born and raised in Beijing, China. With her eastern background, she is connected to mindfulness-based practice and life philosophies, personally and professionally. Growing up, Rui has seen her own family and the society in China suffering from different forms of trauma including generational trauma. Her innate curiosity and determination led her to study Psychology in the U.S. Rui holds a Master of Science degree in Counseling Psychology from California Lutheran University. Since then, along with founding her own private practice, The Wholistic Connection, Rui also is a part of the mental health team at AMDA College & Conservatory of the Performing Arts in Hollywood. Rui also has worked with Strength United, Pacific Clinics, Pacific Asian Counseling Services, and most recently the intensive outpatient program at Community West. In her free time, Rui is a yogi, major foodie, Airstreamer, and traveler. Her husband and she traveled around the world for a year in 2016. Her best getaway is to take her baby, four dogs, and drive their airstream to camp in nature.
Are you feeling overwhelmed by anxiety, struggling to find your identity, or dealing with the pressures of life transitions and relationships? College is an exciting time, but it can also feel stressful and uncertain. As a therapist, I specialize in helping students like you navigate these challenges with compassion and understanding. Together, we'll explore your values, develop effective coping strategies, and build stronger connections, so you can feel more confident and empowered in your journey. I’m here to support you every step of the way. To start the conversation about therapy, please contact me to set up a free, 15-minute consultation.
Genesis (Gene) Vasconez is a board-certified nurse practitioner specializing in mental health care. She aims to improve the health and wellness of her patients by partnering with them and their care teams. She addresses challenges related to mental health disorders, including addiction, by following a trauma-informed model. She approaches each session to foster trust by listening to her patients and ensuring they have a choice and voice. Cultural humility, acceptance, safety, and compassion are at the core of her care. Gene received her bachelor’s degree in Biology and Chemistry from San Francisco State University and her nursing and master’s degree from the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). She has been a part of multiple research studies focusing on addiction, psychotic disorders, suicide, and depression. She also teaches nurse practitioner students at UCSF during their community internship. Clinically she has experience in setting such as psychiatric emergency/urgent care, community clinics, and private practices. Gene is a member of the American Psychiatric Nurses Association, American Nurses Association, and Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing. She also serves as a San Francisco Behavioral Health Commission commissioner.
My psychiatric specialties include psychiatric management of mild to moderate mental health concerns, and treating psychiatric conditions across the lifespan, substance use disorders, advanced treatment of Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Integrative Mental Health, Lifestyle Medicine. I see patients in the following areas but not limited to ADHD, Depression, Anxiety, PTSD, Bipolar, Insomnia, and Schizophrenia. I treat clients who identify as members of the BIPOC community (Black, African American, Hispanic, Latinx, Asian American, Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander…etc) and the LGBTQ+ community. I also treat patients who may not identify within these communities but are allies to those who do as well.
Hi I’m Ann! I am a therapist in California specializing in anxiety and life transitions. Most of my career has been spent with teens and young adults who struggle with relationships and changing relationships with family. If you’d like to give therapy a try, or are returning to therapy, I’d love to meet to see if we’re a good fit!
You are feeling stuck and overwhelmed from the pain and trauma of your past. At times it feels like your body and mind are at odds, out of your own control, and you feel distant from yourself and others around you. You're unsure of how to move forward but you know it can't continue on like this. You're looking for a sense of peace and safety within yourself and your relationships. You want to finally leave the past in the past and show up as more wholly you. Whether you are just beginning to explore the ways your past has impacted you or you've been in therapy before, I believe lasting change and healing is possible.
I love to help students succeed academically while keeping life balance. Do you have habits that block you from achieving your potential? As a PhD, I can attest to the challenges students face and I've learned highly effective strategies for addressing adademic stessors. We can all break unhelpful, unconscious patterns and replace them with new models for happiness and success. Working with me, you will learn to recognize your feelings as valuable information and organize your mind so that you can empower your life. I have served clients for over 10 years as a professional coach and therapist. My experience backed by a Doctorate in Depth Psychotherapy, a Master’s in Clinical Psychology, and certifications as a Hypnotherapist and Master Practitioner of Neurolinguistic Programming (NLP).
As a clinician, Dr. Lee primarily sees high-achieving BIPOC clients working in Big Tech and in the creative industry. He was heavily involved in San Francisco’s AAPI community clinics, including acting as the mental health lead for Asian American Recovery Services and helped train counselors at North East Medical Center, one of the first non-profits to serve the medically-underserved AAPI population in the nation. Most of his clients are members of the APIDA community, who are dealing with anxiety, depression, ethnic identity formation, life transitions, and racial/intergenerational trauma. He is in-network for those with access to Lyra, and you can schedule your session at liminalspace.io.
It is discouraging to navigate a world that doesn’t see you, that misunderstands you or makes you invisible based on your gender, race, sexuality, size, trauma history and a host of other factors. Systemic oppression impacts your mental health as much your history does. It can be intimidating to reach out to a therapist because you want to find someone who really understands you. Mental health has a history of victim-blaming and pathologizing. I am a queer therapist offering trauma-informed therapy for individuals and couples. I utilize an intersectional feminist and social justice lens. I specialize in working with queer, gender-blessed and other non-mainstream individuals and relationships, including non-monogamous, age-gap, cross-cultural and queer relationships.