Skip to main content
Your message was sent successfully!

Therapists for college students near UCLA

Photo of Brittany Perez
Brittany Perez
Licensed Professional Counselor
South Pasadena, CA
Accepting new clients

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.

Photo of Lauren Rodarte
Lauren Rodarte
Marriage & Family Therapist
South Pasadena, CA
Accepting new clients

I'm passionate about helping adults and teens heal emotional wounds, nurture healthy relationships, and enhance self-esteem. If you tend to overthink, feel unmotivated, or simply struggle to enjoy the present moment, I'm here to help. I provide a space where you can express and sort through unhelpful thoughts and emotions that you may not feel able to process elsewhere. I am dedicated to helping you rediscover confidence and peace within yourself and in your relationships.

Photo of Mal Ragunathan
Mal Ragunathan
Clinical Social Work/Therapist
South Pasadena, CA
Accepting new clients

I work with individuals who are seeking support with living a richer, less restricted life navigating anxiety, difficult transitions, complex trauma, and challenges with relationships.The process of turning inward in therapy - to interrogate how your present is being colored by the past and bringing understanding to patterns of relating to yourself and others can be incredibly transformative and life changing.

Photo of Spark All Wellness
Spark All Wellness
Group practice
Pasadena, CA
Accepting new clients

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.

Photo of Kevin Finn
Kevin Finn
Marriage & Family Therapist
Pasadena, CA
Accepting new clients

I believe that we all have an innate healing power within us, and that developing a safe and caring relationship with a therapist can be a wonderful means toward enlivening this power. By going within, we can discover the agency to overcome any obstacle and can bring into being a renewed sense of hope, purpose, and a life of fulfillment. I come from a holistic, humanistic, and mindfulness/spiritually-oriented tradition who believe that a therapist is only as skilled as they are evolved, or self-actualized themselves. I specialize in trauma, dissociation, & complex post traumatic stress disorder. I have trained in EMDR and utilize Internal Family Systems (IFS) and Ketamine as a means of accessing the Self. I work with adults and children alike, and enjoy incorporating meditation, art, and play therapy. As a former creative producer with 20 years in entertainment, I also receive a great deal of satisfaction working with artists in the industry. I provide a warm and compassionate space of acceptance that encourages growth to unfold. By expressing feelings openly and connecting authentically we learn to resolve family and relationship issues naturally. Inevitably, this clears a path for greater intimacy with oneself and others, uncovering the full measure of our potential for love and joy.

Photo of Rosa Lizarraga
Rosa Lizarraga
Marriage & Family Therapist
Pasadena, CA
Accepting new clients

Hello, I work with individuals seeking a better understanding of themselves and their relationships and wanting to improve how they manage their emotions and anxiety. I work collaboratively with you on developing self-discovery while providing a nurturing, supportive environment- loosening habituated patterns of avoidance, self-doubt, fear, and self-sabotage. My job is to help your nervous system heal from these enduring burdens, so we can reduce persistent feelings of self-doubt, inadequacy, and dissatisfaction. The beauty of this work is that it emboldens us to be on a continuing process of self-discovery every day. Over time, clients report feeling a deep sense of internal relief which ultimately promotes feelings of validation, acceptance, appreciation, empowerment, purpose, and love. Message me to schedule a free 15-minute consultation.

Photo of Dr. Akasa Tseng
Dr. Akasa Tseng
Psychologist
Pasadena, CA
Accepting new clients

During my clinical training at a college counseling center, I worked closely with students navigating anxiety, self-doubt, emotional overwhelm, relationship difficulties, trauma, academic pressures, and major life transitions. I also currently serve as a clinical supervisor for doctoral trainees in a graduate psychology program. As a contributing author in a Cambridge Scholars Publishing volume exploring the transcultural unconscious, I am especially attentive to the ways psychological suffering can emerge across emotional, relational, somatic, cultural, ancestral, and intergenerational layers—particularly for individuals navigating between multiple cultural worlds, identities, or systems of meaning. In addition to my clinical work, I draw insight from four decades of lived experience across business, music, holistic practices, and cross-cultural traditions, which continue to inform my understanding of psychological resilience, creativity, identity, and the complexity of human experience. Many of the individuals I work with appear highly capable on the outside while privately struggling with a persistent sense of disconnection from themselves or uncertainty about who they are beyond achievement and external expectations. If you are trying to meet academic, familial, cultural, or social demands while also struggling with questions of identity, self-worth, meaning, or belonging, therapy can offer a space where your inner life is approached with greater curiosity and depth rather than reduced to productivity or performance. Therapy may also help you develop the psychological flexibility to hold the tension between external expectations and your own emerging questions about identity, meaning, and authenticity without forcing one side of yourself to disappear. I work particularly well with students and young adults who are psychologically curious and interested in understanding the deeper patterns shaping their emotional lives. This may especially resonate if you tend to organize your inner life and external world primarily through thinking, analysis, and intellectual understanding. The capacity to reflect, reason, and make meaning from complexity can be a profound strength that supports resilience, creativity, and achievement. At the same time, thinking can sometimes become a way of creating distance from emotional or somatic experience, especially when vulnerability or relational life once felt difficult to navigate. You may genuinely enjoy ideas, self-reflection, and intellectual exploration, while also sensing that certain emotional experiences remain difficult to access, articulate, or fully feel. Together, we may explore how early relational experiences, unconscious dynamics, cultural and family histories, and internalized expectations influence your self-esteem, relationships, perfectionism, emotional regulation, and sense of meaning or purpose. My approach is psychodynamic and depth-oriented while also integrating evidence-based trauma treatment, including EMDR. Therapy is not only focused on symptom reduction, but also on helping you develop a more reflective and compassionate relationship with yourself. I value both the importance of making practical progress in daily life and the longer process of psychological development that unfolds as your inner and outer worlds begin to come into deeper dialogue. For many young adults, this stage of life involves more than adapting to social expectations—it can also become an important period of questioning, identity formation, and emotional integration. Therapy can provide a space for you to think deeply, process difficult experiences, and cultivate a more grounded and genuine sense of self.

Photo of Valeriya Bauer
Valeriya Bauer
Marriage & Family Therapist
Agoura Hills, CA
Accepting new clients

Many of the students I work best with feel pressure to "have it all together" on the outside—yet inside, they're overwhelmed by stress, anxiety, relationship challenges, or past trauma. They may be high-achieving, creative, or deeply caring individuals who feel stuck, disconnected, or unsure how to move forward. In our work together, I provide a warm, grounded space to explore what’s really going on beneath the surface. I use practical, body-based tools along with talk therapy to help you feel more empowered, connected, and aligned with who you truly are. Therapy doesn’t have to be about fixing what’s “wrong”—it can be about reconnecting with your inner strength and learning new ways to care for yourself.

Photo of Emma Tasini
Emma Tasini
Marriage & Family Therapist
Pasadena, CA
Accepting new clients

If you feel things in a big way, you are in the right place. You may be highly sensitive, an empath, or feeling the weight of injustices. I work with creative people who feel things deeply. I support in processing trauma, anxiety, life transitions, relationship issues, people pleasing, gender expression, and sexuality. I am committed to social justice and believe mental health does not exist in a vacuum. We are influenced by the society and world around us. My approach to therapy is rooted in values of anti-oppression and acknowledging the systemic factors that impact wellbeing.

Photo of Christina Sandman
Christina Sandman
Psychologist
Pasadena, CA
Accepting new clients

You may be trying to figure out who you are and what you want to do, possibly for the first time. You are probably navigating big changes in relationships, whether that is making new friends, figuring out where you fit in, communicating with professors/advisors, or redefining relationships with family. It can be overwhelming. While this can be an incredibly stressful time, it is also full of possibility and growth. You don't have to figure it out alone - therapy can be a wonderful place where you can slow down and get the support you need and deserve. I absolutely love working with undergraduate and graduate students. Many people who work with me are navigating something invisible that makes them feel different - whether that is anxiety or depression, a chronic health condition, grief or trauma, relationship concerns, life transitions, or parts of your identity that may be unseen. I am especially passionate about working with artists/creatives, the LGBTQ+ community, and people who feel their emotions deeply. My style is empathetic, attentive, non-judgmental, and collaborative. I seek to create an affirming space where all parts of you that you wish to explore are welcomed. I bring careful listening and offer tools to help you feel more grounded, let go of unhelpful narratives, communicate effectively, and build better relationships with yourself and others.

Photo of Kaley Manierre LMFT
Kaley Manierre LMFT
Marriage & Family Therapist
Los Angeles, CA
Accepting new clients

My interest in mental health began from a desire to understand how our experiences shape who we are. This curiosity grew into a passion for helping others explore these influences, gain deeper insight, and create healthier ways of relating to themselves and the people around them. The more we understand ourselves, the more we can understand others. Whether you’re coming to therapy during a difficult time or seeking support for accountability and personal growth, what matters most is simply showing up for yourself. That act of showing up can be one of the hardest things we do. Yet it is also essential, not only for your own well-being, but for your ability to show up more fully for the people and things you care about. I view therapy as an act of kindness toward yourself, an intentional pause to check in, look inward, and take meaningful steps toward becoming your best self. Over time, this process can create a ripple effect of growth, both within yourself and across all areas of your life.

Photo of Sensitive Therapy & Counseling - Jessica Magenheimer, LMFT
Sensitive Therapy & Counseling - Jessica Magenheimer, LMFT
Marriage & Family Therapist
Santa Monica, CA
Accepting new clients

If your life had a resumé, “chameleon” would be at the top. You’re so good at figuring out others’ needs, they’d never suspect that you have them too. If you were honest with yourself, though, you’d admit how stressful it is to live for other people. You’re terrified you’ll lose relationships if you speak up or say no. Your energy is drained or you feel resentful. You’re exhausted from wondering if others like you or approve of you. If you make choices that disappoint others, you feel guilty and selfish. Your whole identity is about pleasing others, & you want to feel comfortable being your authentic self, but you have no idea how. If this sounds like you, I’ve got you! We’ll shift your story so you'll see your sensitivity to others as a strength. You’ll be a boundaries badass who feels confident with your decisions. You’ll take your perfectionism head on and feel able to live in the present. And you’ll have action steps that feel good, because they’re finally in line with YOUR goals. I specialize in treating Highly Sensitive People and recovering perfectionists & people-pleasers. I see clients online through a convenient video platform, so that therapy can work seamlessly with your busy life. Contact me for a free 20-minute consultation to determine if I’m the right therapist for you! I look forward to speaking with you!

Photo of Marc Roman
Marc Roman
Marriage & Family Therapist
Los Angeles, CA
Accepting new clients

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.

Photo of Kayla Montaque
Kayla Montaque
Clinical Social Work/Therapist
Los Angeles, CA
Accepting new clients

Hello there! In my approach to therapy, I emphasize empathy and active listening, creating a compassionate environment where my clients feel heard and validated, fostering a safe space for exploration and growth. I also incorporate positive self-talk and affirmations, encouraging clients to build resilience and self-esteem. My communication style is characterized by warmth, active listening, and empathy. I foster an open and non-judgmental atmosphere, encouraging clients to express themselves freely. My compassionate approach combines encouragement and positive reinforcement, helping clients feel supported as they explore their thoughts and feelings.

Photo of Dr. Matthew Meyers
Dr. Matthew Meyers
Licensed Professional Counselor
Calabasas, CA
Accepting new clients

I specialize in supporting college students who feel overwhelmed by the challenges of campus life—from managing academic pressure and navigating new social environments to handling personal transitions and stress. I understand that many students share common experiences such as balancing coursework, part-time work, and relationships, while also grappling with uncertainty about the future. Who I Help My approach works best for students who: Feel anxious about their studies or future career choices. Struggle with balancing social life, academics, and personal well-being. Are navigating significant life transitions (e.g., moving away from home, starting new relationships). Need a supportive, non-judgmental space to talk through their challenges. How I Work I use clear, everyday language to explain ideas and strategies—no confusing jargon here. Whether you're dealing with stress, low self-esteem, or just need someone to listen, my goal is to help you understand your situation better and build practical steps toward a healthier, more balanced life. Why This Might Be Right for You If you’re a student looking for a compassionate professional who understands the unique pressures of campus life, we might be a great fit. I’m here to help you explore your feelings, develop strategies to manage stress, and set you on a path toward personal growth and success.

Photo of Irma Valencia
Irma Valencia
Marriage & Family Therapist
San Fernando, CA
Accepting new clients

Valencia Counseling is a culturally sensitive private practice providing comprehensive mental health services via telehealth in the state of California. Valencia Counseling is committed to assisting children, adults and families achieve their goals.

Photo of Amy Plaster
Amy Plaster
Clinical Social Work/Therapist
Los Angeles, CA
Accepting new clients

Life is full of moving pieces, and maintaining balance, relationships, healthy boundaries, self-esteem, and so many more often feels difficult. I am committed to developing a transparent, safe, and collaborative relationship with my clients. Feeling overwhelmed by current or past trauma(s), depression, anxiety, or a burden you have carried through life can be helped through the therapeutic relationship process. You are the expert on your own life, and I don’t take that for granted. Together, we will find the best path for your therapy journey. I will strive to help you develop new ways of thinking and support you in finding peace and confidence to help you create the life you want and deserve. I’ve spent over a decade working with clients from diverse backgrounds and settings, and it became clear that no one type of therapy fits everyone. I approach relationships with my clients warmly, mindfully, and compassionately. Our life experiences often shape the pattern of our thoughts and behaviors and perspective of adult life. Each of us brings our own stories to therapy, and would be an honor to learn about yours.

Photo of Sharlotte Tay
Sharlotte Tay
Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner
Pasadena, CA
Accepting new clients

I am a Board Certified Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner with training and experience treating patients with psychiatric disorders across the lifespan in outpatient clinics and inpatient hospitals. I completed my BSN from California State University, San Marcos and worked full time as a Telemetry nurse while completing my Masters of Science in Nursing. I proceeded to specialize as a psychiatric mental health NP while working as an Emergency Room nurse and a Charge Nurse at an inpatient psychiatric hospital. I provide psychiatric evaluations and medication management through the special attention of each individual’s needs. Through compassion and patience, my goal is to build a trusting relationship with my clients in order to assist them in achieving their wellness goals. Seeing the lack of quality mental health care while working in hospitals, ERs, and with my friends treatments inspires me to work in mental health. I like to provide education regarding treatment options that are most suitable for each individual’s need in order to make sure they feel comfortable with the decision. All psychiatry providers at Foresight have specialized experience in treating a wide range of common mental health conditions, including but not limited to ADHD, anxiety disorders, mood disorders, depression, and PTSD. In addition, I specialize in the following areas: academic stress, deprescribing, trauma-informed care, eating disorders, first responders, grief

Photo of Luis Espinoza
Luis Espinoza
Clinical Social Work/Therapist
Los Angeles, CA
Accepting new clients

I am inspired to work in mental health to build rapport with members and to help members identify, process, and heal from mental health symptoms and trauma. I am inspired to help members harness their inner voice and help them to improve self-worth as well as to help them change their narratives to a positive outlook in life. I ensure members are heard by bringing in empathy, demonstrating unconditional positive regard, triaging and creating collaborate treatment goals that members are amenable to work on, employ active listening, and show reflective listening. I build trust with storytelling, to start where the member is at, to not judge member, and to ask clarifying questions to get their lived experiences. I implement miracle questions, Socratic questioning, and provide homework assignments for accountability.

Photo of Avigail Schotz
Avigail Schotz
Marriage & Family Therapist
Los Angeles, CA
Accepting new clients

My work is collaborative, conversational and client-centered. Your goals are my goals, and understanding the values beneath those goals often drives my curiosity. Sometimes it can feel like different parts of us want different things or are even in conflict with each other. Understanding how to negotiate with these different parts - and to honor how and why they came to be - can help us find the agency to live lives of integrity, freedom, meaning, and connection.

Filters