Therapists for college students near San Diego State University

We have many therapists who specialize in working with young adults and teens with depression and anxiety. We have years of experience working with young people and are passionate about the unique challenges presented at this age.

Please visit my profile to learn more about my services.

I am passionate about creating a supportive and affirming space where you can explore your story and begin your journey toward healing and growth. I specialize in working with teens, adults, couples, people of color, and the LGBTQ+ community who are experiencing anxiety, depression, difficult life transitions, relationship issues, eating disorders, and sexual health concerns. I am dedicated to providing culturally competent and identity-affirming care.

You may be feeling anxious, overwhelmed, or stuck in patterns that are hard to shift. Whether you're facing depression, relationship stress, family conflict, or painful thoughts that won’t let up, therapy offers a space to feel supported and understood. You don’t have to go through it alone. College life can bring its own unique pressures. Therapy provides a space to process what you're feeling, build coping tools, and find clarity in the middle of it all. Reaching out is not a sign of weakness. It’s a strong and meaningful step toward healing, growth, and creating the life you want.

Many of the individuals and couples I work with come to me because they are feeling disconnected from themselves and out of sync in their significant relationships. As a therapist, it is my passion to help clients feel more connected to themselves and others. I provide individual and couples therapy that will help you develop skills to navigate complex emotions and deepen your self-awareness, leading to an improvement in your emotional well-being and the quality of your relationships.

I work with individual adults to create vitality, meaning, joy, purpose and well-being.

Welcome! I have worked with college students for the better part of 20 years. I spent almost a decade working in a university counseling center and continue to partner with several local colleges as both an off- campus referral source and consultant to their campus communities. Counseling is all about the right fit, so feel free to reach out if you’d like to talk more about my practice and whether I could be of help to your situation!

Please visit my profile to learn more about my services.

While I see people for many types of reasons, I usually see clients individually that are looking to work on a present centered issue. These typically include school issues, work stress, relationship problems, or difficulty coping with anxiety / depression symptoms. In graduate school I was part of the sports psychology department. During this time I assisted in two different research studies. The first examined flow states in athletes (getting in "the zone"). The second study examined the effects of concussions in athletes. I draw upon these experiences to help students focus and stay motivated. I also had a side job in graduate school where I helped coach college students that had difficulty adjusting to college life. These practical, real world skills are something I continue to teach to this day. When meeting with a client, I keep the atmosphere relaxed and inviting. I want people to feel comfortable, but also know they are receiving "evidence based" care. This means what I say in our meetings is supported by research. That is why I use treatments that incorporate cognitive behavioral therapy and mindfulness techniques. These treatments are supported by current research and have a high rate of success.

Being a young adult can feel scary right now. Even in these times, I believe deeply in our innate capacity to heal, grow, and transform. Society doesn’t make that process easy- we face inequality, get stuck, and sometimes feel overwhelmed by the weight of it all. There is a path forward, but it’s not always easy to find. A big part of my work is helping you blaze this trail and collaborating with your success. Using a combination of warmth, mindfulness, brain/body science, creativity and sharing knowledge, I help keep your process moving toward living the life you want. Over the past 15 years, I’ve specialized in working with teen girls, young adults in their 20s and 30s, and those navigating life transitions, school, trauma, or relational challenges. This life stage can feel intense- you're shaping your career, defining your values, and building relationships that matter. Together, we can explore those big questions while tending to the deeper layers beneath them. I’m also an EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) Certified Therapist™, and I use this powerful tool to help clients heal from distressing experiences, integrate their stories, and access new ways of being. EMDR can be our central focus or one approach among many, depending on your needs. As a Puerto Rican-American therapist, I bring a culturally responsive, decolonized lens to this work. I understand that our struggles aren’t just internal, they’re shaped by larger systems that impact how we live, relate, and find belonging. If you're navigating second-generation or multicultural identity, I’ve got you. My goal is to create a space that honors your complexity and supports your power. Whether you’re seeking support for anxiety, identity exploration, trauma recovery, or simply a space to connect with yourself, I’d be honored to work with you.

Laurén (she/her, they/them) supports people of all ages experiencing a variety of mental health concerns including eating issues & disorders, depression, anxiety, trauma, and problematic sexual behaviors.. Her therapeutic approach is client-centered, trauma-informed, and strength-based. In her work, she uses modalities including cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), family based treatment (FBT), emotion focused therapy (EFT), and acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT). Laurén believes the therapeutic relationship is essential to fostering change, and attends to this connection throughout treatment. She is gender affirming in all of her care, and personally identifies as queer. Professional Experience Laurén’s clinical experience extends across the lifespan, including children, young adults, adults, couples, and families. Laurén spent ten years working in eating disorder treatment centers and supporting eating disorder clinicians in private practice. She approaches therapy with appreciation for each individual’s innate strengths and a desire to partner with them to support attainment of their goals. As a social worker, she is uniquely trained to view the individual from a systems framework, meaning in treatment she accounts for the impact of being a part of their family, community, institution, etc. Laurén believes all people are doing their best with the tools they have. Laurén has a diverse background of work and life experience outside of clinical practice. She has experience as an eating disorder recovery coach which she weaves into her therapy practice when appropriate. She has also worked as a sex educator, which taught her much about the spectrum of sexual behaviors and identities, gender expression, communication and consent, and sexual challenges. Laurén identifies as queer and Health At Every Size aligned, providing an inclusive safe space for all bodies, foods, genders, relationships, and sexualities. In addition to professional background, her personal life has taught her much about resilience and effective coping in the face of adversity. When Laurén’s not working, she enjoys spending time at the beach, gardening, traveling, listening to live music, thrifting, and spending time with her family and pets. Services Provided Laurén provides therapy to individuals, couples, and families residing in California. Supervised my Theresa Chesnut LCSW

My approach to therapy is collaborative, working with you to achieve your unique goals. I draw from evidence-based approaches such as Collaborative Therapy, Mindfulness- Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT), Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT), Narrative Therapy, and Solution Focused Therapy (SFT). Outside of my passion for helping clients build fulfilling lives and meaningful connections, I’m a dog lover, enjoy doing yoga, spending time in nature, and cooking.

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.

Anxiety, stress and burnout are among the most common struggles people face, yet so many continue to carry them in silence. For those living with it, the pain is very real. It is waking up each morning already feeling trapped in your own thoughts, your body locked in a constant fight or flight state you cannot seem to shut off. It is lying down at night desperate for rest, only to wake up the next day still exhausted, as though no amount of effort ever brings true relief. If this feels familiar, know that you are not alone. These experiences are more than symptoms, they are part of the weight you have been carrying every single day. I help college students and young adults break free from the relentless grip of anxiety and stress by creating highly personalized, evidence-based programs that guide them toward clarity and control. In therapy, you will uncover what is happening in your body, understand why it occurs, and learn to use a range of effective tools so anxiety no longer controls your life. If you are ready to take charge of your anxiety and begin living life on your own terms, I encourage you to reach out for support. Therapy can be the turning point you’ve been searching for, offering tools to navigate stress, burnout, and overwhelming thoughts so you no longer have to face them alone or accept them as your reality.

Please visit my profile to learn more about my services.

Please visit my profile to learn more about my services.

Navigating life’s transitions can often feel lonely, overwhelming, and even hopeless. Whether you’re mourning the loss of an important relationship, shifting into a new job or role, adjusting to an unfamiliar environment, or simply trying to stay afloat amidst a sea of relentless responsibilities and challenges, you may become paralyzed by your thoughts and worries and begin to lose the sense of joy and contentment you used to feel. As a recent undergraduate and graduate student myself, I completely understand how this feels. I chose to specialize in young adult life transitions so that I can offer guidance and support to students going through issues such as relational conflict, anxiety, depression, body image, and identity development. Together, we will navigate towards self confidence and personal growth by focusing on finding balance, coping with difficult thoughts and emotions, and striving towards a life that aligns with your personal values and prioritizes what truly matters to you. I use an eclectic approach to customize therapy in order to help you uncover your innate capacity for growth and fulfillment. I offer fully remote services and convenient scheduling to accommodate what works best for you. Choosing the path towards growth requires tremendous strength and resilience, so take the first step today.

I specialize in anxiety, depression, body image issues, eating disorders, obsessive compulsive disorder & college adjustment/ academic stress. My therapeutic approach is practical and flexible, grounded in psychodynamic psychotherapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, and exposure therapy. I find that people often assume that they “should” know how to approach therapy. In reality, the process may not be quite so simple and may feel confusing. Thus, I frequently have conversations with my clients about how to use sessions and ongoing dialogues about our work together.

You’ve taken the first step towards healing, which is often one of the most difficult. Thank you for being vulnerable and allowing me into your space. The world changed, and so did all of us…and that is okay! I am here to partner with children, teens, young adults, adults, and couples towards achieving healing and fulfilment, however that may look to you. My You-Centered approach places you at the helm of your journey, as we use cognitive behavioral therapy, solution-focused therapy, Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological System, and other mindfulness management strategies to transform this moment. Together, we will combine these theories when discussing matters concerning goals/aspirations, relationships, interpersonal struggles, depression, self-esteem, executive functioning, stress management, phobias and fears, and substance use concerns.

Hey there! I understand that it’s probably taken a lot to get here: emotional pain, depression, anxiety, grief and maybe even existential crises. I want you to know that you are not alone and it does get better over time as corny as that may sound. I’m a board-certified psychiatrist, psychotherapist, and artist who specializes in helping college students struggling with depression, anxiety, trauma, ecological and spiritual distress find inner peace. I combine traditional modalities such as psychotherapy and medications with holistic approaches such as purpose, creativity, and spirituality. I’m proud of you for taking the first steps on your journey of healing and would be honored to humbly walk alongside you on the journey integrating the wisdom of your mind, body and soul for transformation. This is a big deal! It takes lots of courage and strength AND you are doing it! You are on your way to living a deeply meaningful and fulfilling life and I’m here to help. Finding a good fit is one the most important things for feeling better. Please check out my website to learn more about my unique approach and fill out the interest form on my website to request a Free Intro Call.