Therapists in Port Hueneme, CA

Hello, thank you for finding me on Psychology Today. Much of my work is with children, adolescents, families (parenting) and adult individuals. I have experience working with trauma, abuse, grief, loss, long term illness, anxiety, depression, ADHD and other childhood emotional disorders. I view my clients in a holistic sense, taking into consideration their symptoms, life stressors, emotional/physical developmental changes/stages, past/recent trauma(s), family dynamics, parenting styles from childhood -past/present, as well as coping skills and interpersonal relationships and support systems.

"I am not what happened to me. I am what I choose to become." ~ Carl Jung. Do you feel overwhelmed, have pain, grief, anxiety, depression, or unseen shadows that prevent you from healing or from choosing better decisions, relationships, and allowing yourself to matter in your own life? My experience and education can help people hungering for more purpose, fulfillment, and nurturing relationships instead of dissonance, exhaustion, and sacrifice, those who know what you were aiming for, but discovered you’re at the top of the wrong ladder. If you feel like you’re different or unseen, then I may be the psychotherapist you’ve sought.

I care deeply about connecting with clients, building rapport, and holding the therapeutic space. I'm a Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist, wife, mother, nature-lover, and fitness enthusiast. I work with clients to understand their presenting concerns & symptoms, and clarify their goals for treatment. I use metaphors & visuals to teach helpful concepts, and I inquire about strengths and support systems. I specialize in kids 9 and up, teens, college students, and creatives such as artists, writers, and poets.

Our mission is to provide quality online mental health and substance abuse services while breaking down the barriers of traditional, office based therapy. Traditional mental health and substance abuse treatment tends to focus on what makes you sick, what you are lacking but at The Mindful Lemon, our clinicians let you sit in the driver’s seat, focusing on your strengths and assets to help you become the best version of you! This can be via traditional talk therapy, medication management, mindfulness techniques, an emphasis on health, wellness and fitness or any combination of the above.

My approach is accepting, caring, confidential and non-judgmental, as well as practical and grounded. I help people to get clarity about their problems, and to connect with their own inner wisdom, creativity, self awareness, and healing. This allows for a natural emergence of positive choices, good solutions, and actions that are in alignment with their true selves and deepest desires. I work with individuals, couples, teens and families on improving communication, resolving conflicts, and developing more trust and acceptance, which helps to improve closeness and positive feelings in relationships.

Over the course of his career, Dr. Valenzuela has worked in a variety of settings. The breadth of his experience includes extensive work with severe mood and psychotic disorders. Dr. Valenzuela’s commitment to addressing mental health issues from an early age has informed his work with adolescents in the juvenile justice system and in schools. His work in local community settings has guided his professional identity as a warm, empathic, nonjudgmental, and depth-oriented practitioner.

I specialize in trauma, attachment, anxiety, and neurodivergent and neuroqueer care ( focusing primarily on ADHD and ASD). I have experience serving studio artists and creatives from the movie and music industries, tech workers from Silicon Valley, Pro and Division 1 athletes, and people from all walks of life. I offer guidance in these areas, including social skill building, managing burn out, increase self-esteem and acceptance, executive functioning skill building ( planning, setting goals, overcoming brain fog, distractions, imposter syndrome, and being paralyzed by life's demands).

Many of us come to therapy because we are experiencing symptoms, feelings or circumstances that we want to change. Only to discover that there might be deeper things that we desire, that the symptoms are only the surface. We discover that we want to find our purpose or calling, that we want freedom from expectations, freedom from fears. We are seeking meaningful and honest relationships. We wish to communicate efficiently. We crave inspiration, imagination, creativity, and clarity. We long to move forward, wherever that place is. We want to expand and feel the infinity that we are and explore all possibilities in our lives.

When deciding to see a therapist, it is important to find a fit that is right for you. This is why my practice aims to provide deep and safe sessions that ignite real insight, exploration, hope and change. You need a safe space, knowledgeable support and a collaborative effort. With over a decade of working in counseling psychology and extensive postgraduate work in depth psychology, dreams, and more, I am confident that our time together can help you discover the infections beneath difficult symptoms, the hidden treasure within our greatest obstacles and desired support at a pace that is right for you.

Therapy is a dynamic and improvisational collaborative process. I believe in the boundless generativity of “yes, and” and that being a person is deeply absurd and profoundly sacred in equal measure. My approach is inquisitive and creative. I work from a depth perspective, which means I am attentive to both unconscious forces and conscious patterns that may be creating unnecessary roadblocks to a more fulfilled life.

If you are suffering from repeated patterns that are negatively impacting your life and desire freedom and space to heal and transform these patterns, I can help. I work with individuals, couples, groups and families who are overwhelmed by anxiety, suffering from depression, in a life transition, managing grief, having existential distress, and/or looking for deeper meaning and a stronger sense of Self. Often times being seen and understood by a nonjudgmental, compassionate therapist is a key factor in healing. The process is rich and ultimately empowering.

You may already have answers to your struggles, though these answers are unconscious. I specialize in working with your unconscious, the side of you that is neglected, ignored or rejected. This is a powerful mode of therapy that can help you with your anxiety, depression or relationships. I work with adults, and have specialized training to work with children, adolescents and their parents. My work with children focuses on play therapy, the child's best form of communication. With adults I use my Jungian training in dreamwork and symbolism to access the unheard side of yourself, which can enrich your life and relieve your suffering.

No one is born with a playbook for life, but you have the power to write your own. Some people I work with recognize that they feel anxious, depressed, possibly reliving trauma, or are generally unfulfilled, while others are not sure why they are unhappy, nervous, not enjoying life. I’m here to help you get more out of life. More love, more joy, more peace. Change isn’t always easy. I offer a space where you can explore your emotions, fears, anger, and experience new-found hope, plus get real solutions, and thrive!

Finding yourself at a challenging crossroad? Aware that it is time for a change but uncertain how to start? I can help. Whether your goal is improved self-esteem, relationships, wellness, stress-management, creative output or a better sense of direction, I offer guidance and tools that quickly help to get you on the right path. Through methods that increase self-awareness (archetypal analysis and hypnotherapy), my clients come to understand their personal narrative and transform their lives with increased ingenuity, healthier living and/or improved relationships.

Many of my clients are those who tend to give too much, disconnect from their own needs and desires, feel depressed and anxious, and/or experience chronic pain. They are often highly sensitive and imaginative, helpers and healers, with literary, artistic, or philosophical leanings. They are all seeking to heal inner conflicts and relationship problems rooted in early attachment wounds or traumatic experiences. Most importantly, my clients have come to recognize it's time to do their inner work in order to create the outer life they want, and they continue to grow and deepen into their innate wisdom long after therapy has ended.

Are you longing for joy, passion, creativity and a sense of wholeness? Do you want to be energetically free from physical and/or emotional pain? Do you want to recover fully from an eating disorder or disordered eating that is affecting the quality of your life? Do you want to lose or gain weight? Do you want to be more creatively expressed? Does anxiety and fear hold you back from developing meaningful relationships? Perhaps you are suffering from infertility? Feelings of loss and longing? Feeling stuck? I would love to work with you, to help you move from inside out.

As the world gets more and more complicated so does our ability to manage its day to day stressors. While searching for a therapist I hope you realize that you are not alone. Many of us find ourselves battling depression, anxiety, existential angst, interpersonal problems, trauma, loss and other symptoms related to an increasingly technological society. I see myself as someone who can kindle a light as one navigates such gnarly terrain. My traditional face to face and remote on-line sessions offer, diagnosis, treatment, nonjudgmental support, confidentiality, encouragement, expertise and comfort while you explore new ways to improve the quality of your life.

I cultivate a warm, nurturing presence so that my clients can feel firmly held and supported. My areas of focus include: managing anxiety, depression, stress-related conditions, life transitions, trans-generational trauma, cultural mistreatment, career/academic issues, parenting, co-parenting, authentic self expression, conscious relationship, transformation of life, relational trauma, body image issues. My work focuses on fostering in clients a mindful presence, attuned connection, conscious communication, and the sacred path of deep intimacy.