Acceptance and Commitment (ACT) Therapists in Santa Cruz County, CA

I am a rehabilitation neuropsychologist with 15 years of experience working in a variety of clinical health settings. I perform neuropsychological evaluations and offer individual therapy to people above 18 years of age. Whether during an assessment or therapy, my intention is to create a meaningful partnership where you, as the client, feel heard and cared for in a non-judgmental and compassionate space. After a diligent initial assessment I share an achievable treatment plan to help you reach your goals/desired outcome for our collaborative work together.

I feel that I "see" people who often feel "unseen." I help people who are exhausted, depressed and anxious from masking. Masking is attempting to reduce or hide needs and symptoms to blend in with others, usually to avoid being treated differently.

My name is Rachel Carlson, I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) based in Orange County, CA, and working with clients statewide with telehealth. I work with adult individuals, and I have a holistic approach that has allowed me to develop therapeutic strategies that are sensitive, effective, and tailored to the individual needs of each client. I work with adult individuals experiencing trauma, anxiety, depression, grief and loss, life transitions, as well as relationship issues. I use motivational interviewing and a strengths-based approach in order to best serve my clients.

Dr. Janelle van der Linde is a registered psychological associate with a doctoral degree in Clinical Psychology from Palo Alto University in Silicon Valley, California. She has specialized training in providing comprehensive evaluation, diagnosis, treatment planning, and intervention, focusing on trauma, mood disorders, and distress related to an emotional grief, loss, relationship conflict, parent-child attachment, illness, infertility, adoption, and difficult life transitions.

My approach to counseling integrates evidence-based treatments (EMDR, DBT), mindfulness-awareness skills (MBCT, ACT) and person-centered counseling with art therapy theories and practices. In our sessions, I will work with you to increase wellness, improve your sense of self-compassion, build on your creativity and identify personal strengths. I will work with you to achieve the changes you seek in your unique journey of healing, growth, balance and sustained mental health in life.

Licensed OR/FL/CA. Ready to unhook from unhelpful thoughts, connect and improve your relationships? Are you tired of feeling overwhelmed or ineffective? Do you struggle in your relationships? Moving through life without purpose? Experiencing stress with life transitions? Your issues don’t define who you are, although you may feel that way today. Are you looking for someone who listens with warmth, openly and without judgment, helps you manage the now and offers tools to help you live with meaning and clarity? We can discover your strengths and you CAN be your best self. See my website for full services.

Welcome! As a wilderness therapist, I integrate body-centered and strength-based psychotherapy with wilderness interventions to offer a holistic and creative approach to working with you. I focus on supporting clients addressing eating disorders, trauma, anxiety, depression and gender/sexual identity exploration. I am passionate about supporting gender diverse, non-binary and transgender clients from a gender-affirmative approach. I work with you to understand patterns and help you create a new relationship with yourself. I am calm and grounded, creating a safe and non-judgmental space for exploring thoughts, feelings & behaviors

Grief leaves you feeling like life has pulled the rug out from under your feet. You may feel overwhelmed with stress or anxiety, worried about what this loss means for your future, or angry that you're expected to ALSO keep going with life while you're in the middle of grieving. You might feel like nothing will ever be the same again. One thing is for sure: you're ready for some relief. You want strategies to help you right now in your grief. You're ready to process those heavy emotions and painful memories. Most of all, you're ready to have hope that things will be okay again someday.

I enjoy helping both individuals and couples to navigate the multi-directional obstacle course of life in order to help you feel more confident and connected. As a non-binary, gender expansive, masculine person I walk the middle ground of societies claim of male and female roles and intentions. I offer my experience to others to find their specific and unique understanding of their gender and sexuality. I am offering my lifetime of experience and intuition to assist others in finding their own path for living authentically.

Beginning therapy is a great way to prioritize and care for yourself. This can be a nourishing and validating experience, especially if you have been misunderstood or feel your needs are often dismissed. Therapy will be a collaborative effort, as I support you in working toward your goals. I am here to help you honor your needs, and discover how to implement them into your daily life. My approach is individualized, compassionate, and direct. I am affirming of neurodiversity, curious, and maintain flexibility in the process. I believe you are the expert on your experience and identity.

In a fast-paced world full of distractions, it's easy to become overwhelmed, run-down, and to feel disconnected from yourself and others. When this happens, it's important to slow down to reassess and recalibrate before moving forward. Emotional health is just as important as physical, and therapy can be a way to not only learn tools to regain stability and overcome obstacles but to discover and resolve the root causes of these difficulties. People sometimes find themselves uncertain about starting therapy. My goal is to create a safe space where you feel supported and heard as we work together to nurture your growth.

I view therapy as a collaboration where therapist and client work together to connect with an inner healing intelligence and unconditional positive regard within each of us. We can then tend to trauma, grief, resentments, and limiting beliefs that are contributing to symptoms. With humility and reverence for the resilience, courage and vulnerability it can take to heal ourselves, I create a nonjudgemental, kind and compassionate space with room for humor, absurdity and fun.

You've been thinking about this for some time. Waking up to your morning alarm and automatically dreading the day. It's exhausting to put on a brave face and pretend everything is OK, while inside you can't stop criticizing and doubting yourself. How agonizing it can be when you feel compelled to obsess over conversations or the worst moments of your life and sit in that pain. And when you do try to talk to someone they try to give you advice, "look on the bright side", or to try some yoga or something. It's so isolating when it seems like no one understands, so it feels easier to just keep trying to do this all on your own.

Are you at a place in your life where you need some support and guidance to move forward? It may feel like you’ve done all you can, and you’re not sure what to do next. It may even feel like past patterns, keep repeating themselves. You’re not alone. Change is hard, and there are many reasons why our past and the ways we’ve learned to relate in the world keep giving us the same results. The good news is that we can always learn new ways of being and relating, and new ways to move forward We can find new meaning and continue to learn and grow. I hope that you will take this next step on your path of healing.

Are you struggling or feeling dissatisfied with your current relationships, career or social life? Wondering if these situations (or you?) can possibly feel better ? Do feel that you have made a lot of efforts but they either aren't working or people don't deem to recognize your efforts? Or maybe it's even worse and something bad has happened or you simply and you no longer feel like trying anymore and or not sure if you know what you want anymore....

No matter who you are, we all can benefit from talking to someone who can offer support, practical skills and hope when life gets rough. From these life challenges we learn and grow. I see this as an opportunity to dive into what can sometimes be uncomfortable but what will ultimately set you free. I seek to offer a safe environment where you feel truly heard and seen for who you are. Where your differences are a strength and your challenges are met with compassion and insight. I seek to nurture the spark of passion for life in you so that it grows to a life where you find meaning and fulfillment and even joy.

There comes a time in everyone’s life when they really need someone safe to talk to. They need someone who will not use their pain against them. So often they end up holding that pain inside, masking it with a smile or adherent behavior. I can provide a safe place for you to empty your pain and take off the mask so that your quality of life can improve. I use various evidence-based approaches, I am skilled in cognitive behavioral therapy, psychodynamic, mindfulness, solution focused therapy, narrative therapy, positive therapy, and biblical counseling.

My commitment as a therapist is to help you obtain a more satisfying and rewarding life. I work with women to assist them to: Create fulfilling, joyful relationships; Overcome anxiety and depresson; Acquire Self-Esteem and Confidence; Reduce limiting thoughts or beliefs; Move beyond loss and grief; Recover from divorce; Successfully move through life transitions. My goal is to empower and support you in identifying and moving beyond the personal obstacles that keep you from creating the relationships and life that you desire.

All of us have those moments in life where we finally "get" something, those times when everything finally makes sense. As a therapist it is a pivotal moment in the therapeutic process, as a parent it can be very rewarding to see this occur for your child, and as an individual, it can be the difference between getting stuck in a bad place and moving forward in your life. I work with individuals, children and couples who are facing life's stressors and are looking for the tools to improve the quality of their lives.