LGBT therapists in Chula Vista, CA

I genuinely like people, have always love to help ,

Will take my clients through the therapeutic process, with empathy and care for their experience in therapy to be a positive one.

My name is Joey Ritkes (he/him). I have been working as a mental health therapist for over five years. My practice has primarily been specialized in working with LGBTQ+ youth. However, I have worked with couples, families, emerging adults, and adults from all backgrounds. I am a client-centered therapist who enjoys working collaboratively with my clients to meet their goals.

I have a decade of experience treating adults and adolescents. I take a holistic and trauma-informed approach to mental health care. My therapeutic approach is integrative, person-centered, solution-focused, mindfulness-based, and CBT-based. I am a bilingual Latina clinician with an emphasis on the BIPOC experience.

Hi, I’m Angela Phillips, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and owner of Lotus Healing and Wellness. I help teens and adults navigate trauma, anxiety, identity exploration, relationship challenges, emotional overwhelm, and life transitions through trauma-informed, inclusive, and affirming therapy, with a special commitment to supporting women and the LGBTQIA2S+ community.

I believe everyone deserves the opportunity to live as their truest, most authentic self. I also believe we all have the capacity to transform our lives, though sometimes we need support, guidance, and a safe space to begin that process. I know what it feels like to believe you have to hide parts of yourself or become someone else in order to be loved or accepted, and that understanding deeply shapes the way I show up as a therapist.

My goal is to help you reconnect with yourself, heal the patterns and survival strategies that no longer serve you, and create a life that feels more authentic, grounded, and emotionally fulfilling.

I have been on my own healing journey for 40+ years and so I know personally how much courage and effort it can take to heal and grow. I also know how amazing life and relationships can get as a part of that healing process; I wish that experience for everyone.

I work with people who are thoughtful, self-aware, and a little tired of the usual answers. My practice draws from existential therapy, Buddhist psychology, and Gestalt three traditions that share one core idea: that lasting change comes from understanding yourself more deeply, not managing yourself more efficiently. I wrote a book about this, Growing Through Crisis, because I believe that the moments that crack us open are often the ones that matter most. I work with individuals and couples, including those navigating LGBTQ+ identities, non-traditional relationships, and kink or sex-positive lifestyles. I hold a trauma professional certification and bring that lens into grief work, relationship ruptures, and major life transitions.