LGBT therapists in El Cajon, CA

Are you carrying trauma, anxiety, grief, or relationship pain and wishing someone truly understood? I work with individuals navigating PTSD, anxiety, grief, and life transitions, and with couples who want to rebuild trust and strengthen communication. After 25 years in special education, I became a therapist to offer steady, compassionate support that helps people feel heard, accepted, and understood.

An enthusiastic Latinx psychotherapist, Yolanda Yturralde is one of Santa Barbara’s most motivating psychotherapists. She inspires her clients to work through issues and become more powerful in their relationships. Yolanda received her Masters in Science from California State University, Northridge. She brings innovative, creative, supportive counseling and a positive attitude to her private psychotherapy practice. Yolanda meets with people in Santa Barbara as well as any town in California or Texas or Florida via Telehealth. Now offering Internal Family Systems Informed Therapy, Brainspotting and NOSC Integration for PTSD and resistant depression and anxiety. My Harm Reduction and Integration Psychotherapy can be used with substance use disorders and eating disorders. Now licensed in Texas and California, Registered for Telehealth in Florida.

I believe that most people are either stuck repeating a cycle of generational trauma, or carrying the burden of bravely breaking that cycle. You deserve to break that cycle by discovering and embracing your best self, without fear or shame. But I understand that this is not always easy. I can help you break down the barriers that prevent you from achieving your goals and assist you on a transformative journey to becoming the person you want to be. Therapy is a process of the human spirit requiring courage, creativity, and self-compassion and I welcome you to join me.

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.

Board Certified Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner with a master’s degree in nursing from Western Governor University and post master’s from Maryville University in St. Louis. Also board certified in Ambulatory Care and have been caring for people with mental health issues in/out of the hospital for over 18 years. I have a strong critical care background and treat different issues such as anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, LGBTQ+ issues, men’s health issues, postpartum depression amongst others.

Growing up near a national park, I am consistently reminded of and influenced by the importance of nature on our physical, mental, and emotional health in my mental health practice. As an LMFT, I've worked with a variety of populations, most of whom experienced major trauma or complex trauma, and aid them in reconnecting to their sense of self and safety. I received my MS from California Lutheran University with a specialization in trauma and BA from CSU Chico. I have been licensed for 4 years and have provided therapy for the last 8 years including an associate and traineeship.

I have over 7 years of experience working with depression and anxiety disorders, trauma, couples, and other severe mental health concerns. My goal is to create a comfortable, safe space where you can begin your therapeutic journey with confidence and without judgment. Together, we can openly explore what you want in—and out of—life. If you don't know what that looks like yet, that's okay. We can figure it out together. Your goals may also change along the way, and therapy should have the flexibility to change with you.

Have you been overwhelmed with trying to navigate through the ways you show up in your relationships with others, making you question your own self-identity? The goal is to help you navigate through these feelings/emotions with self-curiosity and compassion. I want to help hold space for my clients to explore these new tools through self-discovery.

Some seasons of life ask more of you than you ever expected, and somewhere along the way you stopped feeling like yourself. I work with teens, parents, and adults who are moving through anxiety, depression, grief, relationship strain, and the heavy stretches that come with big life transitions. I care deeply about supporting LGBTQIA+ and transgender clients, and families who want to understand and show up for one another a little better. So much of this work is simply remembering that you do not have to carry any of it alone.