Anxiety and depression therapists and psychiatrists in La Mesa, CA

I’m a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (NY & CA) with an MSW from NYU and a BA in Communications from Northwestern. With 14 years as a professional actor and teaching artist, I incorporate creativity into my eclectic therapeutic approach, which includes CBT, mindfulness, expressive arts, and psychodynamics. I specialize in supporting clients with anxiety, depression, identity exploration, relational challenges, and personal growth.

Hi, I’m Amaris, a Licensed Clinical Social Worker who believes healing happens best in a space where you feel safe, understood, and never judged.

I work with children, teens, adults, and older adults navigating anxiety, ADHD, emotional overwhelm, grief, and major life transitions. Whether your child is having big feelings they don’t know how to manage, you’re feeling stuck in patterns that don’t serve you, or your family is walking through the heartbreak of dementia or loss, you don’t have to figure it out alone.

My style is supportive, down-to-earth, and collaborative. Therapy with me isn’t about “fixing” you, it’s about helping you understand yourself, build practical tools, and feel more confident handling life’s challenges. I blend evidence-based approaches with compassion, creativity, and sometimes even humor, because growth doesn’t have to feel heavy all the time.

Parents appreciate that I help kids build emotional regulation skills in ways that make sense to them, and I make sure caregivers feel supported too. Adults often come to me when anxiety, emotional ups and downs, or grief feel overwhelming. I also have a special place in my heart for working with older adults and families facing Alzheimer’s, dementia, and end-of-life changes.

At the core of my work is this belief:

You are not broken, you’re human, and you’re capable of growth.

If you’re ready for a space where you can show up exactly as you are, we’ll work at your pace, together.

Hi, I'm Sarah.

For more than 14 years, I've had the privilege of walking alongside people during some of life's most challenging and transformative moments. My career has taken me everywhere from neonatal care to hospice.

Today, I specialize in working with young adults (ages 18–30) who are navigating life's many transitions. Whether that's graduating, starting college, launching a career, building relationships, or simply trying to figure out who they are and where they're headed.

Originally from Colorado, I completed my education there before moving to California, where I earned my clinical social work license and continued developing my approach to therapy. My background has shaped me into a systems-oriented therapist, meaning I look beyond symptoms to understand how relationships, family dynamics, environment, and life experiences all influence your well-being.

I believe therapy should be a space where you feel heard, challenged, and supported. My goal isn't just to help you get through difficult moments—it's to help you build a life that feels meaningful, authentic, and sustainable.

When I'm not in the therapy room, you'll likely find me out for a run, cheering on the Seattle Mariners, spending time with my cats, or seeking out quirky places and new adventures.

I'm honored to do this work and would love the opportunity to be part of your journey.

If you have tried therapy before without the results you hoped for, you may need a more targeted, effective approach. Over the past 15 years of my practice as a clinical psychologist, earning your trust and helping you establish a secure, empowering baseline for your care has been a profound privilege. As a former instructor at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and a provider at the UCLA Insomnia clinic, my goal is to provide more than just a space to talk—I offer the specialized, gold-standard steps necessary to create measurable, lasting change. At my practice, YCBT Services, I focus on working with adolescents, adults, and seniors who feel stuck despite their best efforts, specifically targeting generalized anxiety, social anxiety, OCD, panic disorders, and chronic insomnia. By addressing the underlying triggers that keep you on high alert, I am fiercely committed to helping you move beyond surface-level coping to reclaim your peace of mind.

Hi, I'm Jana Sackett, MSN, PMHNP-BC, an adult psychiatric nurse practitioner treating patients across California by video. I came to psychiatry after more than a decade in emergency nursing, where I learned how often a psychiatric presentation has a medical driver underneath it, so I look at the whole clinical picture, not the symptom in isolation.

I specialize in anxiety, depression, ADHD, mood disorders, trauma-related symptoms, and major life stressors, and I'm particularly interested in how medication, supplementation, and daily structure interact — because for most people it is never only the prescription doing the work.

Your first evaluation is a full sixty minutes, you see me at every visit after it, and we track your progress with the same validated measures each time so we both know whether the plan is working.

I am a board-certified Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP-BC) dedicated to providing compassionate, patient-centered mental health care to individuals across California. With a background in both nursing and psychiatry, I specialize in diagnosing, treating, and supporting patients with a wide range of mental health conditions, including anxiety, depression, ADHD, bipolar disorder, and more.

My Ph.D. is from Biola University, and I completed my clinical internship and post-doctoral training at Aurora San Diego, a psychiatric facility where I worked with civilian and active-duty military adults. That training grounded me in CBT, ACT, DBT, and trauma-focused therapy, including CPT (Cognitive Processing Therapy) for trauma, with extensive experience treating anxiety, depression, and suicidal ideation. I have been working with clients since 2019 and became a licensed psychologist in California in 2026.

Outside of work, I'm usually training for my next Spartan race, swing dancing, deep in a Lego build, or out exploring a trail. I'm also an avid reader and always on the hunt for a good new coffee shop.

Hi, I'm Fanta—yes, like the soda (and yes, there's a story behind it, but of course it has nothing to do with soda!). With nearly 20 years in the mental health field and over a decade providing therapy, I've walked alongside children, families, couples, and adults as they’ve faced some of life’s toughest moments.

I truly believe that “the struggle you're in today is developing the strength you need for tomorrow.” Life brings challenges, but how we respond to them shapes our path forward. I’ve been there too, and I know how important it is to feel supported as you find your way through.

My goal is to work with you—not for you or around you, but with you—as you build the tools and confidence to navigate whatever life throws your way. We’ll work together to recognize negative thought patterns, build self-compassion, and strengthen your connection with yourself and those around you.

More than anything, I’m here to create a space that feels safe, empathetic, and judgment-free. A space where you can be fully you, speak your truth, and start to heal.