Trauma and PTSD therapists & psychiatrists in La Mesa, CA

I am an LMFT trained and experienced in a wide variety of health conditions and clinical disorders associated with Psychology providing the highest standard of patient care. I am a Registered Play Therapist (RPT).

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.

I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with more than 25 years of experience providing mental health services in behavioral health, crisis intervention, community mental health, and medical settings. I work with children, adolescents, adults, and families navigating trauma, anxiety, depression, life transitions, family conflict, and other emotional challenges.

My approach to therapy is collaborative, compassionate, and trauma-informed. I believe healing happens when clients feel safe, understood, and empowered. I work alongside clients to build on their strengths, develop practical coping skills, and create meaningful, lasting change in a supportive and nonjudgmental environment.

Throughout my career, I have provided therapy and clinical support in outpatient, community-based, hospital, college mental health, and correctional settings. In my private practice, I provide bilingual psychotherapy to individuals and families experiencing trauma, stress, relationship challenges, parenting concerns, and behavioral health issues. I also have extensive experience supporting foster, adoptive, and biological families caring for children impacted by trauma and attachment-related difficulties.

My professional background includes crisis stabilization, risk assessment, treatment planning, wraparound services, and multidisciplinary care coordination for youth and families with complex needs. I am also a part-time lecturer in the School of Social Work at San Diego State University, where I teach and mentor future social workers.

I am passionate about culturally responsive care, equity in mental health services, and helping clients feel empowered throughout their healing journey. I provide services in both English and Spanish and welcome clients from all backgrounds.

Life's challenges can sometimes feel overwhelming, whether you're struggling with anxiety, depression, relationship concerns, grief, or the transitions that come with different stages of life. You don't have to navigate these experiences alone. My goal is to provide a safe, supportive, and judgment-free space where you can feel heard, understood, and empowered to move toward meaningful change from an eclectic evidenced based approach that promotes hope, stability, and wellness, including faith-based perspective.

I specialize in working with adults and older adults experiencing anxiety, depression, grief and loss, intimate relationship conflict, and couples counseling.I believes my purpose is to assist individuals to live life healthy and with hope.

I have extensive experience with substance abuse, holding a previous Certified Alcohol Drug Certificate (CADC) in Illinois, previous certification as an Emergency Services Prescreener with mental health, certified as a Clinical Trauma Professional, trained in level 2 of the Gottman Couples Method, experienced with anxiety, depression, grief & loss, and intimate relationship conflict. I received an outstanding excellent therapy award in 2021 and am committed to lives being changed. I am inspired daily by my husband, two adult children, and in love with my five grandchildren. In my spare time I love exercising, running miles, and reading educational/spiritual literature to keep myself sharp to assist others in sharpen themselves.

I'm Melody Claiborne, a board-certified Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP-BC) licensed in Washington and California. I specialize in ADHD, anxiety, and depression, offering thorough diagnostic evaluations and personalized medication management for adults. I believe in care that sees the whole person — not just a diagnosis. Having witnessed patients go unheard during their most vulnerable moments, I built my practice around genuine advocacy and connection. I work at your pace, in a safe and supportive environment where your concerns are fully heard and your goals guide your treatment.

I am a psychologist who works well with adults facing life transitions such as parenting, changes in relationships, career shifts, crises of faith, or loss of a loved one. My doctoral research on self-sabotaging dynamics has informed my clinical approach to addressing patterns of "stuckness."

I have 10 years of experience working with children, individuals, couples and families to using a strength-based, systems approach. For couple’s I utilize Gottman-based approaches.

As a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist with nearly two decades of experience, I provide therapy that is both clinically grounded and deeply human. My practice integrates Trauma‐Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, early childhood psychotherapy, and perinatal mental health frameworks to support individuals and families through complex emotional and relational challenges

Emphasis on SELF~LOVE simply loving yourself unconditionally 1st, 2nd, and 3rd allows for a greater capacity to attract MANIFEST and receive the greatest REMEDY “LEARNING TO LOVE ONE’S SELF”

YOU MUST LOVE YOURSELF more patiently COMPASSIONATELY graciously SINCERELY and honestly with FORGIVENESS

Determined COMMITMENT to being ABSOLUTELY HONESTY with OURSELVES & ULTIMATELY SURRENDERING TO OUR HEART’S PURPOSE WILL IGNITE the GREATEST and most PHENOMENAL expression “THE PERFECTING OF SELF LOVE”