Find a therapist in San Diego, CA — covered by insurance


Top therapists in San Diego, CA accepting new patients
Seeking therapy in San Diego? Access 8,382 providers across neighborhoods including Mission Hills, Ocean Beach, and Hillcrest. Headway supports talk therapy and medication management with sessions available as soon as next day, often covered by insurance.
I am a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in California, and I have really wanted to build
something of my own for a long time. Going into private practice was not an impulsive decision. It is something I have thought about carefully, and I am committed to making it work well for the people I work with. My background includes clinical work with adults and families
across a range of settings from psychiatric hospitals, to non profits and private practice. I am based in the Coachella Valley and serve clients throughout
California via telehealth. I am also in the process of establishing an in-person office here in the
valley, because I know how hard it can be to find consistent, quality mental health care locally.
I work with adults navigating anxiety, depression, trauma, and life transitions. I also work with people dealing with chronic stress, relationship challenges, and the kind of emotional weight that builds up when life keeps asking more of you than you feel you have to give. I have a
particular connection to working with Latino and bicultural clients, single parents, and people who are navigating coparenting and the identity shifts that come with it.
Just joined Headway. I'm excited to be here. I love my work with clients. My goal is to uplift my clients toward being their best confident purposeful selves.
Specialties: Self-Esteem, Boundaries, Awareness, Positivity, Spiritual Growth, Work & Life Challenges
With your interest, this is what we are able to do together:
"Sierra Forest is a talented and empathic therapist who has the ability to help people change and transform their lives."
Bob Shelby, LMFT, John F Kennedy University
You are welcome here. Let’s find your path to inner peace and personal growth. I offer a safe space where you can explore your feelings and thoughts, overcome challenges, and develop your full potential. Whether you're feeling anxiety or going through any of life transitions, I'm here to support you on your journey. Take your first step towards a happier, healthier you.
My goal is to create a space where you feel seen, understood, and supported. I believe mental wellness is an essential part of overall health, and that healing begins by moving from survival to thriving through nervous system regulation, processing past experiences, and strengthening the mind-body connection. Meaningful change and healing happens within a strong therapeutic relationship built on trust, authenticity, and collaboration. Whether you're navigating anxiety, depression, trauma, relationship challenges, addiction, performance anxiety, work-related stress... or simply feeling overwhelmed by life's demands, we'll work together to build insight, process difficult experiences when appropriate, develop practical coping skills, and create meaningful, lasting change.
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.
Click on my website to get your insurance benefits verified and schedule directly with me!
Hello! My name is Janette Ruano. I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker practicing in Los Angeles County, California. I provide Telehealth services for children, adolescents, and adults throughout the state of California. I specialize in depression, anxiety, stress, and trauma.
Hi, I’m George. I am a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist with over 17 years of experience working with individuals, couples, groups, and families. I bring a diverse background and wide range of interests to my work as a mental health therapist. I have experience working with groups, couples, families, and individuals of all ages. Some of my major areas of focus include grief and loss, anxiety, depression, posttraumatic stress disorder, gender identity concerns, and LGBTQ issues. Other areas include panic disorders, anger management, divorce, and blended families.
I received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from California State University Northridge and a Master of Science degree from California Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks, California.
You may have held doubts about talk therapy and perhaps are thinking therapy may not work at all for what you are dealing with. Psychotherapy like all science is continually changing. Both new and long held approaches to well-being are vast. I invite you to consider Brainspotting before you rule out therapy entirely. My role as a Brainspotting clinician is to offer you support, as you discover your innate capacity for positive self change. I specialize in trauma focused therapy, specializing in treating anxiety disorders. I focus on various forms of addiction, OCD, behavioral issues, depression, bi-polar and mood disorders.
I am a masters level trained Brainspotting clinician and a U.S. Army veteran. I believe in facilitating change in a supportive environment, following and observing your amazing capacity to heal from trauma in your therapeutic work. I work with veterans, first-responders, and other populations struggling with unresolved trauma and anxiety disorders.
Your unique circumstances are to be understood, honored respected and explored in a judgement free, supportive and caring environment. The issues that you bring into therapy remain entirely up to you. I will listen to your wants and needs; joining you on the journey towards your desired sense of well-being.
Robert Troy Vander Zwart obtained his Master's Degree at Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary and has over 25 years of experience. Prior to beginning in his private practice Troy worked in a variety of clinical settings. Troy's specialty is counseling individuals with symptoms of depression and anxiety and who have experienced trauma. He also has a passion for couples counseling, marriage and pre-marriage counseling, and family therapy.
Melinda Fay is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist with a specialty in Art Therapy. I received my MA in Psychology from Phillips Graduate Institute in 2002 and I have been licensed since 2008.
While depression & anxiety may be reasonable responses to your life experiences and the state of the world, that doesn't mean you have to suffer alone. You deserve support. I strive to create an environment where you can safely lean into difficult feelings and process your past and present without shame or judgment. We will work collaboratively to unpack the impact of systems, relationships, & intersectional identities (i.e. women of color, immigrant background, cultural stress) on your well-being. Together, we’ll explore healing as an act of empowerment & transformation.
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.
About our therapists located within 20 miles of San Diego, CA



- 99%Anxiety
- 96%Depression
- 92%Stress management
- 91%Relationship issues
- 75%Trauma

- 99%Aetna
- 70%Carelon Behavioral Health
- 63%Anthem Blue Cross California
- 53%Cigna
- 47%Providence Health Plan

- 92%English
- 22%Spanish
- 4%French
- 3%Arabic
- 1%Farsi

- 95%In-person or online
- 5%In-person only

- 68%Woman
- 32%Man

- 55%Licensed Marriage/Family Therapist
- 21%Licensed Clinical Social Worker
- 13%Clinical Psychologist
- 11%Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor

- 100%Individual therapy
- 37%Family therapy
- 24%Couples therapy
- 18%Child or adolescent therapy
Frequently asked questions


Find the right therapist for you
Headway makes it easy to find support for your mental health — from finding the right provider, to understanding costs, to scheduling with ease.
Factors to Consider When Choosing an Anxiety Therapist in San Diego
Searching for therapists in San Diego starts with knowing what kind of support fits your needs. A San Diego therapist may help with anxiety, depression, relationship challenges, grief, trauma, or life transitions. As you compare options, look for a therapist whose listed specialties and approach match what you want to address. Some profiles mention methods like cognitive behavioral therapy, eye movement desensitization and reprocessing, or acceptance and commitment therapy, while others focus on areas like couples counseling in San Diego, identity-affirming care, or support for specific life stages.
San Diego has many therapists across neighborhoods like Hillcrest, Mission Hills, North Park, La Jolla, and Ocean Beach, which can make the search broad rather than simple. Consider whether you prefer an office near home, work, or school, or whether virtual sessions fit your schedule better. You can also narrow your search by appointment availability, whether a therapist is accepting new clients, and whether they offer a free phone consultation. Reading therapist profiles before booking can help you understand their communication style, session structure, and experience with concerns that matter to you.
Therapy in San Diego can be a significant expense without insurance. Using in-network insurance is one of the most reliable ways to reduce session costs and understand what you may pay before care begins. Headway helps you search for therapists in San Diego, CA, compare profiles, see estimated out-of-pocket costs, and book directly when you are ready. Nationally, Headway partners with 70+ insurance plans, and you can enter your plan details to confirm coverage for your location and specific benefits.
If you're experiencing or worried about violence, threats, or coercion in your relationship, couples therapy isn't usually the right starting point — individual support is safer. The National Domestic Violence Hotline (1-800-799-7233, or text START to 88788\) can help you think through next steps.
Use left and right arrow keys to switch tabs. Press Shift+Tab to return to the tab list from links in the selected tab.





































