Find a therapist in Santa Cruz, CA — covered by insurance
Top therapists in Santa Cruz, CA accepting new patients
Headway serves Santa Cruz across all neighborhoods, connecting you with 8,971 warm and solution-oriented providers. Get started with a free intake call, find availability as soon as tomorrow, and benefit from insurance coverage that can reduce your session costs significantly.
Asking for help can feel harder when you've spent most of your life being the one who holds things together. I'm Neydi, a bilingual English and Spanish speaking Licensed Clinical Social Worker with 13 years of experience working with children, adolescents, adults, and seniors. I work with individuals and families navigating trauma, grief, anxiety, and substance use. These challenges rarely arrive alone and almost always connect back to our relationships, our families, and the communities we come from. Clients often describe me as warm, direct, and genuinely invested.
Welcome! I’m so glad you’ve taken the step to begin therapy, and I’m honored to be a part of your journey toward healing and growth. My name is Sam and I am a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) in Arizona and California. Over the years, I’ve had the privilege of working with individuals, couples, and families across a wide range of issues, including relational difficulties, mental health challenges, eating disorders, trauma, and more.
My name is Gerardo Salinas. I have been a Licensed Clinical Social worker and therapist for more than 13 years. I have worked with adults, youth, and families from varied life experiences. I enjoy working with clients from diverse backgrounds.
My goal is to provide a space that feels warm, non-judgmental and more importantly helpful. I work with adults, adolescents and adults who are experiencing trauma, depression, anxiety, grief and many of the other effects and challenges.
My work centers queer and transgender preteens, teens, and adults, as well as individuals with current or past foster care involvement. My clients may be feeling overwhelmed, questioning their identity, or don't know where to start with therapy. I can support you by helping you notice patterns and build trust in your own process.
I take a warm, empathetic, and direct approach to working my clients. I believe that people can be incredibly resilient when they put their minds to it. Together, we can tap into your potential to strengthen your competence and tackle your goals. I will fight for you to rid yourself of unhelpful patterns and narrow the gap to the life you desire.
About our therapists serving Santa Cruz, CA
- 98%Anxiety
- 92%Depression
- 88%Stress management
- 82%Relationship issues
- 79%Trauma
- 98%Aetna
- 79%Carelon Behavioral Health
- 77%Cigna
- 75%Anthem Blue Cross California
- 66%Blue Shield of California
- 97%English
- 17%Spanish
- 2%Farsi
- 1%Mandarin
- 1%Hindi
- 90%Online only
- 10%In-person or online
- 79%Woman
- 20%Man
- 1%Non-binary
- 48%Licensed Marriage/Family Therapist
- 31%Licensed Clinical Social Worker
- 7%Clinical Psychologist
- 7%Nurse Practitioner
- 7%Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor
- 100%Individual therapy
- 37%Family therapy
- 23%Couples therapy
- 15%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 a Therapist in Santa Cruz
Searching for therapists in Santa Cruz starts with finding someone whose experience matches what you want support with. Therapists may focus on concerns such as anxiety, depression, trauma, relationship challenges, grief, ADHD, or life transitions. As you compare options, look for training and specialties that fit your needs, such as cognitive behavioral therapy, eye movement desensitization and reprocessing therapy, couples counseling, family therapy, or work with a licensed marriage and family therapist. A therapist’s bio can help you understand their approach, communication style, and what sessions may look like.
In a smaller city like Santa Cruz, local in-person therapy options may be more limited by office location, commute, and appointment times. Virtual therapy can expand your choices while still connecting you with a therapist licensed in California. Some people prefer meeting in a physical office, while others choose virtual sessions for scheduling flexibility. To narrow your search, review whether a therapist is accepting new patients, has appointment times that fit your calendar, offers a free phone consultation, and works with the type of support you’re seeking, including couples counseling, marriage counseling, or family therapy.
Therapy in Santa Cruz can be a significant investment without insurance. Using in-network insurance is one of the most reliable ways to reduce session costs and see your estimated cost before you book. Headway helps you compare therapists who are accepting new patients, review detailed profiles, check insurance coverage, and book directly when you’re ready. This makes it easier to find a Santa Cruz therapist who matches your needs, accepts your plan, and offers care in a format that works for you.
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.
If anyone in your family is experiencing or worried about abuse, threats, or coercion, joint family or couples therapy usually isn't the right starting point — individual support is safer. The Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline (1-800-422-4453) and National Domestic Violence Hotline (1-800-799-7233, or text START to 88788\) can help you think through next steps.
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