Therapists for college students near University of Southern California

Your mind never stops running, yet you still feel “behind.” You're juggling so much—college, career, relationships, identity, or maybe even starting a family. Add in anxiety, the weight of expectations, or ADHD and it can all feel like too much. There is an easier way. Let me help you find it. I’ll provide a culturally affirming, trauma-informed space where we work with who you are—not against it. Together, we'll develop strategies to manage overwhelm, improve focus, and quiet that inner critic. Our work will be collaborative, compassionate, and rooted in curiosity. My goal is to help you experience more calm, confidence, and clarity in your daily life. I'm Nicole Castillo, MA LMFT—founder of MentalPaz, Latina therapist, new mama, and young breast cancer survivor who gets what it's like to balance identity, ambition, and healing. With over a decade of experience, I couldn’t be more passionate about working in solidarity with my clients. Ready to stop figuring it all out alone? Reach out for a free consultation. Let's chat!

Hello! Are you feeling distracted, overwhelmed, easily triggered, lacking motivation, or struggling in relationships? Are you ready for change but unsure where to start? You are not alone, and I am here to support and guide you. My goal is to help you develop effective coping strategies and reclaim your life.

I believe that the core of successful psychotherapy lies in creating a safe place for you to talk about things that are truly important in your life. I am currently an online psychotherapist with over 21 years of clinical experience. I draw from various evidence-based approaches to provide personalized therapy that meets your unique needs. While we cannot always avoid the challenges that arise in our life, we do have a choice how to address them. I believe that there is much to learn from these struggles and that by facing them we create opportunity for making enduring changes in our life.

As a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (#142738), I specialize in trauma, LGBTQIA+ issues, life transitions, anxiety, and depression, I am passionate about supporting adolescents and young adults on their journey to well-being. My commitment to being client-centered means that I prioritize your unique experiences, values, and goals throughout our work together. My approach is client-centered, empathetic, and collaborative. I believe in creating a warm and non-judgmental space where you can feel comfortable exploring and expressing your thoughts and feelings. I recognize the strength within each person and tailor my therapeutic interventions to address your specific needs. I view the therapeutic relationship as a partnership, with your goals and preferences guiding the direction of our work. Building a trusting and comfortable therapeutic relationship is priority. I'll invite you to share what brings you to therapy, your expectations, and any specific goals you may have. This helps me tailor our approach to best meet your needs. It's essential that you feel comfortable and empowered in the therapeutic process. My aim is to empower you with the tools and insights necessary for positive change and personal growth. As far as sliding scale goes, I work with Open Path Collective to offer reduced rates. I also take a variety of insurances. If you are interested, I can also work with helping you get reimbursed for services with Thrizer.

My name is Erika Arias MSN, FNP-BC, PMHNP, I believe that mental health treatment needs to be personalized so that individuals in need of help are provided with unstigmatized care, to be heard, validated, and treated like human beings. I provide psychiatric evaluations and medication management for patients between the ages of 18-70 years old. I diagnose and treat significant depressive disorders, generalized anxiety disorders, PTSD, insomnia, schizophrenia, ADHD, OCD, and mood disorders and provide services in addiction medicine.

With five years of clinical experience, I’ve come to see therapy as a collaborative process of building safety, understanding, and real, lasting change. I am trained in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Trauma-Focused CBT, and Accelerated Resolution Therapy—approaches that allow me to help clients not only shift unhelpful thought and behavior patterns but also gently process and resolve traumatic memories at their source.

I work best with students who may be feeling overwhelmed, stressed, or unsure of themselves and are looking for a safe place to talk. Many are dealing with anxiety, low mood, past experiences, low self-esteem or challenges with friendships, school, or family, and want support in figuring things out. They’re often ready to better understand themselves, learn ways to cope, and feel more confident in their daily lives. In our work together, I offer a warm, supportive, and culturally affirming space where you can be yourself without fear of judgment. We’ll take things at your pace while building practical tools and helping you feel more in control, connected, and supported.

Overwhelmed, scattered, stuck in cycles of anxiety and procrastination. Losing track of time, riding emotional highs and lows, struggling to quiet your mind — and not knowing why. These patterns can be linked to ADHD, and in adults they frequently go unrecognized for years. What builds up in that time isn't just difficulty with focus and follow-through, but criticism, self-doubt, and anxiety that never quite got resolved. The adults I work with are often highly capable people who've built impressive lives, but carry a quiet exhaustion from working twice as hard just to keep up. They mask well in public and struggle privately. My approach integrates multiple evidence-based therapies, including EMDR, a model built on the understanding that your brain has a built-in system for healing — linking difficult or traumatic memories to your adaptive memory network for nervous system healing and cognitive restructuring, so you can move forward with clarity.

Tiffany Milbourne-James is dedicated to supporting individuals in managing their health and mental challenges. In initial sessions, Tiffany begins with introductions and explores each person's unique challenges to develop a tailored plan for ongoing work together. She incorporates motivational interviewing and utilizes a strength-based, mindfulness-based, solution-focused, and emotional regulation approach to therapy. Tiffany is known for her creativity, flexibility, and awareness, always adapting to meet the specific needs of every individual.

Hi, I’m Jamie. I am a board-certified Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner with years of experience treating various disorders. I believe in a compassionate approach to mental health treatment and will work closely with you to develop an individualized treatment plan. I take a holistic perspective on mental health medication treatment and will carefully evaluate your background, lifestyle, and health history to help you choose the right medication. I believe in providing a nonjudgmental and safe space to explore your treatment options. I value getting to know who you are today and understanding your past experiences and future goals. I look forward to meeting you.

Anuri Health and Wellness specializes in personalized care, combining medication management, and lifestyle interventions to empower our clients in their journey towards improved quality of life. Witnessing our clients navigate the challenges of ADHD, finding the right treatment, and undergoing a transformative journey toward improved quality of life is deeply profound. We also treat diverse mental health conditions, we consider it a privilege to be part of our clients' progress, seeing their resilience, hope, and determination shine through as they overcome obstacles and embrace a brighter, more fulfilling future.

Please visit my profile to learn more about my services.

One of the most important parts of therapy is feeling heard, respected, and genuinely understood. I work primarily with college students and young adults who may be struggling with anxiety, OCD, perfectionism, difficult or intrusive thoughts, relationship concerns, or the challenges that come with navigating major life transitions. Whether you are adjusting to college, feeling overwhelmed by academic or social pressures, questioning your path, or trying to figure out what comes next, therapy can provide a space to slow down, better understand what is keeping you stuck, and move toward the life you want to be living. My approach is warm, collaborative, and active. I believe therapy should provide both a space to feel understood and practical tools to help you make meaningful changes. I draw from evidence-based approaches including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and Inference-Based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (I-CBT). Treatment is individualized to your needs and goals, and we will work together to determine what approach is the best fit for you. I have particular experience working with anxiety and OCD, including intrusive thoughts, rumination, reassurance seeking, perfectionism, relationship concerns, and difficulty tolerating uncertainty. I also work with adolescents and young adults experiencing depression, ADHD, academic or behavioral difficulties, and challenges related to relationships, identity, and life transitions. In addition, I have extensive experience working with individuals and families who are part of the adoption constellation. My background includes work in private practice, community mental health, and public and private school settings, as well as teaching in Boston College's Mental Health Counseling Graduate Program. I have nearly 20 years of clinical experience working with children, adolescents, college students, young adults, and families. My goal is to create a therapeutic relationship where you feel understood while also helping you develop the skills to approach difficult thoughts, emotions, and situations differently. Therapy isn't about eliminating every uncomfortable feeling or having complete certainty; it's about learning how to respond to challenges in ways that allow you to move forward and live more fully in line with what matters to you.

I believe that the first step towards change is acceptance; therefore, I strive to create a non-judgmental space, one that views many "symptoms" as coping mechanisms that made sense at some point but have outgrown whatever usefulness they once had. When we can view ourselves with compassion, we can then challenge ourselves to examine thought and behavior patterns that may be keeping us stuck and learn to move beyond them. An important part of this work is getting in touch with our core values and finding ways to remain in alignment with those values as we move towards our goals. When we know what we truly value and can detach from ideas of "right" and "wrong," we often realize that many paths can lead us to fulfillment, and that avoidance of uncomfortable feelings and experiences only keeps us in stasis. In my work, I use mindfulness and cognitive-behavioral approaches, combined with cultural sensitivity and curiosity — as well as a dose of irreverence — to help clients reconnect with themselves and their true values, honor their emotions without being controlled by them, and access their strengths to build resiliency and a sense of purpose. I am a therapist at Octave, a behavioral health practice creating a new standard for mental health care that’s both high-quality and accessible. To learn more about my availability, please reach out to our Client Experience team by emailing or calling.

College can feel like a never-ending marathon of stress, anxiety, self-doubt and no one hands you an instruction manual on how to cope. I’m Ashley, a therapist who specializes in helping students overcome academic burnout, social anxiety, imposter syndrome, and the constant pressure to “have it all together.” If your brain is always racing, your motivation has disappeared, or you’re tired of pretending you’re fine when you’re absolutely not, you’re exactly who I help every day. My sessions are a safe space to be honest, process what’s weighing you down, and learn real strategies to manage your mental health and feel more like yourself. Therapy doesn’t have to be intimidating or boring, it can be empowering, validating, and even a little bit fun. Reach out today, so you can start feeling less stressed and more in control. My approach: It’s all about meeting you where you’re at and helping you find some breathing room in the chaos. We’re not here to fix everything overnight, but to give you the tools to navigate life with more ease, more control, and more clarity. We’ll dive into the tough stuff whether it’s ADHD, trauma, anxiety, relationships, intimacy, or addiction and work through it together, at your pace. My goal is to help you connect with yourself, your emotions, and your relationships in a way that’s empowering, freeing, and totally real. No judgment. Just you, your process, and a plan to get you to where you want to be. I’m here to help you sort through the noise and rediscover the parts of you that bring you peace and fulfillment. So, what can you expect to take away from sessions with me: First off, you’ll get a safe, judgment free space to work through whatever’s on your mind. Whether you’re dealing with ADHD, trauma, anxiety, relationships, or anything else, we’ll tackle it together, at your pace. Expect practical tools and strategies that actually work in the real world, not just in theory. You’ll learn how to manage overwhelm, reconnect with yourself, and feel more in control of your thoughts, emotions, and life overall. But here’s the thing it's not just about checking off a to-do list. It’s about growth, healing, and building a stronger connection with who you are. I bring years of experience working with neurodivergent individuals, people dealing with trauma, and those navigating complex relationship dynamics. I’m here to help you uncover your strengths, break through the blocks holding you back, and get to a place where you can live with more peace and fulfillment. Together, we’ll work on a plan that’s unique to you because you deserve an approach that honors your journey and your individuality. Reach out today on my website for an initial 15 minuet phone consultation.

My clients struggle as you do. Despite being kind, highly driven, and expert problem-solvers, life is hard. When they first come in, they are anxious and burned out from helping, fixing, caretaking, and peacekeeping. They’re acutely perceptive of others’ needs, but struggle to put themselves first. They usually feel overly responsible for others' feelings and needs, trying to control what is outside their control. They have abandoned themselves and grapple with the feeling that their only worth is in caretaking for others. They are exhausted from constantly walking on eggshells with others, worrying about what they say and do. They are paralyzed by self-criticism, perfectionism, and people-pleasing as they try to prove their self-worth and earn others’ love and approval. They feel they’ve lost themselves. All these years of self-sacrifice and making themselves small for others has left them wondering, “Who am I if I'm not taking care of everyone else?” Their desire to fix and hold everyone else’s pain gets in the way of the life they want in so many ways. They aren’t the kind of person they want to be. They feel like they’re failing as a partner, friend, and family member. And their confidence at work is tanking. Before they came to see me, they thought they could never say “no” and would go on doing everything for everyone while feeling empty inside. They worried they would never be the person they wanted to be. And they were pretty certain they would live with constant fear of never being “good enough.” Like my clients, you deserve to know that you are “enough” just as you are. Your worth is not predicated on caretaking for others. You want to step into the vibrant person you know you are and can be. Reclaiming yourself and discovering who you truly are is not out of your reach. If you want to stop feeling small and not feel terrified to be your authentic self, I’d love to help you get there. You don’t have to suffer. I can help. Give me a call to start our conversation.

Please visit my profile to learn more about my services.

I am passionate about empowering individuals around their health and healing process. I help my clients using a holistic approach focusing on the importance and role of self-care. As a professional helper and healer, I have had the remarkable opportunity to be a witness to people’s stories and to guide their journeys. Over the last few years, my approach has evolved beyond exploring thoughts and feelings because those that seek mental health services want to feel better and not just manage their symptoms. I utilize mind-body skills, activities (mindfulness, meditation, yoga, etc.) and one’s own strengths to guide goals of mental wellness and personal growth. I am also a Certified Integrative Mental Health Professional. I am a therapist at Octave, a behavioral health practice creating a new standard for mental health care that’s both high-quality and accessible. To learn more about my availability, please reach out to our Client Experience team by emailing or calling.

I understand the unique needs of various families with their children. I have a strong background in working with children as a school-based therapist, school counselor, and administrator in the school setting throughout Los Angeles County. I specialized in catering to the unique needs of working mothers, adolescents, couples seeking counseling, and families with special needs children. I am skilled with various counseling services, including individual therapy sessions, couples therapy, family therapy, parenting support programs, and relationship coaching. As a single mother of two, one with special needs. My strong suit is to specialize in working with mothers with understanding and compassion by genuinely providing empathy with the stress and pressures of balancing work and family life. I understand the needs of adolescents and recognize their need for supportive mental health services in the areas of depression, anxiety, ADHD, and other behavioral concerns that they cannot manage on their own. I can support families by understanding these needs and helping parents build a strong relationship with their child/children.

Welcome! I'm thrilled to have the opportunity to support you on your journey towards emotional well-being and personal growth. I believe that therapy is a transformative process that can help us navigate life's challenges and discover our true potential. Are you feeling overwhelmed and stressed? These can be symptoms of your life being impacted by past events. I specialize in the treatment of trauma, PTSD, depression, anxiety and relationship issues. Together we will create a safe space where you can feel and be heard. As we explore and reprocess past traumas, we begin to lighten the emotional burden we’ve carried, and sense of relief is experienced. I utilize EMDR, CBT, Somatic Experiencing Therapy and other approaches to assist adults with developing insight and feeling empowered to change behaviors and thoughts that no longer serve them. Remember, healing is possible, and you deserve a life filled with hope, resilience, and recovery. Let’s start with a quick phone call to better understand each other. I offer free 15 minute consultations.