I provide a safe healing environment for freeing you to be the person you want to be. You will have a partner and advocate on your side. I have over 30 years' experience in working with individuals, couples and families. Whether you are depressed, anxious, unhappy in a relationship or lonely without one, change is possible. I value the uniqueness of each person. We will work together to find the approach that is right for you. I specialize in helping people move out of stuck places, heal past trauma, and change destructive behavior patterns. As well as being trained in Gestalt therapy and family systems therapy, I am an experienced hypnotherapist and a certified EMDR therapist. I work with the unconscious mind to bring about deep lasting change using one of the fastest processing methods available today. We will work on the level of both the conscious AND the unconscious mind so that the changes you make will be solid and long-lasting. Together we can make your life what you want it to be. Let experience and training work for you.

Since 1993, I have been committed to providing high quality, individualized, and respectful therapy services to clients interested in pursuing positive change and self-growth to enrich their lives. I utilize a collaborative approach to work together with clients to find the best solutions to their problems. By focusing on the "here and now", which includes your thoughts, behaviors, and feelings, we can bring awareness to our everyday activities, and create an intention to make the changes we wish.

Therapy is a rare opportunity to be profoundly understood by another person.If you are looking for that deep understanding and a place to examine your life, I would be honored to work with you. I offer a safe and caring environment with an open, compassionate and interactive approach. My style is mostly eclectic, however my work is informed by ecotherapy,family system theory, attachment theory and the neuropsychology of trauma. Together we will explore the impact of your past on the present; yet because insight alone is often not sufficient in bringing about change, we will also develop concrete tools to help you live a more productive and joyful life. A life that is truly yours! The first step is often the hardest one! Come for a consultation.

Therapy offers us the opportunity to be deeply seen and heard by another. This alone can be healing, even though it may feel scary at first. As your therapist, I listen care-fully to your story and help craft a foundation of trust between us. Through reflections and probing questions, we will explore both what is being said and what is not being said. Therapy provides us with a rare opportunity to explore ourselves in ways that are impossible to do on our own. This can help us navigate parts of ourselves that may not be serving us very well anymore, like a harsh inner critic, people-pleaser, or perfectionist. We can change our relationship to these parts of ourselves, and this can help us free up other voices or energy sources within us that have been silenced or suppressed. The goal is to bring back a sense of aliveness for you, a feeling of connection to your life and the larger world. Grief and loss resulting from a death or other events like the break-up of a relationship, aging, climate change, social injustice, or confronting our past traumas can be very painful. We are not meant to navigate grief and loss alone. Therapists can serve as knowledgeable companions through the territory of grief. I help you move through your pain, introducing tools and techniques along the way that can help you stay afloat. With time, we also explore the new edges that your losses offer you and consider how your loss has changed or continues to transform you. Sometimes we get overwhelmed with the pain that comes from emotional suffering, and we begin to feel like it is paralyzing or rigid. Therapy helps us remember that within the pain is movement, and that means change is always happening. Our time together can help make meaning of this change by bringing it out into the light. I offer both in-person therapy and online therapy to all residents of California. I specialize in working with adults, couples, and groups.

Quite simply, for a nominal fee, I come to you. In that way your therapy sessions take place in a private, familiar setting. I strive to be on time - as I value yours. My general orientation is cognitive behavioral, although, to suit a client I may pull from other therapeutic modalities. The goal is always with the client in mind. I use humor, I believe laughter is good medicine! I'm trained in natural health as well as psychotherapy and may address holistic therapies, nutrition and meditation etc.with my people to see if they might be interested in including such items - if appropriate- in their work.

I have been working as a therapist/social worker with adults, children, and families through different organizations and psychiatric hospitals since 1993. Since then, I have also been on the journey of discovering my own true self through Western and Eastern psychotherapy. Studying both the Western psychology and the discipline of an Eastern mystical path and experiencing them I came to integrate these two schools and incorporate them into my therapeutic work. In my practice, I use mystical stories, and movements, when necessary. In short, my work is to help you to work though your issues and life predicaments to awaken your inner love, and to find joy and beauty in your daily life. Working at The Bridge to Recovery in Santa Barbara for the the last 2 years, I have experienced doing a lot of workshops and groups to help clients with childhood trauma and process addiction. One of the workshops that has been my specialty is Cinema Therapy group. In my private practice I do circle of psycho-spiritual Cinema Therapy groups as well as individual and couple therapy.

Thank you for your interest in my practice. People come to counselors or clinical psychologists for many reasons. I have been in practice for over 25 years and I have had the opportunity to meet with many individuals, couples, and families over those years. While their presenting concerns might vary, most people who seek help from a counselor or psychologist are in pain and are looking for tools and understanding in order to make positive changes in their lives. I take pride in being a "general practitioner" in the field of psychology. I spent many years in training in my field and I continue to pursue continuing education every year. I believe that my education and training make me a better psychologist. I strive to be on the "cutting edge" of advances in my field. I have several areas where I have some specific expertise such as in the areas of depression and anxiety, grief, substance abuse, high conflict divorce and child custody, I feel that my training and expertise are sufficiently broad that I can competently handle the concerns of the vast majority of the people who seek help. In those situations where I do not feel that I am best able to help, I am happy to provide a referral. I have a good working relationship with most of the physicians in the Santa Ynez Valley, and I often coordinate with these physicians regarding medication or other health concerns. I am always open to discussing your specific concerns and whether I might be the best person to help you address those concerns. Feel free to call and leave a message and I would be happy to return your call and discuss your unique situation.

Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist with a focus on providing treatment for the following mental health issues; Posttraumatic Stress Disorder; Child and Adult Sexual Abuse, Domestic Violence, Traumatic Loss, Major Depression, Bipolar Disorder, Suicidal Ideation, Panic Disorder, General Anxiety, Adolescence (Teens), Self-Harming, LGBTQIA+, Substance Abuse Disorders, Military Combat Trauma. Codependency. Parenting. Coparenting. Divorce. Individual, Couples, Family and Children. " A journey of a thousand miles begins with one step" Lao Tzu

I have 24 years of clinical experience working with adults and families, specializing in adolescent psychology and women's issues. I am also trained in Parent Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT), a highly effective model for helping parents deal with disruptive behavior disorders in young children. My clinical specialty is trauma (sexual trauma in particular), and mood disorders. My theoretical orientation is humanistic, but I use many cognitive therapy tools and mindfulness-based techniques as well. Although I address the problem that brings clients to see me, I focus also on identifying each client's strengths and using those strengths to address the challenges they face.

Kris Donna Mack has been a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist on the staff of Ventura Counseling Center for 30 years. She provides individual, couple and family counseling as well as supervising interns on staff. As a Christian therapist her philosophy is that healing and wholeness in a person's life takes place on an emotional, physical and spiritual level. She is married for over 40 years and has two adult daughters. Kris Donna is an advid runner and backpacker. She recently finished her third marathon in 2005 and backpacked the entire John Muir Trail in 2002 with her husband, Kit. She has a passion for life and enjoys being outside in God's creation. Areas of emphasis in her practice have been chemical dependency, especially alcoholism, eating disorders such as bulemia and compulsive overeating, weight control and self esteem issues with women. She also enjoys givng parenting skills to help parents raise their children and doing premarital counseling to help prevent future divorce. She has given seminars in building self esteem in childern and adults. She has taught "Making A difference"- Positive Parenting classes at the Government Center in Ventura, CA. Confidentiality is a high prority with her cleints. She sees change as a process and and helps clients evaluate their belief systems around change in their lifes. She is compassionate with her clients and an encourager and gives them hope. She uses a variety of clinical tools for interventions with her cleints. She realizes each person is unique and taylors their treatment plans to their individual needs.

I am passionate about healthy marriages and thriving relationships, so I work primarily with dating, engaged, and married couples. I teach couples how to assertively ask for what they want and need, how to communicate effectively by allowing their partner to feel safe and heard, and how to resolve conflict in a way that respects, rather than wounds, one another. If you are facing challenging circumstances in your relationship, I believe these can be an opportunity to strengthen your connection with your partner and draw you closer together, instead of driving you apart. For dating and engaged couples, I am a certified facilitator for the PREPARE/ENRICH program and recommend couples considering marriage to complete this valuable instrument. We use your data to identify strengths and growth areas, and to explore opinions about core issues in marriage to find agreement and negotiate differences. I also work with adolescents, individual adults and families to assist with a variety of issues including anxiety, depression, inappropriate anger, divorce recovery and parenting concerns. I offer day, evening, and weekend sessions, as well as a no obligation phone consultation to briefly discuss your situation and answer any questions you have as you evaluate options for counseling.

I work from a place of understanding and appreciation for the fact that you, the client, will be able to know what decisions and choices are best for you when you are given the tools to understand the way you think and feel and what it is that has motivated you thus far. Life is about choices, and everyday you have the choice to do life differently. I can help you come to a place of deeper understanding of yourself and others, gain control over your life, and ultimately feel better and more in charge of your every day interactions and decisions.

Do you wonder if you and your partner are growing apart? Do you keep having the same argument, without anything changing? Do you feel like giving up? Sometimes the feelings that bring couples together get lost in the struggles of everyday life. Learn how to resolve conflicts and share feelings without arguing. Create deeper intimacy instead of distance. Grow together instead of drifting apart. I work with couples and individuals to help them grow together and stay together. I would like to help you and your partner develop a more loving relationship.

Are you ready for real change in your life but don't know how or are afraid to fail? I'm passionate about helping you get more of what you want and less of what you don't in your life. I help you do this by exploring your uniqueness, values, strengths and goals. I then provide direction, encouragement and accountability for you to move forward and accomplish all you desire. I work exclusively with teens and women on issues of self-esteem, relationships, life transition, depression/anxiety, career and personal development. I also offer pre-marital counseling as well as Christian based therapy. I offer life coaching which is very different than therapy. Coaching is a way for you to partner with a professional in discovering what you really want and how to get it in a short amount of time. My clients enjoy the convenience I offer through online video chat and or phone sessions. It provides them greater flexibility in time and less hassle of driving back and forth from appointments. I offer a free phone consultation to assess if we would be a good fit.