Licensed to practice in California and accepts 72 insurances. Specializes in Anxiety, Coping Skills, Trauma and PTSD and 6 more.
Cusanda Howard
Hi I am a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. I have been doing Individual adult, child, and couples therapy for over 34 years. I have been helping people struggling with trauma, learn how to cope with death of a loved one, couples to reinvent their relationships and provide relaxation therapy in groups so they can manage their emotions and behaviors in their lives.
Get to know me
In our first session together, here's what you can expect
In the first session we will do introductions, discuss what brought you to therapy and what are the things that are coming up for you since the traumatic event happened. We will continue to gather information and talk about symptoms for a few sessions, and then we'll put together a treatment strategy to help you with success and goals to achieve.
The biggest strengths that I bring into our sessions
Everyone is born to do something that motivates them and this is their passion. Therapy is my passion and over the past 20 plus years, I have been motivated to help people be open to therapy. What makes me unique is my openness, I'm nonjudgemental, I understand that circumstances make you not who you want to be, I provide constructive feedback, and I assist in problem solving. I'll help you develop coping skills or help you realize you already have a unique, creativeness about you that will help you get through this hard time.
The clients I'm best positioned to serve
I have been working with clients that have been traumatized by a death, usually a homicide, shooting or recent terminal illness of a child, parent , spouse or friend. I work with clients to restore their routines, manage their feelings, insomnia (sleeplessness), depression and other symptoms that are related to PTSD or grief. I have worked with couples to help them find their strengths in their relationships, what blocks them from growing and help them set in place new ways to bring out the part of them that fell in love with each other. I have also worked with clients on relaxation in their bodies and minds. I help people relax and use multiple methods to reduce their symptoms.
Specialties
Top specialties
Anxiety
Coping Skills
Trauma and PTSD
Other specialties
Couples Counseling
Crisis Intervention
Depression
Grief
Self Esteem
Self-Harming
I identify as
Black / African American
Woman
Serves ages
Adults (18 to 64)
Teenagers (13 to 17)
Licensed in
California
Accepts
Aetna
Aetna - ASR Health Benefits
Aetna - Allied Benefits
Aetna - Luminare
Aetna - Medicare
Aetna - Moda
Aetna - WebTPA
Aetna – HealthEZ
All Savers
Ambetter from Health Net
Amerihealth Administrators
Amerihealth NJ Medicare Advantage
Anthem
Blue Cross
Independence Administrators
Independence Blue Cross
Arlo
AvMed
Blue Shield
Blue Shield of California - Medi-Cal
Blue Shield of California Promise Health Plan (Medi-Cal)
Blue Shield of California - Medicare
Independence Personal Choice 65 PPO
Independence Keystone 65 HMO
Carelon Behavioral Health (Commercial)
L.A. Care PASC-SEIU
L.A. Care Covered
L.A. Care Covered Direct
Sutter Health Plan
IHSS Healthy Workers
Cash - $155 per session
Centivo
Central California Alliance for Health (Medi-Cal)
Cigna
Cigna - HealthEZ
EAP:Cigna
EAP:Evernorth
EAP:UnitedHealthcare/Optum
Evernorth
GTEB
Gold Coast Health Plan (Medi-Cal)
Gold Coast Health Plan Total Care Advantage (HMO D-SNP)
Golden Rule
Harvard Pilgrim/UnitedHealthcare
Health Net (Commercial)
Health Net (Medi-Cal)
Community Health Plan of Imperial Valley (Medi-Cal)
CalViva Health (Medi-Cal)
Health Plan of San Joaquin/Mountain Valley Health Plan – Medi-Cal
Humana - Medicare
Humana Dual (Medicare & Medicaid)
L.A. Care Health Plan (Medi-Cal)
L.A. Care Medicare Plus (HMO D-SNP)
UnitedHealthcare/Optum
Optum
OptumHealth Complex Medical Conditions
Oscar
Oxford
Partnership HealthPlan of California (Medi-Cal)
SFHP Care Plus (HMO D-SNP)
San Francisco Health Plan (Medi-Cal)
Santa Clara Family Health Plan - Medi-Cal
Scripps Health Plan
Surest (formerly Bind)
Tufts Health/Cigna
United Medical Resources
UnitedHealthcare Dual (Medicare & Medicaid)
UnitedHealthcare Life Insurance
UnitedHealthcare Shared Services
UnitedHealthcare StudentResources
UnitedHealthcare/Optum - Medicare
UnitedHealthcare Complete Care (C-SNP)
Location
Offers in-person in 532 Oregon St, Vallejo, CA 94590, suite 1
Virtual
My treatment methods
Trauma-Focused CBT
In my experience Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is used used with clients that experience trauma. This trauma starts with the death of a child, parent, spouse, partner, friend, other close family member who may have been killed or severely injured.
EMDR
Used for clients when they have experienced a trauma and they want to be distanced from the memories and current triggers so they can be able to function normally.
Couples Counseling
Couples come to therapy for multiple reasons. I have worked with many couples to help them figure out what is happening in their relationship to cause stress and find ways they can resolve their current relationship tension.
13 ratings with written reviews
March 7, 2026
Cusanda is an amazing therapist! Conversations feel very natural and her responses is very telling that she is listening. She has plenty of experience in a variety of mental health conditions, I am excited for our sessions because I always leave with a new perspective
Verified client, age 25-34
December 12, 2025
She’s been such a great support person and always makes me feel understood and validated. She has been a huge anchor for my healing during this time. I really appreciate her warmth, compassion, the laughter we share, her relatability, and her strength as a woman and mother.
Verified client, age 25-34
November 13, 2025
Originally I was brought to Cusanda because I was looking for a therapist to do EMDR with. And found her. She has been amazing. I feel heard, I feel understood. She has excellent advice. And I really appreciate the treatment path we’ve started. I enjoy therapy with her, it is more like talking to a warm hearted friend than therapy. I absolutely recommend her!! I thank her for her help as well. She is excellent.