LPCC, 7 years of experience
Hi! I'm a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor (LPCC) and a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) based in Salinas, California. I received my Master's Degree from Brandman University in Monterey, CA and have been practicing since 2018. I help individuals with trauma, addiction, and feelings of anxiety, stress, hopelessness and depression with learning the coping skills necessary for the healing to truly begin. I will be with you on that journey of healing and the path to finding your authentic self, gaining confidence and contentment.
In our first session, we will start with brief introductions and review of informed consent. We will discuss your reasons for seeking therapy, what has or has not been helpful in the past, and what you hope to get from therapy/your goals. This will assist us in collaborating on your personal treatment plan that we will use as a guide to help you reach those goals.
I have worked with many different populations, and the one thing that most populations have in common is some form of trauma, dysregulated emotions and thoughts, and challenges with healthy coping skills. I feel that all of these commonalities have helped me to gain deeper access to my client's unmet needs and desires and their difficulty opening up painful memories and experiences. I have an understanding of challenges related to one's "wounded inner child" and how to do the deeper work for complete full-body healing.
I love working with teens, young adults and adults who are managing difficult life transitions such as college, career, family, etc. I help them find their voice, power and strength to gain a solid foothold in life. They are goal-oriented, but don't have the tools and skills to manage difficult thoughts, feelings, emotions, and events. They often feel stuck, lose motivation and feel hopeless toward their futures.
6 ratings with written reviews
May 22, 2025
She is easy to talk to and makes you feel safe to tell her anything with out being judged she seems to genuinely care about my well being and that's a good feeling
April 29, 2025
We explored Internal Family Systems in today’s session—deeply powerful, healing, and eye-opening. Stephanie creates such a safe, supportive space with her warm and genuine presence. I’m so grateful for the work we’re doing together.
April 26, 2025
From the start I felt connected to Stephanie. She was very welcoming, eager to listen, and she made an effort to relate to me personally which made me feel like I wasnt being looked down on and my thoughts and feelings were valid. I had a family emergency on one of our appointment days and she contacted me out of concern and really cared that I was safe. That meant a lot to me. Im so glad I chose Stephanie as my provider and it ended up being a great fit.
Stephanie Sanders offers therapy covered by CalViva Health (Medi-Cal), Community Health Plan of Imperial Valley (Medi-Cal), Gold Coast Health Plan (Medi-Cal), Health Net (Medi-Cal), Health Plan of San Joaquin - Medi-Cal, L.A. Care Health Plan (Medi-Cal), Partnership HealthPlan of California (Medi-Cal), San Francisco Health Plan (Medi-Cal) and Santa Clara Family Health Plan - Medi-Cal in California.
With this method we can explore how past experiences can affect our future. We explore past relationships, childhood, traumas and positive experiences to assist the client in gaining insight into current challenges and ways to begin the healing process.
I utilize this method for clients who are struggling to manage their day to day thoughts, feelings and actions. We will explore cognitive distortions, challenge core beliefs, build mindfulness skills, and create safety for trauma work.
I utilize this method with clients dealing with all trauma by establishing safety, identifying and managing difficult feelings, identifying and managing triggers, identifying and managing mal-adaptive coping skills, mindfulness and body awareness training, etc.
I utilize with clients managing challenges related to addiction or personality disorders. This can assist in managing thoughts and feelings that are overwhelming as well as learning skills to shift thinking patterns to a more healthy thought process.
I utilize this method for clients who have challenges understanding their thoughts, feelings and emotions. Also to externalize and explore reasons they are experiencing these particular thoughts, feelings and emotions.