Licensed to practice in California and accepts 55 insurances. Specializes in Anxiety, Depression, Trauma and PTSD and 9 more.
Clients say this provider is
Hi, I'm James. I believe therapy should ultimately help create meaningful change. What change looks like is different for everyone. Whether you're beginning therapy for the first time, returning after time away, or realizing that something in your life isn't working the way you'd like, I would be glad to explore that with you. As a Marriage and Family Therapist and Supervisor with 15 years of experience, I've had the privilege of working with people across a wide range of backgrounds, and levels of need. Much of my career has been spent serving and leading in community mental health, where I saw how our mental health can be shaped not only by our history, but by our families, communities, cultures, and the world around us. I am comfortable working with experiences that are often described as "high acuity," including significant trauma, depression, anxiety, and psychosis. I am equally interested in the quieter things that can make life harder than it needs to be, like the nagging doubts, persistent insecurities, difficult relationships, or old patterns that no longer serve you. Whatever brings you here, you don't need to have it figured out before we begin. My role is to listen, take your experiences seriously, and work alongside you to better understand what's happening and to facilitate change. I will honor your story and your pace while helping you move toward change that feels meaningful and authentic to you.
Our first session is less about arriving at answers and more about beginning to understand what brought you to therapy, how your life feels, and what you hope might be different. I want to understand your experiences in the context of your life, relationships, culture, and environment, rather than simply through a list of symptoms or diagnoses. You can expect curiosity without judgment and a conversation that is thoughtful around pace and treatment planning. There is no expectation that you arrive knowing what to say, what you need, or whether therapy will be helpful. The first session is also an opportunity for you to get a sense of me, ask questions, and decide whether this feels like a relationship in which you can be yourself. Ideally, you will leave feeling heard, better understood, and with a clearer sense of how we might together.
There are many tools and methods for achieving success in therapy, and I am eclectic in my approach to change. I have found that all tools require a solid foundation of safety, transparency and universal positive regard in order to be effective. Every person is unique in their perspective and sensory response to interventions; thus a single tool or treatment modality won't be effective, universally. We find what works, together.
Fifteen years of clinical work have exposed me to a wide range of people, experiences, and challenges. Very little surprises me, and even less makes me uncomfortable. I want you to feel safe bringing the difficult, complicated, or deeply personal parts of your life into the room, knowing that I can meet you there with curiosity, and without judgment.
I have found success working with people who are resistant, new, or suspicious about therapy, including those who aren't convinced therapy is for them. I am drawn to serving people who have been underserved or overlooked, as well as those whose experiences with therapy or healthcare left them feeling misunderstood, dismissed, or pathologized. My approach is deeply informed by work in community mental health, working with people whose struggles could not be separated from poverty, racism, cultural expectations, discrimination, and systemic oppression. That experience taught me to be cautious about pathologizing every problem as being within the individual. Anxiety, depression, or exhaustion can sometimes be understandable responses to the environments and circumstances a person has had to exist in. I have particular experience working with neurodivergent adults, including those who have spent years adapting or masking to navigate expectations that don't fit how they experience the world. I work well with people who have felt different and misunderstood about where they fit, and those who question the demand for conformity about what is healthy, normal, or functional. You may have spent years trying to understand yourself, or never had the time, support, language, or opportunity to do so. You don't need to speak in therapy language, know exactly what you're feeling, or arrive ready to disclose everything. You are encouraged to question the process and tell me when something isn't useful. I see therapy as something we build together rather than something I direct you to do. My ideal client isn't a particular diagnosis or personality type. It's someone looking for a therapist who can take their experiences seriously, and help them build a life that works better for the person they are, instead of the person their family, culture, workplace, or society has expected them to be.
Cash - $200 per session
Aetna
Aetna - Allied Benefits
Aetna - ASR Health Benefits
Aetna - Lucent Health
Aetna - Luminare
Aetna - Medicare
Aetna - Moda
Aetna - WebTPA
Aetna – HealthEZ
All Savers
Amerihealth Administrators
Amerihealth NJ Medicare Advantage
Anthem
Arlo
AvMed
Blue Cross
Blue Shield
Blue Shield of California - Medicare
Carelon Behavioral Health (Commercial)
Centivo
Cigna
Cigna - HealthEZ
Evernorth
Golden Rule
GTEB
Harvard Pilgrim/UnitedHealthcare
Health Net (Commercial)
Humana - Medicare
Humana Dual (Medicare & Medicaid)
IHSS Healthy Workers
Independence Administrators
Independence Blue Cross
Independence Keystone 65 HMO
Independence Personal Choice 65 PPO
L.A. Care Covered
L.A. Care Covered Direct
L.A. Care PASC-SEIU
Optum
OptumHealth Complex Medical Conditions
Oscar
Oxford
Scripps Health Plan
Sharp Health Plan
Surest (formerly Bind)
Sutter Health Plan
Tufts Health/Cigna
United Medical Resources
UnitedHealthcare Complete Care (C-SNP)
UnitedHealthcare Dual (Medicare & Medicaid)
UnitedHealthcare Life Insurance
UnitedHealthcare Shared Services
UnitedHealthcare StudentResources
UnitedHealthcare/Optum
UnitedHealthcare/Optum - Medicare
5 ratings with written reviews
August 18, 2025
James listens and guides me to rethink approaches that may cause me to question approaches or that may cause frustration.
May 27, 2025
Very considerate and warm.
May 5, 2025
I love working with James - our conversations help me understand my brain and accept how my life has played out. We are getting to the heart of it - I feel seen, known, understood and supported.