Licensed to practice in California and accepts 55 insurances. Specializes in Child or Adolescent, Older Adults, Parenting and 4 more.
(she/her)
Often rebooked
Hi, I am a licensed clinical psychologist and my license is based in California. I attended the California School of Professional Psychology where I received my Psy.D. I have been practicing for 20 years and even when not engaged with direct therapy, I have worked with helping families interface with other systems that help children and adolescents. The other area that I enjoy working in is with women who find themselves at a crossroads due to changes in work or family. Life is always changing and sometimes we need assistance in moving on to that next phase.
In our first session after introductions, the client will have the opportunity to share his or her story on how they perceived life prior to the circumstances that orchestrated the change. Included in this would be any information that clarifies how or why the change occurred. The client will then be able to share the outcome and the feelings surrounding the change. It may take more than one session to complete this area but sharing of this information and understanding it is important before we can form a treatment plan that moves us forward.
I am a great listener. I have many years of experience in working with young people and women and have helped them navigate through life's difficulties. I am able to plan and execute that plan to help individuals move forward. Clients have commented in the past on my ability to be calm, listen, and help them move forward. I think it is important that clients feel heard and that you are working with their strengths in helping them to navigate through whatever issues that they might be facing.
I enjoy working with middle age children and adolescents who are having a difficult time managing their school, home, and/or social environment. Often times when working with this age group, it is important to work with parents as well so that together they can navigate the issues that are keeping them from moving forward. Everyone is encouraged to do their part to help the student get out of feeling stuck or down due to whatever is blocking them from moving forward. I also enjoy working with women who might feel frustrated, anxious, or depressed because of a change in their living, working, or social situation. This can help women to feel stuck and unable to move forward as a result of the life change. I enjoy helping them to face the fear of the unknown due to the change, to walk through the steps in navigating the change, and to feel comfortable in their new normal.
Other specialties
I identify as
Cash - $150 per session
Aetna
Aetna - Allied Benefits
Aetna - ASR Health Benefits
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
EAP:Cigna
EAP:Evernorth
EAP:UnitedHealthcare/Optum
Evernorth
Golden Rule
GTEB
Harvard Pilgrim/UnitedHealthcare
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
Person-centered (Rogerian)
I like meeting people where they are and making sure that they feel listened to as we work through the issues that brought them to therapy. This has always been my primary go to and my clients have appreciated it.
Cognitive Behavioral (CBT)
While this is not my primary method of treatment, I have found that some people respond to homework tasks to assist them with a feeling of being hands on through their treatment.
Multicultural
When treating individuals of color it is rare if issues of race do not enter treatment. The same is often true when treating women in positions of authority. Being an individual of color, I have always explored this with clients to make sense of what issues are occurring and how they play into the overall problem which brought the client into therapy.
6 ratings with written reviews
March 31, 2026
Talking to Sandra is like talking to a very wise friend; She is so warm and inviting I instantly felt at ease with her and value and look forward to our sessions,
March 3, 2026
Felt like I was talking to a friend..Felt very comfortable.
May 20, 2025
Ms. Watson made me feel comfortable, understood, and safe. I look forward to our next session.