Therapists for college students near San Francisco State University
Many people begin therapy feeling emotionally exhausted, stuck, or unsure of where they belong. This can be especially true for those navigating multiple cultures, identities, and expectations at once. When family values, cultural norms, and personal needs don’t fully align, it’s common to feel pulled in different directions—or to quietly lose touch with yourself. Over time, this strain may show up as burnout, anxiety, relationship stress, or a lingering sense that something isn’t quite right, even if everything looks “fine” on the outside. I take a collaborative, culturally responsive approach to therapy that honors the complexity of your lived experience. I don’t believe there is one “right” way to feel, heal, or move forward—especially when identity, family dynamics, and cultural expectations play such a central role in your life. My work integrates evidence-based modalities such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Emotion-Focused Therapy, family systems therapy, and person-centered approaches. Together, we will make sense of patterns shaped by your past experiences and relationships while building practical coping skills that support meaningful, sustainable change. I earned my Master’s degree in Counseling Psychology with a concentration in Marriage and Family Therapy from the University of San Francisco. During graduate training, I completed my internship at Gateway Public Schools, where I worked with adolescents ages 11–18. In this role, I supported students navigating anxiety, depression, trauma, identity development, and a wide range of family-related and personal challenges, gaining hands-on experience working within complex systems that impact young people’s emotional well-being. Over time, clients often gain greater emotional clarity, self-trust, and a stronger sense of agency—feeling more empowered to live in ways that feel authentic rather than obligatory. Therapy is a space where you don’t have to choose between parts of yourself—you can bring all of you into the room. My goal is to create a supportive and affirming therapeutic space where you feel genuinely seen, heard, and understood. We will explore how family dynamics, identity development, and cultural influences have shaped your experiences, while also focusing on what matters most to you moving forward. Outside of therapy, I value humor, perspective, and taking meaningful chances in life. One quote that resonates with me is: “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.” – Wayne Gretzky — Michael Scott. This mindset reflects my belief in growth, courage, and the importance of showing up for yourself—even when the next step feels uncertain.
I know it can be daunting reaching out for therapy - to let in support, to try to find the right fit, to allocate the resources & time. When I was a senior in college, therapy truly saved my life - but I so remember how long it took for me to be able to make that first call. So props to you for exploring! If we end up working together, you will likely share a lot about you. So here’s a little bit about me: I’m a white (French, British, and German heritage), queer, cis-woman from a middle-class background who is able-bodied (with some lived experience of chronic illness). I’m often dreamy, sensitive, irritable, passionate, anxious, patient, funny. I love humor, music, sour gummy worms, Rihanna, poetry, shoes, crying, and books. I’m passionate about social justice and art. I grew up in a coastal town so the ocean feels like home. I startle easily. I love singing and songwriting. Some of the big themes I’ve grappled with during this lifetime are: grief & loss; sexuality & sexual orientation; gender; body image and eating disorders; depression; anxiety; addiction and relationships with family members struggling with addiction; containment; perfection; co-dependence & attachment; sexual trauma; disconnection from creativity; betrayal, infidelity, & trust; monogamy & ethical non-monogamy; suicidality. And here's a bit about my therapy practice: I offer therapy for individuals & partners experiencing a broad range of life challenges. And, I have extensive experience in supporting folks as they navigate the following content areas: communication & relationship issues; grief & loss; identity; trauma; sexual orientation, sexuality & sensuality; creativity; systems & lived experiences of oppression; anxiety & fear; depression; co-dependence; addiction; infidelity, betrayal & trust; and inner-child work. I’m sex-positive, queer, and poly- & kink-affirming, and welcome all ethnic & racial identities & positionalities. The therapy that I offer is depth-oriented and strongly rooted in Gestalt & somatic modalities, as well as intersectional feminism. It is trauma-informed and client-centered. For those that are interested, I also enjoy using intuition, creativity, and the imaginal realms (imagery, visualization, experiential exercises, art, dreamwork, etc.) to support our explorations. If none of that means anything to you (understandable!), here's a *hopefully* less-jargon-y description of how I approach my work as a therapist: I fervently believe that you (and only you) are the authority of your experience. I am here to offer my curiosities, intuition, and reflections — in dialogue with you — to help you explore and discover your truth. I am interested in meeting you wherever you are in the present moment, supporting you to increase your awareness. It is my belief that only by increasing our awareness can we increase our felt experiences of agency and choice…which in turn allows us to live a more empowered, aligned, compassionate, and enlivened life. I care deeply about creating a safe container in our therapeutic relationship — to respect boundaries, to always track for consent and choice, to unambivalently welcome all parts of you, to fervently support both your safety and aliveness. I am passionate about and invested in exploring power, positionality, and privilege. I welcome and support difference, and am committed to efforts to not perpetuate authoritarian and oppressive systems in the therapeutic relationship. I honor & trust the massively creative and adaptive survival strategies that you have developed to keep you safe. And, I also honor the ways that the habitual enacting of those survival strategies may no longer be serving you — that your circumstances and capacities may have outgrown these mechanisms, and that you may need some support in this vulnerable re-emergence into the world. I will sit with you in your suffering. I’m not afraid of the darkness, or of your shadow. I will go to the depths with you. And stay there, in the underworld, with you for as long as you need…until you emerge anew on the other side. I believe that, together, we can co-create a homecoming for you. That our work can guide you home to your innate nature — to your authentic expression of your many parts of self. To your passion and presence and joy. To your aliveness. To feeling deeply nurtured and nourished. A return to self in which you come to truly and intimately know yourself for the first time. I so looking forward to hearing from you & seeing if we might be a good fit to work together, should you choose to reach out!
Even baddies get saddies — and anxiety, right? I get it as I’ve been there and it’s no fun trying to figure things out yourself. Therapy with me isn't about finding a band-aid to make your feelings go away. We’ll take time to understand why you feel, experience, and express emotions the way you do. Don't worry, we’ll go at a pace you feel comfortable with, if/when you're ready to go there. Finding ways to deal with the worries, sadness, stress, burnout, and self-doubts is another important part of therapy and isn’t one-size-fits-all. We’ll take time to unpack everything and tailor things to what your needs are. There are probably things, like old memories and experiences, that have stuck with you for some time. They might impact your self-esteem, your relationships, and how you move about in your life on a daily basis. We’ll work through any obstacles to help you move forward by taming that self-judgy voice of yours and so much more. If any of this sounds relatable at all, let’s schedule a brief phone or video call to see if we'd vibe together. You could tell me more about what you’ve been dealing with and what you're hoping to get out of therapy. I'll share with you how we could work towards your goals together.
Welcome! I use CBT/ACT with Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) to treat OCD, anxiety, and perfectionism, and ComB to treat body-focused repetitive behaviors (trichotillomania, excoriation disorder, etc.). I have experience from three university counseling centers (NYU, Barnard, and Santa Clara University) working with undergraduate and graduate students ages 18-30+.
I believe therapy is a creative endeavor. Having a space to speak freely and be heard with care and attention can provide a person with more internal space for lived experience, emotion, thought and desire. In psychotherapy, you can express your thoughts and feelings and gain insight into some of the unconscious sources of your conflicts. I will provide an attentive ear and a thoughtful mind. Together we can create a collaborative space wherein you can bring your self more fully. My goal is to create a supportive and safe space for clients to talk openly and feel understood. I also believe it is important to help clients connect issues and learn to have compassion for themselves. Along with increasing self-awareness and symptom relief, one of the most important gifts that therapy offers is the hope and possibility for real growth and change.
Do you feel on edge, stuck in your head, or like you can’t fully connect with the people you care about? Maybe your chest tightens in conflict, or you shut down when things get too overwhelming. These are signs your nervous system is in overdrive—and it’s not your fault. Through integrative somatic and creative therapies, I’ll help you tune into your body, calm your system, and feel safer in yourself and your relationships.
In times of change and stress, it's totally normal to feel a bit anxious and overwhelmed. We might find ourselves feeling a bit lost or just going through the motions without much joy or meaning. You might find yourself not being the person that you want to be, feeling completely lost in a new environment, or struggling to adjust to some current transitions in your life. You hold within yourself the resources to move forward into a more fulfilled, joyful, and peaceful life where you feel in control and like you have the tools you need to manage challenges that come up. Sharing your journey with others, allowing them to witness both your joys and struggles as you navigate transitions, can be transformative. Together, we can explore and uncover the resilience and strength within you to foster a more meaningful and joyful life.
Please visit my profile to learn more about my services.
If you are reading this you are likely ready for a shift or change in your life. How to proceed in creating a more satisfying life is often confusing, but it is possible. If we listen deeply and compassionately enough to the wisdom of our body and mind the obstacles to our wholeness can become the catalysts of deeper awareness, meaning, agency and fulfillment. I aim to help you explore both the known and unknown parts of yourself so that you can more easily navigate your inner world, your relationships with others and the complex demands of being human.
My website will help you to understand my work. I have been practicing for 40+ years. I have been a grad psych professor for over 35 years, still teaching abroad. I practice narrative, social construction, and strategic paradigms.
Most days you can pretend that everything is ok--that you don’t need therapy for anxiety—especially if you keep busy. Then there are these moments of panic where all of your emotions hit you and you can’t find a way to feel better. Maybe you drag yourself out of bed to go to work and have anxiety attacks where you cry in the bathroom stall. You try to keep pushing the thoughts or memories that overwhelm you away, to no avail. It doesn’t happen all the time so you can usually tell yourself and everyone else things are fine. But if you stopped for a minute and looked at reality you would notice how unhappy you are with yourself and who you are. Every move you make seems like a reminder of something you did wrong or could do better. It feels like these moments happen OUT OF NOWHERE and a part of you feels like you are going to have to live your life with these intense feelings and memories coming up unexpectedly and just having to grin and bear it until the feeling passes. Or maybe these overwhelming feelings of anxiety and dread only come up when you are dating or when you are close friends with someone. You are usually confident and happy in your life but anxiety eats away at you when you get close to someone. t doesn’t have to be this way. You can reclaim your life. Your body was MADE to feel and EXPRESS emotions. And, if you don't learn how to identify, respond to, and express those emotions regularly- they will come out- in ways that often feel out of control. My name is Lisa Manca and I specialize in working with anxiety/trauma, dating anxiety, and online therapy. My approach will help you learn how to deeply connect with your body, identify what is happening, and move through it with more ease and grace so your body has to send you those big signals less and less. We won't just TALK about what is happening or what has happened to you, we will create new routines, patterns, and strategies that feel GOOD in your body and that work in your life. Our sessions will get you moving through life with more ease (literally), dancing (sometimes), and getting really clear on creating a new way of moving through life and relationships. Through therapy with me, you will find a deep sense of safety and connection to yourself and your body. Your emotions will no longer be the enemy and you will accept who you are and be able to give compassion to yourself. You will connect with yourself, live in your body and FEEL the emotions you were once so afraid to face. Please call (415) 212-8780 to schedule your free therapy consultation now and learn how to live in your body in a way that life has more ease and less panic.
*Serving clients in California, Pennsylvania & North Carolina via teletherapy* I imagine you're looking for help, maybe a kind and guiding mental health professional wherever you are on your healing journey. Perhaps you've felt confused, misunderstood, unseen, overwhelmed with the constant pressures and stresses of this current moment. You may be struggling with shame, self-hatred, a lack of belonging, imposter syndrome. You might feel nervous about asking for help. I welcome the chance to work together in personalized, culturally sensitive, and confidential virtual therapy. As a multicultural and multiethnic cisfemale therapist of color, I seek to understand who you are, your worldview, and your environment. Once you reach out to me, I'll invite you to set up a consultation to discuss your needs, what's going on and how we may work together. We'll get to know each other a little. I'll also invite your questions and perspectives on what you're looking for in a therapist. Together we can help you heal, create a space to honor and respect who you are, and support a life of meaningful connection and empowerment. Contact me or schedule an initial consultation via the secure client portal https://ashleyaclemft.clientsecure.me/!
Profound change occurs at its best in the context of supportive, empathetic, and insightful relationship. Throughout our lives we will all reach certain times where we feel stuck, overwhelmed, helpless, and disconnected from ourselves and our relationships. Maybe this has been you for some time, or maybe this is a more recent state that feels jarring. Wherever you are today, psychotherapy can be the confidential and safe place to show up just as you are. We will work together to uncover and shift the negative patterns keeping you stuck and develop skills to apply off the couch and into your life.
I specialize in working with 1st and 2nd generation immigrants on issues such as anxiety, school stress, intergenerational trauma, and cultural identity issues. I tend to be very active and engaged in session with my clients and enjoy discussing practical tools that may be helpful. I want to learn how your unique environment and experiences have shaped who you are today and the challenges that may occur as a result. One of my passions is working with clients from bicultural backgrounds. Having navigated this landscape myself, I can really empathize with the journey. If you want to hear more about me and my work, please visit my website below to self-schedule a free consult.
I believe that we each possess a great deal of wisdom that offers guidance in simple (though not necessarily easy) ways for us to embody. Therapy can offer time and space to be heard, seen, and supported exactly as you are, so that you may find a way to move towards where you would like to go. Whatever brings you to therapy, my intention is to hold an open, curious and safe space for you to connect more deeply with your experience and for us to collaborate in finding ways to support you. Some of my areas of interest and experience include: life transitions, anxiety and depression, grief, relationship challenges, self-doubt/"inner critic" and perfectionism, searching for life goals and directions, personal growth. I was trained in Somatic Psychotherapy and also have a background in bodywork, approaching therapy from a holistic lens that welcomes the whole person.
Please visit my profile to learn more about my services.
Are you struggling with life's transitions, starting college, anxiety, depression, stress, or grief? I specialize in working with individuals ages 16-35 to help navigate these challenges with understanding and support. My approach focuses on creating a warm, non-judgmental space where you can process your emotions and work toward meaningful goals. In our initial sessions, we’ll explore what you're seeking from therapy, set clear goals, and identify actionable steps. I also provide psycho-education about the symptoms you may be experiencing, which helps empower you to understand more about yourself and what you are experiencing. I used an integrative model to support client's in reaching their therapy goals. I will work together with you in creating reachable goals, creating a safe and non-judgmental environment for you to identify and process your emotions. I utilize different interventions depending on client's needs, but primarily use a person centered approach with CBT. Please feel free to reach out to me for a quick introductory call for us to see if we would be a good fit for one another in building a therapeutic relationship. I know it can be hard to find a therapist, I am hoping to make the process as smooth as possible.
Please visit my profile to learn more about my services.
Please visit my profile to learn more about my services.