Therapists in San Jose, CA

Are you feeling depressed, anxious or having relationship issues? You don't have to feel that way. I'm a compassionate therapist who can help you have a joyful life. For 15 years, I've used Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) in English, Spanish and Portuguese to help adults, couples and teens. I primarily use CBT, but depending upon what's best for you, I use Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), Mindfulness-Based Therapy, Solution Focused Brief Therapy and Positive Psychology. I treat depression, anxiety, relationship issues, PTSD, phobias, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), sexual issues, and victims of sexual and physical abuse.

Most people who reach out to me feel like there's some sort of a gap between what they want and what they have. This gap is uncomfortable, upsetting, or might be painful. And often it's unclear why this gap exists or what can be done to close it or at least narrow it down a bit. Each one of us has a set of life circumstances that need to be taken into account when attempting to improve on our lived-experience. Psychotherapy is the arena in which those personal circumstances, individual preferences, needs, wants, and struggles can be explored.

Hello, I am John Avitabile, thank you for contacting me in your search for a mental health professional to help make your life a little bit more rewarding and enjoyable. I am licensed to practice in California as a Marriage and Family Therapist and have come to the practice of psychology late in life after four previous successful careers. This life journey has provided me with an unusually broad combination of formal education and real-life work experience that is quite unusual in this field.

Briana is extremely compassionate, attuned, non-judgmental, and deeply cares about her clients. She is an advanced practitioner in CBT, DBT, and EMDR Phase I-III. She most recently worked as a psychotherapist at Mental Health America Los Angeles Wellness Center (MHALA) and was widely loved by her clients. Briana has worked with depression, anxiety, mood disorders, trauma, family crisis, and relationship conflicts.

I work with individuals and couples interested in gaining insight into relational patters with the goal of empowerment. I work with those interested in exploring the intersection of how we are shaped by society and culture, how we are shaped by our ancestors, family systems, and our own beliefs about who we are impact what we imagine we are and may become. I work with clients struggling with anxiety, depression, self-harm, self-confidence, and relational conflict who desire ease and balance. I am interested in sexual empowerment and sexuality, and I inhabit and work with alternative relationship styles including non-monogamy.

I am a licensed psychotherapist with over 30 years of experience in Psychotherapy, Relationship/Marriage Counseling and Organizational Development and Transformation. Before becoming a licensed psychotherapist, I was a wooden boatbuilder, USCG Licensed Captain, businessman and educator. I still am. Over the years, a diverse spectrum of individuals, couples and groups have arrived in my practice with an equally diverse spectrum of challenges …some common …some not so common. We have worked on them together, usually with satisfying success for all concerned.

You have landed here because you are wanting to make a change, heal, live a more fulfilling life... you have experienced something that changed your perception of life, of safety, maybe even of who you are, and how you relate to others. You want to forget pain, enjoy life, find serenity, and feel whole again. I make use of different tools, based on western theories and knowledge as well as ancient and spiritual practices, to support your desired change considering your strengths and your unique living experience.

Just like life, therapy is both an adventure and a risk. As a therapist, I encourage you to focus on the concept of choice. Our lives are constantly filled with the need to make choices. Should you be in a relationship or leave one? Is your current job the right one for you? Can you learn how to accept and express your needs? Choosing a therapist can be very confusing, but choosing the right therapist can be crucial to living a happy and fulfilling life. I specialize in helping you develop tools for managing depression and anxiety as well strengthen your ability to communicate and experience a more fulfilling life.

Living authentically requires courage. Sometimes past experiences can feel like a barrier that has to be removed or denied. My practice focuses on honoring the life that has shaped you, and empowering you to use those formative incidents to understand and grow into your truest self. My approach is collaborative, holistic and creative. I work with a variety of treatment styles to support my clients to go deeper into self-knowledge and self-acceptance. Modern life presents sometimes-complicated and difficult situations My job is to empower you to respond to those opportunities from a realistic, authentic self.

Our mission is to provide quality online mental health and substance abuse services while breaking down the barriers of traditional, office based therapy. Traditional mental health and substance abuse treatment tends to focus on what makes you sick, what you are lacking but at The Mindful Lemon, our clinicians let you sit in the driver’s seat, focusing on your strengths and assets to help you become the best version of you! This can be via traditional talk therapy, medication management, mindfulness techniques, an emphasis on health, wellness and fitness or any combination of the above.

You may be an artist. You may be an academic. You may be an activist. I have been all three of these, and I speak their languages: of creativity, intellectual enlivenment, and social justice. And right now, in this time of upheaval and unrest, you may be hurting--feeling lost, adrift, burned out, under- or over-stimulated, or simply sad. I am here to connect with you. To listen compassionately. To make space for you to better hear yourself, and to encourage linkages, mentalizations, and trauma metabolizations that will allow you to better listen to the rhythms of your body and use your own mind. I offer you my mind in this pursuit.

No matter who you are, we all can benefit from talking to someone who can offer support, practical skills and hope when life gets rough. From these life challenges we learn and grow. I see this as an opportunity to dive into what can sometimes be uncomfortable but what will ultimately set you free. I seek to offer a safe environment where you feel truly heard and seen for who you are. Where your differences are a strength and your challenges are met with compassion and insight. I seek to nurture the spark of passion for life in you so that it grows to a life where you find meaning and fulfillment and even joy.

I am a no-nonsense therapist who quickly establishes a safe relationship with the client to work on the presenting issues. I connect particularly well with bipolar clients.

You are taking an important step towards shaping your life. I provide a safe and confidential environment in which you can take an active role in deepening your self-awareness and self-understanding. My approach to working with you is infused with creativity, humor, and non-judgement. Our therapeutic relationship will be focused on you and your goals. Everyone faces difficult issues and choices throughout their lifetime. It is my hope that our alliance will empower you to navigate present and future life challenges.