Find Therapists, Counselors and Psychologists in Palo Alto, California
Find a therapist in Palo Alto, California that meets your needs. Browse our comprehensive list of affordable and licensed therapists in Palo Alto to find a professional specializing in counseling people with stress, anxiety, depression, relationship issues, grief and more.
Jasmynn Smith
MA, LMFT
8 years experience
I earned my M.A. in clinical psychology with a focus in marriage and family therapy from Pepperdine University in 2012. Since then, I have worked extensively with children, adolescents, and adults. Additionally, I have worked as a Residential Assistant in a group treatment home for women with Borderline Personality Disorder and emotion regulation issues. Currently, I work as a primary therapist at an outpatient group practice in the South Bay region of Los Angeles where... Read More
I earned my M.A. in clinical psychology with a focus in marriage and family therapy from Pepperdine University in 2012. Since then, I have worked extensively with children, adolescents, and adults. Additionally, I have worked as a Residential Assistant in... Read More
Hello! My name is Brigette and I am a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in East Bay, California. I have 10 years experience working with clients, providing therapeutic counseling services. I have worked with a diverse population of clients ranging from children, teens, adults, and elders. I provide services for individuals and families assisting with issues such as depression, isolation, anxiety, self esteem, trauma, loss, relationship issues, parenting issues, and more. I enjoy working with... Read More
Hello! My name is Brigette and I am a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in East Bay, California. I have 10 years experience working with clients, providing therapeutic counseling services. I have worked with a diverse population of clients ranging... Read More
Thank you for reading my profile. I am a mother, sister, daughter, wife, stepmother, mother-in-law, grandmother, divorcee, widow, and friend. I come to this work as well experienced in life as in training. I did my undergraduate work in Speech Pathology/Audiology and Psychology and my graduate degree is in Counseling Psychology, with a specialty in Marriage Family Therapy. I have additional training in Cognitive Behavior, Family Systems, Grief and Trauma, Narrative,... Read More
Thank you for reading my profile. I am a mother, sister, daughter, wife, stepmother, mother-in-law, grandmother, divorcee, widow, and friend. I come to this work as well experienced in life as in training. I did my undergraduate... Read More
I am a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. I earned my Masters in Clinical Psychology from Antioch University in 2011, and I have been working as a therapist since that time. I work with clients who are dealing with anxiety, depression, career concerns, substance abuse, LGBT issues, family and relationship issues, and coping with chronic illnesses. I utilize various types of therapy in my practice, such as, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT),... Read More
I am a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. I earned my Masters in Clinical Psychology from Antioch University in 2011, and I have been working as a therapist since that time. I work with clients who are... Read More
During the past nineteen years, I have worked as an integral member of a multidisciplinary treatment team providing therapeutic intervention, case management and chemical dependency counseling for a large diverse patient population in an acute psychiatric hospital setting.
As a Licensed Marriage Family Therapist, I have consistently demonstrated a high level of professionalism, therapeutic innovation and ethically responsible approach with resolving the critical issues encountered by our patients. I believe that this quote by Emmett Fox... Read More
During the past nineteen years, I have worked as an integral member of a multidisciplinary treatment team providing therapeutic intervention, case management and chemical dependency counseling for a large diverse patient population in an acute psychiatric hospital setting.
As a Licensed... Read More
I am a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist with experience in working with couples and individuals. I have been practicing since 2013 and am licensed in California which requires 3000 clinical hours prior to licensure, and am and now licensed in Tennessee as well. I have also been working with BetterHelp since October of 2017. I have experience working with a variety of issues but specialize in work surrounding stress and trauma. Much... Read More
I am a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist with experience in working with couples and individuals. I have been practicing since 2013 and am licensed in California which requires 3000 clinical hours prior to licensure, and am and now... Read More
I am a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in California with over 10 years of experience working as a behavioral coach, mental health counselor, a Christian counselor, and a community psychotherapist. I have worked with clients with a wide range of concerns including stress, anxiety, depression, abuse and trauma, bipolar disorders, PTSD, AD/HD, and schizophrenia. During this time, I have helped people with grief and loss issues, life transitions, relationship roles, and learning coping... Read More
I am a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in California with over 10 years of experience working as a behavioral coach, mental health counselor, a Christian counselor, and a community psychotherapist. I have worked with clients with a wide range... Read More
I am a sex-positive therapist that has completed Gottman's Level 3 Couples Therapy training. with this training I focus on improving couple's communication, connection, and intimacy. I have a minor in sex therapy and am very comfortable discussing and working through sexual trauma and issues. I am kink-friendly, poly-friendly and take an non-judgmental, education approach to therapy. I have knowledge and experience with individuals in alternative lifestyles, and ethically non-monogamous relationships.
I am also available to... Read More
I am a sex-positive therapist that has completed Gottman's Level 3 Couples Therapy training. with this training I focus on improving couple's communication, connection, and intimacy. I have a minor in sex therapy and am very comfortable discussing and working... Read More
I believe that changing the way we THINK about something, changes how we FEEL. Since there is always more than one way to think about something, how we feel about Self, Relationships and Life Circumstances is completely within our control. I am a licensed Marriage & Family Therapist (LMFT) and Certified Addiction Treatment Counselor (CATC) who has been practicing Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy since 1994 working with individuals, youth and families in a wide variety of settings... Read More
I believe that changing the way we THINK about something, changes how we FEEL. Since there is always more than one way to think about something, how we feel about Self, Relationships and Life Circumstances is completely within our... Read More
I received my M.A. in Clinical Psychology, Marriage and Family Therapy Specialization in 2011. Since then, I have worked with children and adults both individually as well as with couples and families in Residential, Intensive Outpatient and Outpatient settings. I tailor my approach to what would be best for the client needs at the time. As a result, I have experience providing both brief and more solution focused therapy as well as therapy geared towards... Read More
I received my M.A. in Clinical Psychology, Marriage and Family Therapy Specialization in 2011. Since then, I have worked with children and adults both individually as well as with couples and families in Residential, Intensive Outpatient and Outpatient settings. I... Read More
An Overview of Mental Health in Palo Alto, California
Across the United States, mental illness is creating a health crisis in all types of communities. While many demographics, such as minorities and the poor, are often disproportionately affected, mental illness can affect anyone regardless of age, race, class or gender. One example of its non-discriminatory nature is the city of Palo Alto, California.
Palo Alto at a Glance
Located in Santa Clara County, Palo Alto is an affluent community with a population of approximately 67,000 residents. Palo Alto is in the middle of Silicon Valley, a capital in the tech industry. It is home to some of the largest tech and social media companies in the world. Palo Alto itself is headquarters to a variety of large companies such as Tesla and HP. The median income for residents was over $147,000 in 2017. In contrast, the median income for the state of California was just under $72,000.
Palo Alto residents have a huge rate of higher education. This isn’t surprising considering the number of high-tech employers. Almost 30 percent of adults over the age of 25 possess a bachelor’s degree, while over 50 percent have earned a graduate degree.
Mental Health in Palo Alto
As previously mentioned, there is often concern regarding disadvantaged demographics not receiving the treatment they need for mental health. This is definitely the case in many areas of the country and is an issue that needs attention. For example, the issue of homelessness is often intertwined with the problems of mental health and substance abuse. However, mental illness is not solely a problem among the poverty-stricken. In fact, the opposite is often also true.
Youth Suicide Rate
Santa Clara County was the recent subject of an emergency epidemic investigation by the CDC regarding multiple strings of youth suicides. A “suicide cluster” refers to a group of suicides occurring within a short amount of time in a small geographical area. These generally occur a few times annually throughout the US. However, Palo Alto experienced two “clusters” within a decade – a serious cause for concern.
The CDC “Epi-Aid” report stated that between 2003 and 2015, the suicide rate for individuals aged 10 to 24 years old in Palo Alto was 14.1 per 100,000. While the larger city of San Jose (also located in Santa Clara County) had a higher count of suicides in the same age group, its rate per 100,000 was only 4.6.
Why would an affluent and successful community like Palo Alto be facing a suicide epidemic? Aside from its high income and education rates, the city also has very low unemployment and poverty rates, at 2.5 percent and 6 percent, respectively. It may be easy to think that such a community and its residents must “have it all.” In reality, there are many factors that could contribute to a mental health crisis there. Students may be facing a high level of pressure to perform well in school in order to live up to the area’s educational standard. Becoming an academic over-achiever is likely expected to be able to compete in a job market that is dominated by some of the most successful employers on earth. Stressors like these can contribute to mental illness just as easily as can financial insecurity or poor job markets.
Minorities
Another factor that often comes into play with mental health is race, and it appears that Palo Alto is no exception. Almost 55 percent of the city’s population is white, 32 percent is Asian, 7 percent is Hispanic and 1 percent is black. While each group certainly faces its own issues, the large Asian population is of particular interest in this case, because 40 percent of the “suicide cluster” victims were of Asian descent. With many parents in the area being immigrants, language and cultural barriers may complicate the acknowledgment of mental health problems.
Resources in Palo Alto
No matter your background, it is not uncommon to be affected by mental illness. Fear and stigma can make it difficult to reach out for help, but know that you are not alone. There are many others facing similar issues, and there are resources available to help you cope. The City of Palo Alto website has a list of resources for residents. Another resource you can utilize is E-Counseling. E-Counseling is an online directory designed to help you locate a mental health professional in your area who meets your personal needs. You can take the first step toward a happier, healthier you today.
