Find a therapist in San Diego, CA — covered by insurance

I'm so glad you're here. I am passionate about the power of story to overcome shame and build resilience. I believe when you go unheard, you go unhealed. Through compassionate connection, we'll create a brave space where your story can unfold at your pace.

Kristina Hillhouse, a licensed clinical social worker, provides outpatient mental health counseling services in California. With an understanding and focus on CBT, DBT, TF-CBT, client-centered, BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, and more, with an emphasis on aiding individuals in their healing journey. I prioritize the clients' mental health support and strive to offer exceptional care.

I believe that human beings possess an innate ability to move toward happiness and health, but sometimes adversity, life transitions, and challenging experiences can get in the way. My approach aims to foster a reparative relationship through collaborative, warm, and interactive sessions.

I work with young adults and adults struggling with stress, anxiety, depression, communication, parenting, grief, trauma, and life transitions. Together, we can discover your personal strengths and build upon them so you can work towards meeting your goals.

Have you ever left a therapy session feeling lighter, only to return the next week feeling right back where you started?

You’ve done the work. You’ve learned the tools and the language to describe your thoughts, feelings, and patterns. Yet the relief often feels short-lived. Insights help in the moment, but they don’t always translate into lasting change in your day-to-day life.

It can feel incredibly frustrating or even hopeless. You might start wondering if therapy is even worth it.

Deep down, you just want to feel less anxious... less stressed... less burned out. You want to feel like yourself again. You want to feel truly connected to others. And you want to stop feeling like a hamster stuck on a wheel, running endlessly with no off-ramp.

If that sounds like you, you’re not alone. With nearly 20 years of working with caregivers, helping professionals, and many others seeking relief. I have witnessed these same struggles time after time. The frustration, the exhaustion, and for many, a deep and unshakable pain that feels like it never ends. The work doesn’t stop, and yet, things go nowhere.

Through my clients, I’ve learned that what usually brings people to therapy is often just the surface symptom of deeply held core beliefs and personal stories that once served them well but now keep them stuck and, at times, repeating a vicious cycle.

Therapy should feel safe, even when it stretches you beyond your comfort zone. If you’re tired of taking three steps forward only to slide two steps back, and you’re ready to step off the hamster wheel, I would be honored to walk alongside you on your journey toward genuine healing and self-discovery.

I’m Fatima Castillo, LCSW, and I also go by April. I earned my Master of Social Work from Brandman University now University of Massachusetts Global and am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in California. My background in social work includes experience in child protective services, adult services, behavioral health case management, and school-based mental health. These roles have given me the opportunity to work with children, adolescents, adults, and families navigating a wide range of life circumstances and challenges. As a therapist, I have provided mental health services to adolescents and adults in a school-based setting and currently provide therapy to adolescents and adults through telehealth. I work with clients experiencing anxiety, depression, stress, trauma, life transitions, relationship challenges, and self-esteem concerns.

My communication style is warm, down-to-earth, and conversational. I strive to create a relaxed, nonjudgmental space where clients feel comfortable being themselves, talking openly, and feeling genuinely heard and understood.

Growing up, I often witnessed conflict at home and learned to keep many of my feelings to myself. During a time when talking openly about emotions wasn’t always encouraged, I remember wishing I had someone who could help me understand and process what I was experiencing. That experience helped shape the kind of therapist I strive to be today—someone who provides the support, understanding, and encouragement clients may need while navigating difficult seasons in their lives.

I believe therapy should be a place where you don’t have to have everything figured out before you walk through the door. We can begin wherever you are.

I live in San Francisco and am a wife, mother and cat parent. I enjoy swimming, gardening and walks and hikes. I enjoy travel and can speak some French

I am an experienced therapist of many years who feels lucky to be in a career that engages my intellect and my heart. I have always had my own private practice which enables me to be creative and flexible in my approach. People, in all their complexity and shared humanity, continue to fascinate.

Dr. Li is a clinical psychologist with a passion for providing culturally sensitive psychotherapy to diverse communities. With fluency in Cantonese, Dr. Li has extensive experience treating multicultural and API clients impacted by immigration, acculturation-based stress, and intergenerational trauma. Dr. Li is known for his warm and caring demeanor, which helps his patients achieve confidence in themselves and a state of peace.

My therapeutic style is warm, supportive, client-centered, and trauma-informed. I believe therapy should be a space where you feel heard, understood, and comfortable being yourself. I work collaboratively with adolescents and adults experiencing anxiety, depression, emotional challenges, and difficulty regulating emotions. Together, we focus on building practical skills, increasing self-awareness, and creating meaningful, lasting change.