This review is specifically for Jeanette Shepherd of Good Therapy. We see Jeanette at the Sorrento…read moreValley location. She has been providing therapy for a family member for over a year. She primarily does individual sessions, but we sometimes we have family sessions when there is an issue that needs family communication and support. Jeanette is warm, kind and comforting and creates a safe and welcoming environment. She has helpful insights and (actionable) suggestions. It is hard finding a good therapist and it took us several before finding one that was both a good match/fit and helpful. My only dream wish is that Good Therapy accepted insurance.

My sessions have been so helpful and given me so much insight. Angie always makes me feel so…read morecomfortable, asks such insightful questions and provides amazing support. I always look forward to our sessions!

This is a top tier therapy agency. My longtime therapist, Amelia Scarcella, has been vital in…read morehelping me address my mental health goals, doesn't pull punches but gives be concrete action items and 100% helpful feedback. Can't recommend them enough!

Christa is a lovely, joyful, positive, insightful counselor. We're probably some of the most…read moredifficult clients and she handles it with patience and grace, while being straight forward and no nonsense. Thank you!

I've known Marni as a colleague and collaborator for about 4 years, now. What strikes me the most…read moreabout her is her commitment to mindfulness and gratitude. These are principles that she not only encourages in her clients as a way to heal, but they are principles that she also practices in her own life. She is gentle, supportive, and authentic. When working with Marni professionally, I've seen her treat people with respect and kindness, work hard to make others feel seen and heard, and challenge people to make positive changes in their lives. I count myself lucky to have her as a colleague, and I have every confidence that she is a fantastic therapist.

If you are seeking a life filled with happiness, mindfulness, and gratitude, Marni is for you. She…read moreis inspirational, healing, and brilliant. Her wise insights have helped me accomplish my personal goals, and deal with difficult situations. I highly recommend Marni to anyone who wants to talk, grow, and understand their lives better. She is simply THE BEST.

Julie is amazing and anyone living in the area is extremely blessed! I have a friend who drove over…read morean hour to get to his sessions weekly and I actually was able to meet her over the phone for a few sessions to work out a little blip in my own life. She has wonderful perspective and insight. she is a soft place to fall when you need it most. She is an expert in many areas and very skilled in what she does and yet she is one of the most down to earth and comfortable people to talk to. I was impressed with her professionalism and yet felt valued as a client. She makes you feel as if you are her number one priority when you are talking to her and as if she truly understands you. She shared a few key things that resonates with me still and gave me my AHA moments to move on. She always responds and returns calls or emails promptly and THAT was huge for me! Ten stars!!! If I could!

Julie is a terrific counselor. She was recommended by a friend of mine and I have seen her off and…read moreon for about 4 years. New problems, new solutions. She is so great at getting to constructive solutions! I have recommended her to two other friends and they both saw her and were very pleased with their new found ability to cope. Julie uses some interesting methods that seem to work. I have a new relationship issue to work through and I am going back soon. Call her.

The best therapy I've ever received. I truly enjoy Dr. McClune. She is patient and offers great…read moreadvice.

I started seeing Dr. B Castillo around April 2016. I was just having a really hard time handling my…read moreemotions, and felt like I was constantly on edge, irritable, tired all the time, yet unable to fall asleep at night. Dr. Castillo was warm and friendly from the moment we met, and I immediately got a good vibe. She helped me manage my anxiety by giving my specific, concrete behavioral goals, and always followed up during our next session, even if they were a few weeks apart. I was at first a bit caught off guard by how direct she was, but she must have sensed what therapeutic style would work best with me, because it really was perfect. No extra lengthy extrapolations about how/why my symptoms/feelings/behaviors developed, and very solution-focused. This led to me feeling SO productive after every session. Dr. Castillo really helped me to process my emotions through some extremely difficult times. Importantly, she helped me to realize some of my automatic thought patterns that were SUPER unhealthy, and provided me with the resources and support to identify and stop these thoughts from taking over my mind. I stopped seeing her when I moved out of state recently, and have definitely left as a calmer and more confident person. Lastly, the most important, I don't know if I ever would have made the decision to adopt my foster dog if Dr. Castillo didn't recognize how happy my animal shelter volunteer experiences made me, and how most of my fears/concerns about dog ownership were completely ridiculous. I can't even imagine my life without my fur baby, who somehow knows to gently lay beside me when I'm crying, who keeps me company, makes me laugh, keeps me active, keeps me on a schedule, and keeps me acting responsibly.

My fiancé and I started seeing Lori during a really important time in our relationship, and we…read moretruly cannot say enough wonderful things about her. We are getting married in June and could not be happier, and Lori has played such an important role in helping us build a healthier, stronger relationship. I've seen many therapists and couples counselors throughout the years, and Lori is truly the best. Lori is the absolute best. She is compassionate, understanding, and creates such a safe and comfortable environment where we both feel heard and supported. You can tell she genuinely cares about her clients and wants the best for them. Her guidance, patience, and insight have made such a positive impact on our relationship and on us individually as well. We are incredibly grateful for all of her help and would recommend Lori to anyone looking for a caring, knowledgeable, and genuinely dedicated couples counselor. Thank you so much Lori!

Lori has been so helpful to both me and my wife! She helped my wife and me navigate some of our…read moremost difficult times with calm guidance and real insight. Thanks to her, we learned to communicate better, understand each other more deeply, and face challenges as a team instead of feeling overwhelmed and isolated. Individually, she's been transformative for me as well. In a safe, non-judgmental space, she helped me recognize my strengths and weaknesses, accept them without shame, and gain practical tools to manage my reactions with greater self-awareness and emotional control. If you're seeking a caring therapist who delivers lasting results for both couples and individuals--whether in person or online--she's outstanding.

We were looking for faith based family counseling in San Diego..... my wife found him and scheduled…read morean appointment. We are so happy to have found Mark. He's got us to focus on the issues, giving step by step instructions to identify our blind spots. We weren't necessarily on the verge of divorce.....but definitely needed help in communicating and understanding each other! I couldn't recommend Mark any more.... We thank God for him!

I was looking for help to regain perspective and mend my marriage that was in trouble after…read moremultiple counts of infidelity over the years (caused by a significant difference in libido with my partner). Alas, after explaining my situation in detail, we did not receive any useful advice. Mark did not really want to understand the origins of the marital problems nor did he give any suitable advice. He has bad judgement as evidenced by him refusing to get a covid vaccine and still meeting clients in person w/o masks. Also, he feels it's ok to take personal calls while in session. He failed to follow up with us after a few sessions, so it looks like he's not really interested in helping. He actually made the situation worse. We are now both with a new counselor who is listening, understanding and non-judgemental and truly interested in helping to get a good outcome. Don't waste your time with Mark

I was so fortunate to find this place because I truly believe it saved my life…read more I was caught in the grips of the relentless cycle of addiction. I would have periods of time when I wanted to get clean but no matter what I tried I could not get out of this devastating cycle. Addicted to drugs for 15 years I was hopeless and running out of options. I was not only hurting myself but hurting my family. I stumbled across La Jolla Recovery online while desperately searching through countless treatment centers in search of one with a long-term option. I knew 30 days was simply not enough for a case like mine. I called the number and spoke to man, Daniel, whom I later found out was the owner. He walked me through the different phases of the program over the phone and gave me a rundown of what my day-to-day would look like at La Jolla Recovery. When I arrived to San Diego I was greeted by a women, Michelle, who worked at La Jolla Recovery and was also in Recovery from addiction herself. I remember feeling so relieved and hopeful that I too would be able to recover and take back control of my life. I was set up with a case manager, William, who was there to help me set and achieve goals during my stay. All of the counselors that lead groups are absolutely amazing, especially mine, Ashely. I was able to develop trust with them and work on myself during group therapy and in individual sessions which I attended weekly. The program is set up to get you into a safe environment where healing can start. As you phase up in the program you get more freedom. I was able to attend regular 12-step meetings where I built a fellowship of other recovering people. We also went on several outings and I learned that I didn't need drugs and alcohol to have a good time. There's so much more to life. We went to concerts, had barbecues and went to the beach. I enjoyed football and baseball games, surfing and snorkeling. They took us to the gym, to the movies, and to local events that we're going on in San Diego. I also did yoga, trauma therapy, art therapy, and music therapy. I cannot stress enough how amazing the staff is here! Almost everyone who works here is in recovery themselves and is truly here to help and inspire people including the owner who is hands on and makes himself available. As I phased up in the program I was able to gain a lot of things I had lost back such as my driver's license, a car, and a job. I also gained a better relationship with my family, a network people that want to help me succeed and an understanding of myself. I got back my sanity, self respect and my love for life. The support I recieved from my case manager, therapist and the BHT staff played a major role in my success. Today I have just over all year clean and I will be forever grateful to La Jolla Recovery. If you or a loved one is in need of treatment look no further! A highly, highly recommend you come to La Jolla and see for yourself. You won't be disappointed! If I can do it, anyone can!

I can't really speak on the quality of the IOP or PHP programs…read more My experience just... was not what I expected at all and I had since found better sober livings (which is saying a lot, because those were still inherently stressful but I at least stayed long-term. La Jolla Recovery set the bar very low). I've been in sober living for a year now, and I am now leaving. Never any relapses, graduated a program, did all the things. I'm at least in a better place from it. La Jolla Recovery was NOT that place for me. I began in April 2025. I stayed for a total of two nights before I had to leave to go to the emergency room, back to the inpatient. I was inpatient for about two weeks before I came to La Jolla Recovery. I had recently quit cannabis and was seeking mental health treatment. At first glance, it seemed chill. I had friends who had gone here and apparently had a positive experience. The groups were decent, staff were friendly, there was available snacks, etc. They had outings at the cove, etc. However, the sober living was......... awful! I stayed at a sober living house where I was immediately prescribed medication I had not taken while inpatient, but was forced to take it. One of these medications were entirely new to me, Trazodone. There was a delay in getting my mood stabilizers, anti-psychotic, and anti-anxiety medicine. I had never taken Trazodone before, but having nothing else available to me, I took it as prescribed/was pressured into taking it by the sober living manager who organized medications. The first night, I had stayed up ALL night. I was hyper vigilant, no need for sleep, and a little paranoid. During the day, it was... okay. I didn't really know what was impacting me considering how vulnerable my mental health was and the chaotic nature of being in sober living for the first time. The second night, I took the medication again. Again, I was feeling overstimulated, overwhelmed and restless/anxious. The sober living manager gave me a 2nd one, and I felt pressured to take it/was told "it would help me calm down and sleep"; that's when the shit show began. Immediately, I started hallucinating visual shapes and became scared. The best way I could describe it was "my brain was on fire." I have a history of epilepsy in childhood, and my first thought was "Oh my god, am I going to have a seizure?" My mind began severely racing and I asked her if I could call my parents and I thought I needed to go to the hospital. Coincidentally, my aunt called during this time. She, and another house manager, told her I had gone to sleep and didn't let her talk to me. This was a lie. I sat on the sofa, feeling severely anxious and panicked. I was not aggressive, overly disruptive, anything of the sort. Everyone was in their rooms at that point, as it was time for bed. I did, however, kept asking for them to call my parents because I was afraid I was having a medical emergency (I definitely was) and asked to go to the hospital. I had never hallucinated like that EVER, I had no previous history of psychosis. Initially, she told me "I am NOT going to let you ruin this house for the other girls," meanwhile, I had gotten along with the roommates and even knew some of them from having been in recovery before. I was clean, kind, and tried my best to be considerate. I introduced myself to people, wrote a note explaining my situation, and tried to be as mindful as I could be considering I was already in a vulnerable state, having experienced a death in my family, a sexual assault, and other traumatic occurrences within the few months prior to me seeking support and help. Then, she and the other woman (a fellow house manager?) threatened to call the police and have me taken away in handcuffs. I had done NOTHING illegal; I had no substances on my person, I respected everyone's space and items, I broke no laws. Holy hell, I was there for 2 days and was trying to get acclimated to a new environment. What was the crime, having a mental health episode as a result of a new medication mishap? Eventually, I was able to get my parents on the phone. They spoke to her directly and said that if I could leave the sober living in an ambulance, they would meet me at the hospital. I waited patiently for the ambulance and went to the emergency room, where I waited all night and was placed back in inpatient in the ICU at Sharp Mesa Vista. There, I was restabilized and put in a different sober living. The aggression from the house manager, the lack of empathy, the lying, and the arbitrary difficulty to even get into communication with my support system was actually insane. She felt like a wolf in sheep's clothing; fronted as a kind and caring person, but then would switch and be quite scary once I was in crisis. I was told by one of my friends who works in recovery that she has since left/been replaced, but oh my god, I pray that they thoroughly vet their housing managers at this point if they want retention. 0/5 stars. Avoid.

Koa is the sweetest and most calming therapist ever! I wasn't much of a believer in therapy until…read morea friend convinced me to go, and I highly recommend Koalani to anyone! I recently had a baby and she really helped me through some difficult times. I don't feel like I'm in this alone, and she really helped put my thoughts at ease. I look forward to meeting with her every week and I drive out of my way just to be able to meet with her!

From the owner: Providing individual and family therapy for teens and adults. I have special knowledge and…read moreexperience in the following: - Maternal Mental Health - Pregnancy & Postpartum Support - Perinatal Mood & Anxiety - Anxiety & Stress Management - Adolescent & Young Adult Issues - Mindfulness & Self-Compassion My approach is compassionate, supportive, and integrative. I’ll provide a safe space for you to explore your thoughts and feelings with the freedom to speak and be heard without judgment.

My experience has been nothing but positive and I truly enjoy showing up and appreciate the vibe.read more

Honestly, I love my therapist, her team & this office so very much! Our whole family is treated…read more(each by a different therapist) by this amazing group & it has made all the difference this past year! Our needs are highly varied, ranging from general anxiety & self esteem issues to grief & suicide ideation, and we've all received expert care each time. If you or a loved one need care, I'd ***highly*** recommend Cultivate! Therapy is not what sick people do; it's what healthy people do!