Dr. Andrew Vandernoot

Hello, I’m a California-licensed clinical psychologist with 25 years of experience, and a significant focus of my practice is the treatment of teenage boys, and young adult men. I work with teen boys navigating identity, self-esteem, anxiety, depression, anger, and the social, academic, and family pressures often felt during these challenging years of development. My training is from a psychodynamic perspective, offering insight-oriented therapy for adolescents, young adults, and adults seeking help beyond short-term solutions. My work is grounded in a dynamic approach, focusing on the deeper emotional patterns and relational and childhood experiences that shape how we think, feel, and connect.

I also have considerable experience working with couples and families dealing with repetitive conflict, seeking improved and authentic communication and connection. Our work together focuses on uncovering and understanding the underlying dynamics that contribute to being stuck in repetitive patterns.

My practice is devoted to helping adults, couples, teens, and kids rooted in psychodynamic traditions that engages the seriousness of what lies beneath the surface of symptoms, aiding in the challenges and crises that have emerged and cause distress. I firmly believe that successful treatment incorporates a collaborative and interactive process, where we will together gain a greater awareness and sense of mindfulness of who you are, how others impact you, and how you relate with others. Through this increased insight, you will develop a feeling of well-being and a better ability to implement more effective life strategies and coping skills.

My approach is engaging, direct, and collaborative, hoping to offer a safe, empathic, and confidential experience in our work together.

Our first session is primarily about understanding you-what brings you in, what you’ve tried thus far, and what you are hoping for. Upon our first meeting, I will try to gain a breadth of understanding as to who you are, what challenges and crises you have experienced that led you to treatment, and to offer some initial insight as to the approach to take that will be most helpful, hoping to allow you to feel heard, seen, respected, and cared for. You won’t leave our first session with a cemented diagnosis or a worksheet; you’ll leave with a sense of whether our connection is the right fit for you, and what our irk together could look and feel like. From there, we will navigate together a path that will offer a place and space that you can safely explore all aspects of you that are troubling. It is truly my honor to join and help you down this path.