Gail Black

Are you ready to move beyond feeling stuck and just surviving your life and begin creating meaningful change toward a more fulfilling and authentic life? Together, we can uncover and address what may be holding you back in your relationships, work, or personal growth so you can communicate more authentically, create meaningful change, and move toward the life you want.

For more than 25 years, I have worked as a licensed psychotherapist helping teens, college students, first responders, and adults of all ages navigate life’s transitions, challenges, and opportunities for growth.

I also have extensive experience helping individuals recover from addiction, trauma, depression, and anxiety through my work in private practice, at Women’s Crisis Support, and Kaiser Permanente. In addition, I have spent more than 20 years at the University of California, Santa Cruz, supporting college students as they navigate the challenges of life, education, and planning for their future.

My approach to therapy is collaborative, compassionate, and grounded in creating a safe space where you can feel seen, heard, and understood. I believe that meaningful change begins with curiosity and self-awareness, and together we will explore the patterns, experiences, and beliefs that may be keeping you stuck or disconnected from the life you want. I work with warmth, honesty, and respect, helping clients build resilience, deepen their relationships, and move through anxiety, grief, trauma, life transitions, and other challenges with greater clarity and confidence. Therapy is not about judgment or “fixing” you, but about helping you reconnect with your strengths, develop new ways of coping, and create a more authentic, fulfilling, and joyful life.

In our first session, you can expect a warm, supportive, and nonjudgmental space where we begin getting to know one another. We will talk about what brings you to therapy, the challenges you are facing, and what you hope to gain from our work together. I will ask questions to better understand your history, relationships, and current concerns, while also giving you space to share at your own pace. The first session is an opportunity for us to begin building trust, identify goals for therapy, and explore how we can work together in a way that feels supportive, collaborative, and meaningful to you.