Jeff Danese

My name is Jeffrey W. Danese, MS, MA, LMHC, LPCC, and I am a licensed mental health counselor in Washington State and California, currently based in Sacramento. I bring over 15 years of clinical experience across private practice, inpatient and outpatient mental health settings, and college counseling, along with a an academic background teaching psychology, religious studies, and the history of science in higher education from UCSB, FSU, and 10 years at SJSU to various community colleges in the Puget Sound region and in North Florida and cross-cultural experiences such as living in Taiwan, Zambia, Germany and traveling around the world; I studied Spanish, German, and Chinese language, world history and religions, psychology, evolutionary psychology and the cognitive science of religion; was raised Catholic but ordained as a Buddhist monk in Thailand; and continue to meditate, explore and read broadly. One of my favorite quotes is by the Roman writer, Terence: "I am human and there is nothing human foreign to me." (or, Homo sum, humani nihil a me alienum puto. -- Publius Terentius Afer, 165 BCE)

My practice is unique because it integrates clinical rigor with philosophical, cultural, and contemplative depth. Having lived and worked internationally, taught psychology and comparative religious studies at the university level, and practiced extensively in both academic and clinical settings, I am comfortable working with complexity, ambiguity, and deeply held beliefs. Clients often appreciate that I can engage both emotional experience and intellectual reflection without reducing either.

In our first few sessions, you can expect a thoughtful, collaborative exploration of what brings you to therapy and what you hope to change. I recognize that beginning therapy takes courage, especially when trust, worldview, or identity have been shaken. Early sessions focus on helping you feel understood, clarifying goals, and developing a shared framework for the work ahead. Progress is often noticeable within the first several sessions as we establish direction and momentum.