Sidney Cartwright

I graduated with my Master's in Social Work from California State University San Marcos and my Bachelor of Arts in Social Work from Point Loma Nazarene University. My interest in psychotherapy has grown from my education exploring the impact of various systems (such as family, culture, religion) on individual's lives and my experience working with vulnerable youth. My speciality is working with individuals who have experienced relational or sexual trauma, childhood abuse, and/or human trafficking and exploitation.

My first goal in treatment is to work toward building trust with my clients through exploring their interests, strengths, and current concerns that brought them to therapy. I believe having a strong therapeutic alliance is a key element to supporting others in processing difficult life events, so I place high value in creating a space that feels nonjudgmental and safe. In my practice, I utilize a variety of different trauma-informed modalities like MI, EMDR, and IFS to address a variety of trauma-related symptoms like shame, anxiety, relational difficulties, and attachment issues.

In my first session with clients, I like to let them take the lead in sharing with me what feels most important to them regarding their desire to seek therapy and their past experiences. You can expect a warm curiosity and lots of "we will have to circle back to that later" during our initial assessment.