Book a therapist or psychiatrist in Atascadero, CA covered by United Healthcare

I’m a doctoral-prepared, board-certified Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner who works with clients across the lifespan. I earned my Doctor of Nursing Practice degree from the University of Arizona and have experience caring for individuals in outpatient, intensive outpatient, and higher-acuity mental health settings. My background includes treating anxiety, depression, ADHD, trauma-related concerns, OCD, mood disorders, and substance use. I take a thoughtful, practical, and individualized approach to care, with the goal of helping clients feel understood, safe, supported, and comfortable being honest when feeling emotionally vulnerable.

Hello,

I am Dr. Jaeger and I welcome you to my practice. I look forward to sitting with you, hearing your story, and developing a plan to help you with your concerns and needs.

I am a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) based in Orange County, California, and working with clients statewide via telehealth. I work with adults and specialize in anxiety, relationship issues, substance abuse/addiction, and trauma.

My communication style is calm, accommodating, and reassuring. I want my clients to feel comfortable talking with me about anything, and I pride myself on my ability to listen without judgment.

I decided to become a therapist because I have always wanted to help people. Whether it was as an epidemiologist working with the physically ill, mentoring high school students in relational and life decisions, or being a loyal friend, I have always naturally been drawn to helping people through difficult times. Now, as a therapist, I get to enjoy seeing people realize their full potential, heal from their pain, and identify and begin working toward a new future of hope for themselves.

If trauma is still running your life, OCD has you trapped in cycles you can't break, or depression has left you feeling numb, stuck, and disconnected from the life you used to want—I want you to know: this can change, and you don't have to face it alone.

My path to this work started with my own mental health journey. I know what it feels like to struggle from the inside—and I know how life-changing the right support can be. That's exactly why I bring deep empathy, zero judgment, and evidence-based tools designed to create real, lasting change—not just coping, but building a life that feels like yours again.

My goal is to help you overcome the challenges you are facing in a safe and comfortable environment to help you improve your quality of life. My passion is helping those with substance use disorders, including alcohol and opioid use disorder, safely detox from the substances and work towards a meaningful and long-lasting recovery. With a decade of experience serving a wide range of patients I am a dual-certified family nurse practitioner and psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner.

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)

You know why you struggle, but knowing has not changed how you feel. You replay conversations, say yes when you want to say no, stay attached to people who hurt you, or react like you are in danger even when you are safe. I work with adults dealing with anxiety, trauma, relationship patterns, betrayal, boundaries, and the reactions they wish they could stop.

I've found that building a strong relationship is the foundation of any successful therapy. My grounding philosophy is to meet people where they are at and to tailor my knowledge and experience to help them get to where they want to be. My ideal clients are those motivated, committed, and open to exploring various parts of the inner self and how these parts motivate, protect, grieve, and organize us for action.

I have found my own personal healing to be intimately connected to nature, and it is here that I believe that we can all begin to rediscover our intrinsic humanity and let go of those things that distract us from our higher selves. In my spare time, I work as an outdoor educator and manage my own private practice and guide Outdoor Retreats

I believe it is helpful and important to translate what is discussed in session and in telehealth meetings into lived experience and real change.