LGBT therapists in Salinas, CA

I have 40 years experience in the mental health field in multiple roles, I believe listening and believing in the person is the most important way to practice therapy.

I am a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) based in Orange County, California. I have worked in this field for over 13 years, and am committed to helping adult individuals from all walks of life navigate life's various challenges. My goal is for us to join together as a therapeutic team to help you better navigate whatever struggles life has thrown your way. I specialize in working with adults experiencing a wide array of concerns including, but not limited to, anxiety, trauma, mood disorders, attention-deficit disorders, relationship difficulties, struggles with self esteem, and various life stressors and transitions.

Recognizing when you're overwhelmed isn’t weakness—it’s wisdom. Whether you’re stuck in familiar painful patterns or navigating a new life transition, I’m here to help guide you. Since 2011, I’ve supported diverse clients across inpatient, outpatient, substance use, and crisis settings. I offer contemplative, trauma-informed care for LGBTQ+ adults, veterans, artists & creatives, and high-performing professionals, and I help people of all backgrounds deepen self-understanding and work through questions of identity, meaning, and purpose.

Making the decision to start therapy is a profound investment of your time, energy, and vulnerability. If you are looking for a blank-slate clinician who simply nods and listens, we might not be the best fit. I offer a highly engaged, malleable, and unflinching partnership.

My approach is rooted in the belief that while the work of untangling our lives is deeply structural, the room itself doesn't always have to feel heavy. I bring a grounded warmth to my practice—which means knowing how to sit quietly in the gravity of a difficult truth, but also knowing when to break the tension, exhale, and find the light in the sheer complexity of being human. I won’t just sit in silence while you do all the heavy lifting; I am an active collaborator who adapts to exactly where you are.

I have worked in the field of social services for over 31 years. I have experience working with adult survivors of child abuse, child neglect, domestic violence, commercial exploitation, and rape. I have experience working with adults dealing with anxiety, depression, divorce, family separation, and caretaker fatigue. I also have experience working with adults dealing with significant life/career changes, and those dealing with crisis situations.

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)

I'm glad you're here. I provide an environment where you can share your experiences and current stressors while shedding what no longer serves you to become your best self. I work with individuals impacted by trauma, anxiety, depression, and life transitions.

I’m a licensed clinical psychologist who specializes in stress and anxiety disorders, mood concerns, and LGBT-issues.