Grief counselors and therapists in Santa Maria, CA

I believe every relationship holds the capacity to heal, grow, and transform. If you’ve found your way here, it probably means you’re ready for change. You don’t have to face it alone. My passion is helping couples break free from painful cycles, rebuild trust, and rediscover the closeness that first brought them together. Clients often tell me that what makes my work different is the balance of honesty and compassion I bring into the room. I won’t shy away from the hard truths, but I deliver them with care and a deep commitment to helping you thrive.

I’m a Licensed Clinical Social Worker based in Berkeley, CA, and I’ve worked in mental health care since 2012. My background includes community-based work, trauma-informed care, and leadership in training and clinical development. I earned my MSW from NYU and specialize in treating anxiety, self-esteem challenges, and life transitions. I enjoy working with adults navigating changes - career shifts, identity questions, or simply trying to feel more at home in themselves. Clients often say they feel safe, understood, and more at ease after we talk. I believe therapy works best with a good sense of humor - even in hard sessions, there’s room for relief and laughter.

Hi, I’m Abdel! With over 15 years of experience in healthcare, I am a board-certified Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP-BC) dedicated to providing compassionate care for individuals managing anxiety, depression, ADHD, and trauma. As a bilingual speaker in English and Arabic, I specialize in creating an inclusive environment where patients from all backgrounds feel truly heard and respected. My goal is to empower you through open communication and evidence-based treatment to help you achieve lasting wellness.

Sitting with people during their most vulnerable and uncertain moments is an honor I hold deeply. For the past 15 years, my work as a clinical social worker has centered on supporting adults and seniors through anxiety, depression, grief, life transitions, stress, burnout, and complex life challenges. Much of my background includes working with individuals navigating serious health concerns and other life-altering experiences, which has shaped my ability to help you build a secure, empowering foundation for your own healing. I believe in taking the time to truly understand each client — your history, your strengths, your pain, and the patterns that have shaped your life. Therapy is not rushed; it is a space where growth unfolds through trust, consistency, and thoughtful exploration. Clients often share that they feel genuinely cared for and understood in our work together. I approach therapy with steadiness, warmth, and deep respect for your pace, while also helping you move toward meaningful and lasting change. I provide therapy in both English and Spanish and value creating a culturally responsive space where all aspects of your identity are welcomed and respected.

I believe therapy works best when it’s grounded in understanding who you are as a whole person. Everyone comes to therapy with their own story, background, and way of communicating, and I take time to really get to know each client as an individual. My goal is to create a warm, non-judgmental space where you feel comfortable being yourself, sharing openly, and feeling genuinely heard and supported as we work through what brought you to therapy.

I hold a Doctorate in Social Work and am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW). I’ve been working as a therapist since 2015 and independently licensed since 2018. I primarily work with adults (18+) and support individuals navigating concerns such as anxiety, depression, adjustment challenges, brief grief experiences, life transitions, and women’s issues.

Since 2010, I have worked with children to older adults from many different backgrounds, cultures, lifestyles and careers. Before dedicating my life to psychology, I worked in medicine and multiple other professions. Along with my California Doctoral education, I was also educated in England, Austria, France, Switzerland and New Zealand. I am originally from Wisconsin.

I graduated from UCLA's Social Welfare program and developed a specialty working with adolescents, teens, parents, teachers and school administrators via the LAUSD public school system. Over the course of 15 years, I have developed an expertise in utilizing a trauma-informed lens and attachment theory to address treatment areas such as trauma, depression, parenting, parent-child relationships, behavioral issues and anxiety.

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.