Jacqueline Ponce, LCSW — Therapist in California

Hi there, I'm Jacqueline!

I'm glad you're here. I pull from different modalities based on your needs and specialize in anxiety, depression, trauma, life transitions, and eating disorders. My goal is to provide a safe, non-judgmental space to help you understand the thoughts, feelings, and habits that keep you stuck.

My focus

I work with individuals on various goals—sleepless nights, excessive phone use, thought spirals, or indecision about life direction. Whether you want to expand coping skills, decrease intrusive memories, stop overthinking, or improve self-esteem, my goal is to collaborate with you.

My approach

I believe meaningful change happens when we build trust and explore what's not working. I use a Strength-Based lens to pull in your intrinsic resources and CBT to identify outdated thinking patterns. Our brain doesn't update overnight, and we often live with old internalized rules and beliefs that need manual upgrades.

My communication style

I prioritize non-judgment above all. Shame, guilt, fear, and sadness keep us stuck. I see therapy as a space to practice awareness, vulnerability, honesty, and open communication. Trust is earned at your own pace based on your experiences. I strive to earn it through consistency, non-judgment, empathy, and accountability.

My journey to mental healthcare

I volunteered with unhoused communities and entered advocacy, meeting unique, strong, and courageous voices. This led to direct-services work with survivors of domestic violence, human trafficking, and crime victims. This journey showed me the resiliency of the human spirit. I am humbled to be a therapist and advocate for my clients.

My goals for you

In therapy, I believe collaboration is key. We can explore what brought you to therapy, what is not working optimally, and what would need to change in order for you to feel that life is better and improving. Together, we can develop short and long-term goals, and I will support you with identifying the tools to get there.

Our first session

The first session can bring anxiety, especially if it's your first time or if you've had negative experiences. I understand immediate trust with a stranger is unnatural, and this is ok. My goal is to gradually learn about you to collaborate on the support, guidance, and tools that will work for a positive experience.

I identify as...

Female
Hispanic or Latinx
Spiritual

Expertise

Treatment approaches

Brainspotting

Cognitive Behavioral (CBT)

Acceptance and Commitment (ACT)

Compassion Focused

Dialectical (DBT)

Gestalt

Internal Family Systems (IFS)

Mindfulness-Based

Motivational Interviewing

+ 9 more

Focus populations

BIPOC

Body Positivity

First Generation American/Immigrant Parents

Racial Justice

+ 4 more

Therapy types

Individual Therapy

Ages served

Adults

Practice

Accepted insurance providers

Aetna
All Savers
Allegiance
Allied
Anthem

+ 53 more

Languages spoken

English, Spanish

Education

Master of Social Work (MSW) from University of Southern California.

Sessions

60 minutes

Virtual sessions

Jacqueline Ponce