Bryan Balvaneda

Hi there, I'm Dr. Bryan Balvaneda, PhD, and I am a Licensed Clinical Psychologist based in San Diego, California. I consider myself a guide - I help you head toward your goals in a healthy and meaningful manner, whether these goals are about relieving stress, a mental health issue, or pursuing personal growth.

My approach

My approach can be broadly summarized as changing the way we relate to our experiences and identifying pathways for engaging in meaningful actions to move toward healing and personal goals. I draw primarily from Cognitive-Behavioral, Mindfulness-based, and Feminist-Multicultural therapies. Through these approaches, I aim to help you understand your experiences, how and why they emerge in the context of your personal experiences, culture, and identity, and identify ways to help you work through them.

My focus

I enjoy working with people across the spectrum of adulthood. I have the most experience working with students in university settings and navigating high-stress environments. I work with a variety of concerns, including depression, stress, substance use, identity development, and cultural and social issues, and I have a specialty in working with anxiety.

My communication style

I strive to help my clients feel understood and cared for through reflections on the importance of what clients say, offering compassion, and recognizing how your experiences make sense. I aim to provide space for clients to use therapy in a way that works for them by setting agendas and checking in with me about how I can be most helpful.

My journey to mental healthcare

Like many therapists, I started my journey wanting to help others heal and overcome the challenges they faced in their life. Over my time supporting others as a therapist, I began to admire how others navigate challenging situations, experience meaningful growth, and how our varied ways of thinking and living add value to the world. As a psychologist, there are many aspects to my career, but my most valued time is the time I spend in sessions with clients.

My goals for you

When we set goals, I'll meet you where you are. We may need to work on building goals to start or refining goals in a way that can be addressed in our work together but in a way that matches your needs. I include as part of our goal setting a plan for taking our work in therapy beyond our session and implementing it into your daily life.

My first session with you

Our first session will typically involve me asking a lot of questions to get to know what brings you to therapy and know a bit more about you as a person. This is a process that will continue throughout our time together, though, after our first session, I aim to inspire hope and direction on how we will begin to approach your goals.