Professional:

Hi, I'm Aleta. I received my BA in Child Development from Chico State University and my MA in Marriage, Family, & Child Counseling from Western Seminary. I also completed the Child and Adolescent Certificate Program at UC Berkeley.

I have worked in the mental health field since 1996 and I was licensed in 2005 (MFC#41765). I worked at Leigh High School and at the Teen Counseling Center with teens and their families. I have also provided therapy for summer staff and conferees at Mount Hermon's Christian Conference Center.

Although most of my clinical work has been with teens and young adults, I work with adults at all life stages. I have a competency in deal ing with depression, anxiety, mood disorders, co-dependency issues, boundary struggles, and parent/teen breakdowns. I am also trained to use Prepare/Enrich Assessment Tool for relational issues.

I believe God has made us each unique and valuable, He loves us no matter what, and anyone is capable of change. Although this is who I am, all people of different faiths are welcome. I enjoy working with clients to gain insight into difficult feelings and uncovering distorted thought patterns. We will look at non-productive themes that can repeat in ones life and explore the past to see how negative experiences may have contaminated the present day. Skills and interventions are taught for relapse prevention.

Personal:

I have lived in Santa Cruz since 1996. I have been married to Andy for 30 years and have three amazing adult kids.  I enjoy creating things in my spare time knitting, cooking, and building furniture with my husband.  I crave time outside exploring and hiking in the redwoods and at the coast.