Psychotherapy

Offered in Santa Cruz, Aptos, and Throughout California

Integrative Mind-Body Therapy

Healing is not about fixing what is broken.

It is about reconnecting with yourself.

Hello! My name is Alisha, and I am so glad you are here.

I am an integrative, trauma-informed, mind-body therapist providing psychotherapy in Santa Cruz County, offering both in-person therapy in Aptos and virtual therapy throughout California. I support individuals, couples, and children in navigating trauma, attachment wounds, relationship challenges, burnout, and mental health concerns. My work considers the whole person and the systems they are part of. Together, we explore how your lived experience shapes your nervous system, your relationships, and your sense of self.

My approach is informed by somatic therapy, polyvagal theory, family systems, and relational work. I help clients feel safe in their bodies, clear in their minds, connected in their relationships, and grounded in who they truly are.

Who I Help

Individuals seeking clarity, healing, and deeper self-connection
Women navigating stress, identity shifts, emotional overwhelm, or burnout
Couples rebuilding trust, communication, and emotional closeness
Children and adolescents experiencing anxiety, dysregulation, trauma, or family stress
Parents needing support, regulation tools, or guidance
People recovering from trauma or chronic stress patterns
Anyone feeling stuck, shut down, disconnected, or unsure how to move forward

What I Help With

Trauma and C-PTSD
Attachment wounds and relational patterns
Anxiety and depression
Navigating grief
Burnout and nervous system overwhelm
Family system challenges
Relationship conflict and communication struggles
Life transitions and identity shifts
Emotional overwhelm or shutdown
Spiritual or existential stagnation
Self-worth, self-trust, and internalized pressure
Patterns that feel hard to break

My Approach

Whole-Person, Whole-System Healing

You are more than your symptoms. We consider your body, your story, your relationships, your nervous system, and the systems that shaped you.

Somatic & Experiential Therapy

Your body carries your history. We work gently with sensation, emotion, memory, and nervous system responses to support deep, sustainable healing.

Polyvagal-Informed & Nervous-System-Centered

Regulation is the foundation for emotional, mental, relational, and physical well-being.

Together, we build safety, capacity, and connection from the inside out.

Attachment & Relational Work

Early experiences shape how we relate to ourselves and others.
We explore these patterns with curiosity and compassion — not judgment.

Family Systems Perspective

You are made up of many parts — each shaped by your lived experience and trying to support you in its own way.

Client-Led & Empowering

You set the pace.

Therapy unfolds according to what feels safe, doable, and supportive for your body and your life.

Psychedelic-Assisted & Ketamine-Supported Therapy

My work is influenced by the emerging field of psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy. I am certified as a Psychedelic-Assisted Therapist and offer ketamine-supported therapy within a harm-reduction framework. Clients legally source their medicine through licensed medical providers or bring their own; I do not prescribe, administer, or supply substances. I offer pre-journey preparation to support your intention-setting process, therapeutic presence during medicine journeys, and integration support to help you make meaning of the experience afterward.

How I Support Psychedelic & Ketamine Work

Preparation

Clarifying intentions
Exploring hopes, fears, and expectations
Understanding nervous system responses
Establishing safety and grounding practices

Ketamine-Supported Sessions

Therapeutic presence during client-led journeys
Somatic support and nervous system monitoring
A calm, attuned, trauma-informed environment
Guiding clients back into regulation and integration

Integration

Making sense of emotional insights
Processing unexpected or challenging experiences
Exploring symbolic or somatic themes
Grounding the nervous system after expanded states
Connecting insights to daily life, relationships, and long-term healing

This work is gentle, client-led, and grounded in safety, compassion, and nervous system regulation. Psychedelic-assisted therapy is never rushed. We move at the pace of your body.

What Therapy With Me Feels Like

Therapy with me is warm, attuned, collaborative, and grounded in compassion. I bring a steady, regulated presence so you have space to explore what feels tender, confusing, or stuck. Our work is body-aware, trauma-sensitive, and guided by curiosity rather than pressure.

Sessions may include conversation, somatic awareness, nervous system education, relational exploration, and experiential practices that help you access deeper insight and shift long-standing patterns held in both the body and mind.

Healing is not about fixing what is broken.

It is about reconnecting with yourself, expanding your capacity, and strengthening the inner foundation that allows you to move through life with more clarity, connection, and ease.

If You’re Ready to Begin

Whether you are navigating trauma, feeling overwhelmed, struggling in your relationships, or longing to feel more grounded and connected, you don’t have to do it alone.

I would be honored to support you.

Professional Disclosure

I am a Marriage and Family Therapist Trainee (MFT Trainee) providing psychotherapy in Santa Cruz County. I offer in-person therapy in Aptos, CA at Sole Care Studios, and virtual psychotherapy for clients across California. I practice under the supervision of Michelle LaPlates Watts, LMFT, 100296.