Choosing the right therapist will create a safe space for you to explore your past and present experiences in order to make significant changes in your life.
At Novara Counseling, we offer empathic, personalized therapy in San Diego for individuals, couples, and families. We know that everyone who seeks help with their problems has their own story, history, concerns, connections, and objectives. This is why our approach is highly individualized and cooperative rather than following a standard course of action.
If you suffer from anxiety, depression, relational problems, burnout, loss, betrayal, family issues, or experience any other major life events, our therapists are ready to help you understand your experiences and cope with them.
Finding the Right Therapist in San Diego
Most people don't struggle to find a therapist in San Diego. They struggle to know whether the one they found is the right one — and whether it's worth starting over if the first try doesn't click.
This page is about that decision: what actually predicts a good fit, what your first session will feel like, and who you'd be working with at Novara Counseling. If you're mainly looking for locations, services, and fees, our therapy in San Diego pagecovers that side.
How to Choose a Therapist
Most advice on how to choose a therapist starts with credentials and modality. Those matter, but they're not what the research says matters most.Choosing a therapist is a strange task, because you're usually doing it at a point when decision-making already feels hard. A few things genuinely matter, and a few things matter less than people assume.
Fit matters more than method
Decades of psychotherapy research point to the same finding: the quality of the working relationship between client and therapist predicts outcomes more reliably than which specific modality is used. That doesn't make approach irrelevant — it means you shouldn't agonize over choosing between CBT and IFS before you've met anyone.
What to pay attention to instead:
Do you feel listened to, rather than processed?
Does this person seem curious about your specific situation, or are you getting general advice?
Can you disagree with them without it becoming awkward?
Do you leave sessions with something, even when the session was hard?
Feeling nervous in the first few sessions is normal and isn't a fit problem. Feeling consistently unheard after several sessions is.
Look for relevant experience
A therapist's areas of focus should overlap with what you're actually bringing in. People come to us looking for:
An anxiety therapist for chronic stress, worry, or panic symptoms
A depression therapist for persistent low mood, motivation loss, or emotional flatness
A couples therapist or marriage therapist for recurring conflict, disconnection, or communication breakdown
An infidelity therapist for betrayal, disclosure, and the question of whether to rebuild
A relationship therapist after a breakup, separation, or divorce
An attachment-based therapist for patterns around closeness, avoidance, and trust — including avoidant attachment
A teen therapist for adolescents facing academic pressure, peer conflict, or identity questions
A therapist for grief and loss, family conflict, self-esteem, burnout, or major life transitions
If you're not sure which of these fits, that's a normal thing to sort out in a consultation rather than before one.
You don't have to know what you need yet
You aren't expected to arrive with a diagnosis, a goal statement, or a clear account of the problem. "Something's been off and I can't explain it" is a completely normal starting point. Your therapist's job includes helping you figure out what you're working on.
Consider format honestly
Some people focus better in an office, away from home and roommates and laundry. Others will realistically skip sessions if they have to drive across the county at 5pm. Neither is more serious than the other — pick the one you'll actually keep doing.
If you've been searching for in-person therapy near you, we see clients at our Sorrento Valley office. We also offer secure Telehealth to anyone located in California.
Meet Our Therapists
Finding the right therapist in San Diego is about more than choosing someone with the right credentials. It is also important to find a therapist whose experience, approach, and personality feel like the right fit for what you are going through.
At Novara Counseling, our San Diego therapists provide personalized, evidence-based therapy for individuals, couples, adolescents, and families. Our team supports clients navigating anxiety, depression, relationship challenges, self-esteem concerns, life transitions, communication difficulties, and emotional overwhelm.
Farnaz Safaei, LMFT
Farnaz Safaei, LMFT — Couples & Individual Therapist in San Diego
Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist #140876
Specialties: Couples Therapy · Relationship Counseling · Anxiety · Depression · Infidelity & Affair Recovery · Self-Esteem · Life Transitions
Populations: Adults · Couples · Families
Approaches: Gottman Method · Attachment-Based Therapy · Psychodynamic Therapy · CBT · DBT
Languages: English & Farsi
“I work with adults and couples who want to better understand themselves, strengthen their relationships, and create meaningful change in their lives. As a couples therapist in San Diego, I specialize in helping partners improve communication, rebuild trust, navigate infidelity, deepen emotional connection, and break recurring patterns using the Gottman Method.
My approach is warm, collaborative, and nonjudgmental. Whether we are working through anxiety, depression, a major life transition, or challenges within your relationship, I want therapy to be a space where you feel understood while also gaining practical tools and deeper insight that you can carry into everyday life.”
Sydney Walla, APCC
Sydney Walla, APCC — Individual & Couples Therapist in San Diego
Associate Professional Clinical Counselor #14869
Supervised by Farnaz Safaei, LMFT #140876
Specialties: Anxiety · Self-Doubt · Burnout · Relationship Issues · Emotional Overwhelm · Identity Development · Life Transitions · Couples Therapy
Populations: Adolescents · Adults · Couples
Approaches: Internal Family Systems (IFS) · Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT) · Mindfulness · Gottman Method
“I work with adolescents, adults, and couples who may feel overwhelmed, stuck, disconnected, or unsure of how to move forward. In individual therapy in San Diego, I frequently support clients experiencing anxiety, overthinking, self-doubt, burnout, difficulty setting boundaries, relationship concerns, and major life transitions.
My approach is warm, genuine, and collaborative, while also offering thoughtful challenges when they can support your growth. I draw from Internal Family Systems, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, and mindfulness with individual clients, and I use the Gottman Method to help couples improve communication, understand recurring conflict, and build healthier, more secure relationships.”
What to Expect During Your First Therapy Session
The first session is mostly orientation, in both directions. You're deciding whether this person is someone you can talk to, and they're building a picture of what's going on.
Your therapist will likely ask about:
What brought you in now, as opposed to six months ago
How long this has been going on
Your personal, family, or relationship history
Current stressors and supports
Any previous therapy, and what did or didn't work about it
What you'd want to be different
You'll also have time to ask questions — about their training, how they typically work, how often they'd recommend meeting, and what they think might help.
A few things people are often surprised by:
You will not be asked to disclose everything on day one. Pacing is part of the work.
You may leave the first session without a clear plan. That's normal; assessment usually takes a few sessions.
It's okay to say "I don't know how to answer that."
If you cry, nothing has gone wrong.
Toward the end of the first session or in the following one, you and your therapist will start shaping a treatment plan around your goals — something you revisit and revise, not a fixed script.
What If It Doesn't Feel Like a Fit?
This comes up more than people expect, and it's worth saying plainly: you are allowed to change therapists.
If something feels off, the most useful first step is naming it directly with your therapist. Good clinicians take this well — a mismatch in pace, communication style, or focus is often adjustable, and raising it is frequently productive in itself.
If it still isn't working after that conversation, a different therapist may simply be a better match. That isn't a failure of therapy or a reflection on you. We'd rather refer you somewhere better suited than keep you in sessions that aren't helping, and we'll help you find that referral.
Is Therapy Right for You?
You don't need to be in crisis to benefit. Therapy may be worth starting if you're:
Feeling overwhelmed by stress or anxiety
Struggling with communication or relationships
Navigating a major life transition
Recovering from betrayal, separation, or loss
Stuck in the same emotional patterns
Experiencing burnout or emotional exhaustion
Interested in personal growth and self-understanding
How We Work at Novara Counseling
Our therapists work integratively, drawing on cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), internal family systems (IFS), psychodynamic therapy, attachment-based work, mindfulness-based approaches, and the Gottman Method for couples — matched to the client rather than applied uniformly.
In practice, that means treatment is collaborative and goal-oriented, sessions focus on understanding patterns rather than just managing symptoms, and you leave with tools you can use between sessions. We see individuals, couples, and families, in person in Sorrento Valley and online across California, in English and Farsi.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I know if a therapist is a good fit?
A therapist is likely a good fit if you feel listened to, respected, and comfortable asking questions — including questions about their approach. You should also feel that they understand your goals and can explain how therapy might help you get there. Give it a few sessions before judging; initial nervousness is normal.
What happens if I don't feel connected to my therapist?
Bring it up with them directly. Adjusting the pace, focus, or communication style often resolves it, and the conversation itself is usually useful. If it still isn't working, a different therapist may be a better match, and we'll help you find one.
Do I need to know what's wrong before I start?
No. Many clients start with nothing more specific than a sense that something is off. Sorting that out is part of the work, not a prerequisite for it.
How do I know if I need individual or couples therapy?
If the difficulty is primarily within a relationship, couples therapy is usually the better starting point. If it's primarily internal — anxiety, mood, self-esteem, past experiences — individual therapy typically fits better. Some clients do both. We can help you decide during your consultation.
Can I switch therapists within your practice?
Yes. If a different clinician on our team would be a better match, we can arrange that directly.
How long does therapy usually last?
It depends on your goals. Some clients come for a focused stretch of eight to twelve sessions; others work longer on deeper emotional or relational patterns. Your therapist will review progress with you along the way.
Ready to Find the Right Therapist in San Diego?
The first step is a free 15-minute consultation — no cost, no obligation, and no expectation that you've figured out what to say. We'll talk through what brought you here and match you with the therapist on our team best suited to it.
Novara Counseling 5465 Morehouse Dr. Ste 100, Sorrento Valley, San Diego, CA 92121
(858) 423-0847 · In-person in San Diego · Telehealth across California
