About Us

The founders at SCTC cultivate a collegial atmosphere that emphasizes professional development, evidence-based services, and a systems perspective. They have decades of experience providing psychotherapy, organizational leadership, training, and consultation. The team at SCTC shares a common aspiration to continually improve their practice in order to meet the unique and diverse needs of their clients. 

I am a licensed clinical psychologist and believe therapy can be a valuable part of your holistic plan for overall health and wellness. In my work as a therapist, I support parents struggling with anxiety, depression, and the myriad challenges associated with parenthood. The experience is not always what people anticipate - instead of joy there is worry, insecurity, and overwhelm. By providing perinatal and parenting-specific information, research-based techniques for symptom relief, flexible session options, and a compassionate partnership, I help to normalize these common experiences and improve the family's sense of wellness. Our work together provides relief from suffering, harmony in relationships, and joyful attunement with children. 

I also enjoy working with young adults exploring their identities and independence. With a relational approach that includes anxiety deactivation, I invite clients to explore past relationships and how they influence current patterns. Our work together supports them to lean into the challenges of life and craft an intentional path forward.

I am a licensed marriage and family therapist who believes the most profound growth and healing we experience is through connection with others. I support adults who are overwhelmed by anxiety and depression and struggle with trauma, grief, and loss. Using mindfulness, self-compassion practices, CBT, and EMDR, I help them enhance their inner skills to navigate adversities and strengthen their capacity to feel grounded. Through our work together, my clients regain a sense of ease and inner peace and rediscover joy and meaning in their lives. 

I also support individuals facing challenges due to differences from the larger culture. Many of my clients grapple with low self-esteem, isolation, and vulnerability that can lead to depression and anxiety. Using transformative tools like drama therapy and mindful awareness, I help them delve into their identities, narratives, and beliefs. We foster a deeper connection with self and they discover empowerment in their uniqueness.

I offer therapy with adults of all ages, individual and organizational training and consultation, and clinical supervision for pre-licensed associates. Learn more at: inbalyassur.com 

I am a licensed clinical social worker and support people who serve others, like educators, nurses, parents, and therapists. They often struggle with secondary trauma, exhaustion, and boundary setting. With CBT and solution-focused strategies, I help clients create positive changes in their lives, fostering healthy coping skills, improved relationships, and more joy. They learn to rely less on ineffective strategies, finding sustainable and effective approaches to reduce stress and anxiety and improve self care. Through our work, they develop deeper connections, cultivate a holistic identity beyond work, and experience greater wellbeing and fulfillment. I work with adults and adolescents, and also provide clinical supervision to pre-licensed associates. 

Dr. Kelsey ("K”) Forest (they/she) is a bilingual psychological associate working in English and Spanish under Dr. Steigner’s supervision. They completed their doctoral degree in 2022 at the Wright Institute, an APA-accredited program emphasizing mental health activism. With over six years’ experience working with adults and children, K has a gift for uplifting people and families to meet their life’s calling. Her therapeutic style is accepting, insightful, playful, and body-wise—a gentle presence creating space for people to be nurtured, explore change, and transmute suffering. K merges traditional talk therapy with somatic modalities, cultural practices, creativity, play, and holistic neuroscience-based techniques. K is a member of the American Psychological Association, Monterey Bay Psychological Association, American Dance Therapists Association, and Yoga Alliance. They are an active member of Bay Area & Santa Cruz creative communities, with lifelong experience in LGBTQ+ community. 

Thistle Hofvendahl (they/them) is a clinical social work associate working under Sara Anderson's supervision. They completed their masters degree in social work at the University of Southern California with a concentration in advanced clinical practice with children, youth, and families. They also have a certificate in climate psychology from the California Institute of Integral Studies.

Thistle enjoys working with teens who are struggling with family conflict and attachment disruptions. They use narrative therapy, somatic- and attachment-focused techniques, and expressive arts activities to support teens in understanding themselves and their relationships. They also support LGBTQ+ youth and families explore how their identities and expressions inform who they are as individuals and in relationships. They help queer couples facing challenges such as family building or exploring different relationship structures understand one another's perspective and reconnect with their shared values. Through their work together, Thistle's clients develop a deeper understanding of themselves and how they can communicate about their identities and needs with their families.

Thistle is a member of the Climate Psychology Alliance of North America.