Vanessa Mendoza, AMFT | Couples, Family & Individual Therapist

Helping children, teens, adults, and couples navigate emotional challenges, strengthen relationships, and make meaningful changes.

Vanessa brings warmth, curiosity, and compassion to her work with clients experiencing anxiety, depression, trauma, relationship concerns, self-esteem, identity exploration, and life transitions. She creates a welcoming space where clients can feel heard, understood, and supported while working toward the changes that matter most to them.

Her experience includes supporting children, adolescents, adults, couples, and families in school-based and outpatient settings. She has a particular interest in working with teens, adults, and couples, helping them understand emotional patterns, build coping skills, and develop stronger connections with themselves and others.

You may be a good fit to work with Vanessa if you’re…

• Feeling overwhelmed by anxiety, depression, or self-doubt.
• Working through trauma or the effects of difficult past experiences.
• Navigating a life transition or challenges in your relationships.
• Hoping to improve communication and emotional connection with your partner.
• Seeking support for a child’s emotional regulation, school challenges, or peer and family relationships.

What it’s like to work with Vanessa

Vanessa combines a caring, collaborative relationship with practical, goal-oriented treatment. Her approach is trauma-informed and tailored to each client’s needs, experiences, and cultural background. Together, you’ll identify your goals, explore what may be keeping you stuck, and practice skills to help you move forward.

She draws from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), attachment-based approaches, and systems perspectives, which consider how relationships and family dynamics shape well-being. In her work with couples, she primarily draws on her training in Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) to help partners understand recurring patterns and build emotional connection.

Get to know Vanessa

Vanessa truly values supporting clients as they develop a deeper understanding of themselves, their relationships, and the patterns they carry with them, and helping clients build practical tools that can support meaningful change both inside and outside of therapy. Vanessa also enjoys incorporating mindfulness to help clients reconnect with themselves, find relief and grounding, and experience more comfort and connection in their relationships. Outside of the office, Vanessa enjoys cooking, going to the movies, crafting, spending time with family and friends, trying new restaurants across the Bay Area, and traveling whenever she gets the chance.