Hi, I’m Adrian.

I'm so glad you found your way here! Seeking therapy is a major step in the process of healing. It is my honor and privilege to be a part of your journey.

I believe that the purpose of therapy is to realize yourself as a whole person. It is a basic human need to see and to be seen. You are loved just for being who you are, just for existing. No one can take this love away from you, and it will always be there. We are all just trying to find our way back to that love. By integrating who we are with how we want to be, we can find peace and fulfillment through the continuous experiencing of personal truth. Together, we will work towards empowering you to live a more complete, balanced, and meaningful life. I will meet you where you are and walk alongside you. Navigating this path asks of us honesty, openness, bravery, and self-compassion. This is what we will practice together in the process of learning to hold safety and trust within ourselves.

My approach is collaborative, person-centered, and strengths-based. My work is explicitly LGBTQIA+ affirming, relationship-diverse, trauma-informed, sex-positive, kink-knowledgeable, and from a harm-reduction perspective. As a therapist who is queer, transgender, and a first-generation immigrant, I am committed to supporting my communities and working with Gender, Relationship, and Sexually Diverse (GRSD) populations. While my lived experience is a central reason for practicing this vocation and holding it sacred, it is my responsibility to remain attuned to you and your context. Though we may share aspects of identity, I take a non-assumptive stance in our work. I am committed to the life-long process of learning and growing.

Our work together will be tailored to your needs in a language and style that works best for you. I use a primarily Psychodynamic approach. This means I’m interested in conscious and unconscious life, how the present is influenced by the past, and the intricacies of verbal and somatic language. My work also incorporates tools and techniques from Internal Family Systems (IFS) and Narrative Therapy. Our work will be focused on identifying persistent patterns, understanding them deeply, dispersing with illusions, and moving towards a more meaningful reality. This work requires a willingness to bear witness to that internal vastness, to be moved by it deeply, and to allow a fresh imprint to be made upon the self.

The therapy space we collaboratively create is a place to share your experiences safely and have them received empathetically. You are the expert on your own life, and your lived experiences are valuable. I take very seriously the trust that you place in our work together, and I will honor your needs. I welcome discussion of privilege, power, and identity as it intersects with the experience of therapy and our navigation through the world.

Outside of therapy, I am also a person. My interests are wide-ranging but all in the spirit of creativity. I enjoy crafting and painting, collecting vintage clothes, beautifying my home with thrifted tchotchkes, writing poetry and producing zines/chapbooks, and roleplaying and medieval re-enactment, armored combat and costume-craft included. I live with my partner in a house with an orchard, a cat, several fish, a hamster, and friends.

My AMFT license is #143745. I am practicing on unceded Kumeyaay/Kumiais land, also known as San Diego, CA. I am taking on new clients via telehealth only through my group practice, Diaspora Therapy Group, where I am working under Dr. Kiley Dunne Lizama, DSW LMFT #96218.

If you are in need of immediate assistance, please utilize the resources available here.

Credentials

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Credentials *

  • Master of Arts in Clinical Counseling (Point Loma Nazarene University, 2023)

    Certificate of Mental Health Work (San Diego City College, 2021)

    Bachelor of Arts in English, Minor in Psychology (San Diego State University, 2019)

  • California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists (CAMFT)

    World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH)

    AAMFT Queer and Trans Advocacy Network (QTAN)

    GLMA: Health Professionals Advancing LGBTQ Equality

    Psychedelic Support Provider Community

    Graduate Student Association for Psychedelic Studies (GSAPS)

  • Certified Autism Spectrum Disorder Clinical Specialist (Evergreen, 2025)

    Certified Clinical Trauma Professional (Evergreen, 2025)

  • Fundamentals of LGBTQIA+ Affirmative Therapy (Cadyn Cathers, PsyD, 2023)

    Toolbox for Working with TGNB Kids and Adolescents (Caroline Hippler, LCPC, 2025)

    Refusing Adulthood: Working with LGBTQIA+ Youth (Melissa Dellens, MA, LMFT, 2025)

    LGBTQ+ Emotionally Focused Therapy Externship (Robert Allan and Sandra Taylor, PhDs, 2023)

    Psychodynamic Therapy with Transgender & Nonbinary Teens (Melissa Dellens, MA, 2023)

    Working Alliance with Transgender & Nonbinary Clients (Cadyn Cathers, PsyD, 2023)

    Identity Development around Sexuality, Gender, and Relationships (Cadyn Cathers, PsyD, 2023)

    WPATH Standards of Care for Mental Health Professionals (Cadyn Cathers, PsyD, 2023)

    The Psychological Impact of Suppressing Kink Identity (Elyssa Helfer, MA, LMFT, 2023)

  • Treating Complex Trauma with Internal Family Systems (IFS) Therapy (Frank Anderson, MD, 2025)

    The Body Keeps the Score - Trauma Healing Through the Senses (Bessel van der Kolk, MD, 2025)

    OCD in Adults: Symptoms, Assessments, & First-Line Treatments (NOCD, 2025)

    Polyvagal Theory (Rebecca Kase, LCSW, 2025)

    The Importance of Group Experience During Adolescence and Beyond (Frederic Baurer, MD, 2024)

    Leaving Diagnosis at the Door: A Nervous System Approach to Atypical Responses (Sean Inderbitzen, LCSW, 2025)

    Suicide-Specific Interventions and Best Practices (Community Research Foundation, 2023)

    Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Psychosis (Community Research Foundation, 2024)

    Approaches to Preventing Psychiatric Hospitalization and Readmissions (Relias, 2024)

    Trauma-Informed Care (Community Research Foundation, 2023)

    Focus on Depression with Mixed Features (Neuroscience Education Institute, 2022)

    Certificate in Psychological First Aid and Skills for Psychological Recovery (NCTSN, 2022)

  • Zendo Sitting and Integration Training (Zendo Project, 2025)

    Riding The Wave: Principles of Psychedelic Harm Reduction (Psychedelic Support, 2023)

    Beyond the Narrow Life: A Guide for Psychedelic Integration & Existential Exploration (Kile Ortigo, PhD, 2024)

    Inbodied Integration: Supporting Clients & Clinicians in Taking Psychedelic Experiences Forward (Lauren Taus, LCSW, 2024)

    Prescribing Connection: How Psychedelics Impact Love and Relationships (Molly Maloof, MD, 2024)

    Balancing the Inner-Directive & Directive Approach in Psychedelic Sessions (Kyle Buller, MS; Michael Sapiro, PsyD, 2024)

    The Need for Anti-Racist Training in Psychedelic Therapy (Darron Smith, PhD, 2024)

  • Unmasking for Life: Authenticity, Autonomy, and Autistic Liberation (Devon Price, PhD, 2025)

    Untangling Autism and Trauma: Recognizing the Signs, Reducing Misdiagnosis, and Delivering Effective Support (Barry Grossman, PhD, 2025)

    Transforming Trauma with Autistic Clients: Powerful Somatic Techniques with Sensorimotor Psychotherapy for Children, Adolescents, and Adults (Sean Inderbitzen, LCSW, 2025)

    Empowering Emotional Regulation in Autistic and Other Neurodivergent Students: Strategies to Reduce Chronic Stress and Shield Against Traumatic Experiences (Barry Prizant, PhD, 2025)

    The Autism Self-Acceptance Toolkit: Cultivating Authenticity and Empowerment with ACT and Compassion Focused Therapies (Jeffrey Guenzel, EdD)

    Reducing Anxiety and Trauma Responses in Autistic Children and Teens: Integrating CBT, DBT, and Polyvagal Theory (Jed Baker, PhD, 2025)

Certificates

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Trainings

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Certificates * Trainings *