Isabel meets each client with compassion, understanding, and authenticity. Working from a person-centered and relational-cultural lens and utilizing cognitive, behavioral, play, and expressive art therapy techniques, she creates a warm environment for clients to feel safe while processing their own thoughts, emotions, and experiences and gain

confidence to make desired changes in their lives. She has supported children, adolescents, and families in navigating mental health challenges, interpersonal conflicts, identity exploration, and life transitions in school, outpatient hospital, and community mental health settings. She empowers individuals, families, and youth to recognize their own strengths, reach their fullest potentials, and encourage healthy connections to their loved ones and their community. Isabel received her master’s degree in counseling from California State University, Fullerton and a bachelor’s degree in psychology from University of California, San Diego. 

Lauren brings compassion, understanding, and expertise to her work with individuals, families, and youth. With a background in outpatient and partial hospitalization settings, she has skills in providing supportive and effective therapy. Her approach to therapy is primarily rooted in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), while drawing from techniques in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT). She creates a safe and welcoming environment to explore their thoughts, feelings, and experiences openly. She empowers clients to navigate life's challenges with resilience and confidence. Whether seeking support for personal growth, relationship issues, a family member or navigating life transitions, she will work collaboratively to achieve your goals.

Erica has experience treating: anxiety, trauma, social relationship difficulties, inattention, hyperfocus, gender role confusion, and anger management among children and teens. Erica recognizes underlying issues affecting clients’ feelings and behaviors while responding with sensitivity to the individual needs. She creates a safe space for clients to navigate challenges and build a sense of autonomy. Erica has experience conducting play therapy, sand tray and expressive art techniques. Erica collaborates with parents/caregivers to provide parenting support and foster effective family communication such that a safe and secure environment can be created to enhance well-being. Erica holds a Master's in Clinical Psychology from Azusa Pacific University and is a registered Associate Marriage and Family Therapist in California. Fluent in English and Mandarin, she provides bilingual services.

Glen Hilton, LMFT has over 15 years of experience helping individuals, couples, and families overcome a range of mental health and relationship issues. Including previous volunteer experience, he has been serving youth since 2002. He received his master’s degree in psychology from Our Lady of the Lake University. Glen’s approach primarily combines elements of Collaborative Therapy and Narrative Therapy, both of which center on clients’ expertise and strengths. Using these approaches, he will collaborate with clients to co-create solutions that empower each participant to have voice and self-agency. Glen is also skilled with other therapeutic approaches, such as Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy and Solution-Focused Therapy, and will incorporate these approaches when needed for greater effectiveness. Glen joined Grow Through Life Counseling in 2023 as a clinical leader and supervisor in Sorrento Valley.  

Welcome! Gina wants to meet you wherever you are in your growth journey. She is passionate about working on the root of issues and assisting clients in discovering their authentic selves and how they relate to others. Gina has experience working in a residential treatment setting, with a wide range of mental health symptoms and substance use disorders. She incorporates techniques from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), and Internal Family Systems (IFS). Gina welcomes creativity and cultivates openness to explore oneself and their interpersonal relationships in a therapeutic environment. She has a Master’s Degree from Point Loma Nazarene University and a Bachelor’s Degree from San Diego State University. She is a person-centered Associate Marriage and Family Therapist and Associate Professional Clinical Counselor. 

Kirsten brings her passion for working with youth and helping families thrive.  She is experienced at treating depression, anxiety and self-harm behaviors through CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy) tools and other interventions. Kirsten enjoys working with families as part of the treatment process. Kirsten's experience  includes working with youth in both Intensive Outpatient (IOP) and Partial Hospitalization(PHP) levels of care with the mood treatment programs.  Kirsten has a passion for helping young adults with identity development and setting career goals. She also helps families with adult children living at home. In 2021, Kirsten joined our clinical supervisor team to support the growth of associate therapists.

Ava is a seasoned counselor and experienced clinician with skills grounded in attachment theory, narrative therapy, trauma-informed cognitive behavioral therapy, DBT, and the intersectionality of women and multiculturalism. She has a deep passion for supporting women and new parents during the transformative process of pregnancy and childbirth. This includes supportive care of postpartum and peripartum mood disorders, the welcoming of new parental identities, raising children, and mourning the loss of one's former self.  Ava is truly person-centered and recognizes how difficulties experienced during various spaces of one’s life can cause profound disruption to emotion regulation. Ava values a holistic approach to treatment planning, recognizing the importance of every individual’s unique journey and utilizing a culturally-sensitive lens to help tailor treatment goals to the person in front of her. Ava also specializes in issues related to self-esteem and self-worth, social pressure, mood disorders, vocational and academic anxiety, and interpersonal effectiveness. She has extensive training in the trauma-informed lens and is passionate in serving diverse populations in her decade-long career, spanning everything from at-risk youth and their families, to relational aggression in schools, to trauma-recovery work with military and refugee populations in San Diego County. Ava’s other experience with GTLC includes facilitating a new mom’s support group, providing clinical supervision, and managing the practice’s Clinical Onboarding Program where she oversees the mentorship and support of our newly hired team members. Ava is bilingual and offers services in both English and Farsi.