About Stephanie
For over 20 years, I have provided a safe, supportive, and nonjudgmental environment for children, adolescents, adults, and parents to find genuine support and professional guidance.
I work with children and adolescents, offering a safe and open environment where they can explore their thoughts and feelings, identify areas of struggle, and better understand what might be contributing to those struggles. I can help your child or teen recognize, appreciate and build on their areas of strength to help manage and overcome challenges. And by practicing specific skills and strategies during sessions, your child can learn how to use their strengths effectively. At the same time, I work with you, the parent, to better understand your child’s needs so you feel prepared to offer guidance and support when they need it.
Adults seek out therapy for many different reasons. Anxiety, depression, fear, conflict with others, and communication problems can all prevent you from being able to reach your goals and enjoy your relationships. Unhealthy or unhelpful patterns in your life—whether they began after a recent life change or they have been with you as long as you can remember—can be frustrating and discouraging.
If you find yourself at a crossroads and want to understand what is preventing you from finding more meaning, balance, and fulfillment, then therapy may be a good option for you. Together, we will work toward practical solutions tailored to your unique needs. My role is to help you find strategies, tools, and skills to make the improvements that you want to make—as opposed to me telling you what you need to do to improve your life.
While I use Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Mindfulness Based Therapy, the focus of treatment is largely a client-guided process and so interventions and treatment is tailored to your unique goals, learning style, and individual strengths. I am an EMDR clinician and have training in a range of treatment modalities that I can draw from to address the needs of my clients. We will work together in a creative and interactive way to achieve the change needed to enrich your personal interactions and daily life experiences.
Clients Coming On Board
I invite all potential clients to call me for a 30-minute complimentary face-to-face consultation to discuss their reasons and goals for therapy. During this time, you can ask any questions you may have, and together we can see if this is the right fit for your needs. Many people decide during this first meeting that they want to move forward. If you would like to continue, I’ll send you paperwork about consent and policy to bring to the first appointment. This allows us to focus on your needs and goals during the full first session, rather than spending time filling out paperwork.
First session with adults
We will start by defining the issues that are affecting your life, what you want to work on, and where you want to see improvements. Then we will discuss how we will get there by coming up with a treatment plan tailored to your therapy goals.
First session with children
I always encourage both parents to accompany their child for the first session. For the first half, each parent will have an opportunity to explain what’s going on from their perspective, and what they want to see happen from therapy. We’ll also go over confidentiality, rules, limitations, and exceptions around confidentiality. For the second half of the session, I will ask the parents to leave in order to have a one-on-one talk with the child. I will then discuss with you, the parents, how ongoing sessions will be tailored to your child’s needs.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you take insurance?
I am not a member of most insurance panels and I am considered an “Out of Network Provider” by most PPO insurance plans and some HMO insurance plans. The amount of reimbursement clients are eligible to receive from their insurance will depend on their individual plans and deductibles. Clients are responsible to pay my full fee at time of services. At client’s request, I can either provide a superbill that they can submit to their insurance for reimbursement or I can submit your claims directly to your insurance on your behalf.
I accept Medicare Part B primary insurance plans.
How much do you charge for sessions?
Sessions are $150/hour.
What methods of payment you accept?
I accept cash, check, and credit cards.
How quickly can I get started?
Typically, we can start within a week of your consultation.
What if I have other questions?
I am happy to discuss further questions during the first 30-minute consultation.
What is your office like?
Sessions take place in an old, historic Victorian building in downtown Ventura with a very comfortable, homey feel.
What sort of training do you have?
I have been trained in a variety of treatment modalities, and my approach to psychotherapy pays heed to them all, integrating interventions to plan a treatment that works for you. Depending on your concerns and goals, I may blend dynamic, mindfulness-meditation, cognitive behavioral, interpersonal and attachment based interventions.
In addition to my extensive work as a therapist, I have worked for 20 years helping children learn to thrive in educational settings. As a licensed social worker, I understand how to work with kids and parents regarding the types of challenges they face both at home and in school.
How can I contact you for a consultation?
Prospective clients can reach me at 805-444-8787 to schedule a complementary 30-minute consultation.
Stephanie Thurston has helped children and families in the Ventura County area for the last 20 years. She has a B.S. in Biopsychology from the University of California at Santa Barbara and a Masters degree in Social Work from California State Long Beach. In addition to operating her own private therapy practice, Stephanie has been a licensed clinical social worker (LCSW) in the California since 2001 (LCS# 22417). She has earned certificates in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT), and Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR).