Ralph Huerta, LCSW

Services

I provide individual therapy, family therapy, and couples therapy. Ages 17-55.

Specialties

  • Anxiety

  • Depression

  • Personal growth and fulfillment

  • Relationship conflict, changes, and transitions

  • Self-destructive impulses and behavior

  • Substance use

  • Support around parenting

  • Trauma

Approach & About

I began my endeavor into the field of mental health thinking that I wanted to work with severe and persistent mental illness, but was exposed to school-based work early on, which then shifted my focus to children and families. By proxy that emphasis increased my exposure to adults, couples, blended homes, and most things in between. I've worked in schools, outpatient settings, and been community based, meeting client's in their homes or the surrounding area. I have worked with all levels of care--24 hour on-call crisis work, longer term treatment, short term treatment, and done focused work on substance abuse. To me, these are all just ways I've connected with people and attempted to help them find relief, which I think is ultimately what most of us desire.

I tend to follow a humanistic approach, strengths-based, with a tendency towards solutions-focused techniques. I see evidence based practices as a way to categorize a unified approach to mental health issues, which may be helpful to some, but in my experience the strength of your recovey will be bound in the relationship we cultivate and our ability to create trust. I think healthy relationships are predicated on reciprocity--with openeness flowing in both directions, I'll learn as much from you as you from me. Mindfullness strategies play a really big role in the framework of my therapy, as does the role of biology and evolutionary constucts. I believe very strongly in the uniqueness of each individual's mental health condition and their life circumstances/environment.

I believe you when you tell me what you're feeling, I believe you when you describe the intensity, but part of our work with will depend on our ability to foster the belief in an alternative, new way of feeling, the consideration of different ways of thinking, and perhaps a thorough examination of how we got here.

OK--here are my letters and accolades--I've been told that this, along with my picture will shape the majority of the decision making process (Fingers crossed). BA Psychology Univeristy of California, Berkeley; BA Rhetoric University of California, Berkeley; MSW University of Southern California, School of Social Work; LCSW; CADC I; Father, Husband, Brother, Son. An aside, but an important one; most of the time I'm offering will be done via telehealth, and as such I'm not taking on client's under the age of 17. This is very much deliberate. In my experience I need face-to-face access with children and adolescents, it's very hard to establish the trust necessary for this kind of work virtually. I think most adults seek out professional health because they endeavor to willingly, which I can't say is always true for the kiddos. Until I devote more time to in-person support this is going to have to be the case, hopefully you understand.

In Network With

  • BCBS

  • Cigna

  • Kaiser

  • Moda

  • PacificSource

  • Providence (cannot be Providence employee plan of Washington)

Self Pay Rates

Intake: $200 (60 minutes)
Therapy sessions: $200 for 60 minutes
Late Cancellations & No Shows: $50 first time; $100 second/subsequent