Heather Carabajal, MA, LMFT (They/Them)

Hi, I’m Heather, a therapist licensed in California and Minnesota.

I think the most important component for therapist/client fit happens when meeting the person (maybe it takes a couple times to figure it out). My hope is to convey enough info. in my bio to help with discerning whether or not to try out an initial meeting with me on your journey to finding the right fit of therapist for you.

A little about how I approach therapy:

I am interested in you, how you perceive and experience life. I try my best to practice all of the communication skills I have learned throughout my career. I will occasionally offer resources (podcasts, articles, websites, books) with no expectation to engage with them, and I like learning about any resources that have been helpful/meaningful for you. I’m here for your authentic yes and no, all parts of you are important. It’s an honor to hold space and compassion for the unique complexity and many dimensions and layers to each person I work with.

Here’s where my experience is abundant as an indicator that I might be a good fit

• I am experienced working with neurodivergence. I was diagnosed with ADHD at age 43, my partner and children are also neurodivergent and I have an affinity for understanding working with other people who experience neurodivergence in some way (from those who were diagnosed in childhood to late diagnosed, those who wonder about how their mind works/wonder if they’re neurodivergent, and people who don’t ascribe to labels, or any combination of the aforementioned experiences). My brain works well with tangents and can circle back. (I do jot down notes in shorthand to remember) and I am collaborative with prioritizing what’s most important to focus on for the session.
• For the past 2 years I worked as a psychedelic assisted therapist, so naturally psychedelic integration and being relatively psychedelic knowledgeable is an area of specialty.
• I’ve worked with many clients who have anxiety and/or depression symptoms.
• I am experienced with people who have many inner parts, intersectional identities, and complex familial relationships. LGBTQIA++, sex positive, kink positive, non-traditional lifestyle or family structures, polyamory and ethical non-monogamy versed and open minded.
• I tend to work well with those who have experienced feeling “othered” , bullied, rejected, or alternative to mainstream culture.
• I love working with those who enjoy using metaphor, or connect with nature or creativity as part of their self care.
• I enjoy working across all ages of adulthood, and in my last private practice my clients ranged from. 19-70 years old. I am both familiar and experienced working with perimenopause (while staying in my lane as therapist and not offering medical advice), those who are getting married, divorced, or other partnership paths, those who are Ace or have a different path than partnership, those who are trying to build their family, infertility, miscarriage, being a parent, and young adults who are establishing their lives, careers, burnout recovery, transitions, and ruts. I enjoy all the milestone markers across ages that I have crossed and have yet to cross.
• Highly sensitive people are those I understand,relate well to, have experience working with, and is an area I enjoy learning about.
• Disability justice, chronic health conditions, and navigating ableism are important areas of life I have navigated with many clients and loved ones in my life.
• I enjoy working with both those of similar background to myself and those with differences in background. I like understanding the individual and how they experience the world. I believe in cultural humility, and I care about my impact. I see harm, prejudice, and social injustice against many groups of people. I flow with my clients if they desire to explore these areas or not.
• Deconstructing religion, recovery from religious trauma is another area I work with.
• I work with grief in many various forms (some examples: loss of a pet, the cancer experience, unexpected loss, complex grief such as with an estranged family member).
• I find it rare that a person gets through life unscathed by trauma, or something really overwhelming, scary, hard, sad, to name a few challenging emotions that go with the terrain of pain points in life. Working with trauma is what I do. I am not a quick fix for trauma. I will be present, and I will bring to the table what I have learned throughout my career, and listen . I am collaborative with my clients in navigating what resonates within and creating a path forward that is tailored to the individual. I also am aware and sensitive to checking in and offering containment at the end of a session where trauma is mentioned.

My Style:

I am curious, engaged, and warm natured. I’m eclectic but my cornerstones are styles of therapy known as Person Centered (centering the client and the belief that the client has innate intuition that can lead them towards healing. I do this through being present, authentic, and reliable) and Existential (creating safety to be with what’s challenging and acknowledging hurts, limitations and hard realities, while also holding space for where there is freedom, choice, meaning, values and possibility).

I use the following therapy styles when it clicks with someone: internal family systems (engaging with inner parts of oneself and getting to know them), Psychodynamic (looking at formative experiences, exploring attachment styles and corrective emotional experiences). I like incorporating sensory/somatic awareness and creativity in my work when and if possible (this kind of work I find helpful with emotional regulation, grounding, and a way to work with moving things through in a way that words often cannot). I also will adapt practices from Psychedelic Assisted Therapy (minus the psychedelics), bringing in ways to clarify and reinforce intentions, mindset and settings experienced in daily life. Some clients have expressed that my style of working is similar to narrative therapy, that they experience new perspectives of their storyline and feel more in a place of authorship over their story vs. their story happening to them.

Client testimonials:

“My time with Heather was rich with self-learning, allowing me to start to shed some long-standing coping habits that were no longer serving me. Heather offered a holistic and nuanced approach to therapy that helped me stay the course. Whereas, past therapeutic experiences I’d had felt overwhelming with assignments or too rigid. Heather met me where I was, balancing thoughtful guidance with flexibility and compassion.

Perhaps most importantly, working with Heather opened my eyes to the profound benefits of self-compassion, which has had a lasting impact on my life. Heather brings both expertise and genuine humility to her work. Her warmth, authenticity, and calming presence created a space where meaningful and sustainable growth was possible for me.”

“Heather’s authenticity made me feel at ease with them and helped me to feel comfortable enough to trust them. Heather’s warmth provided me with a safe space to recharge my emotional battery. Their creativity helped me to approach problems in novel ways.”

My Therapist origin story :

I graduated from St. Ben’s college in 2002. I found great flexibility to build my own degree balanced between Political Science, Sociology, Social Work, English, and Fine Arts. I was able to construct project based learning, and expand my learning container into California and South Africa volunteering at various organizations through independent study projects I designed with support from professors. My major, although flimsy in specialization, helped me to graduate a little early and leave the nest of my home state. I moved from Minnesota to San Francisco, California, and I spent a year working at a residential center (Burt Children’s Center) from 2002-2003, which illuminated to me that I wanted to pursue psychology and become a therapist. The philosophy of Burt Center was influenced by Person Centered and Psychodynamic styles of therapy. I obtained my Master’s degree from the California Institute of Integral Studies (A holistic graduate school that is known for being holistic), majoring in Counseling Psychology with a concentration in Expressive Arts Therapy from 2003-2006. In my final year of practicum 2005-2006, I was mentored under an Existential oriented Supervisors at the Pacific Institute.

My formative years post college as a therapist were marked by working in the Oakland community at a day treatment intensive program with youth and families (2006-2009), followed by being a therapist and Supervisor at Fred Finch Youth and Family services from 2011-2021. At Fred Finch, I worked with youth at risk of hospitalization or being unstable in their home or school, and youth and families on probation. My work at Fred Finch covered 3 counties: Alameda, San Mateo and Santa Clara in California. I mentored Therapist trainees and interns with providing services, while also continuing to provide individual, family, group, and support to parents in multiple counties.

I pivoted into working in a more private practice type setting in 2023, joining the team at Intero Psychedelic Specialty Clinic (an offshoot of Ellie Mental Health Services at the time) accepting a wide array of insurance paid therapy, and doing a combination of individual therapy and Ketamine Assisted Therapy from 2023-2025 and facilitated psychedelic assisted therapy groups.. I really liked the range of work and folks who could access my services, and felt at ease as a private practice therapist.Throughout my career, I have sprinkled in volunteering with providing training, designing staff retreats, facilitating workshops and being on panels at conferences or attending conferences as a learner, because Psychology is one of my special interests.

Despite loving the work, I left Intero a few months following several big changes in both my own life and within the company that I worked for (Ellie was sold to Nystrom & Associates and eventually became Sagent). I took a break, and I found Sakura Therapy Services, which seemed to check every box of aligning with my own values and niches within the therapy world, and I am delighted to be connecting again with supporting communities I care about again. Wishing all those seeking support to access what is needed and feels right. If I might be that person, please don’t hesitate to reach out. <3

To close out my bio, here are some beautiful therapist quotes I love:

"People are just as wonderful as sunsets if you let them be. When I look at a sunset, I don't find myself saying, "Soften the orange a bit on the right hand corner." I don't try to control a sunset. I watch with awe as it unfolds." -Carl Rogers

“In all chaos there is a cosmos, in all disorder a secret order.” -Carl Gustav Jung
“Be smarter every day by listening to your intuition, looking at the world with your forehead. Jump, dance, sing, so that you live happier. Heal yourself, with beautiful love and always remember…You are the medicine.” -Maria Sabina