Meet Dr. Christina Cortez

I work with high functioning professionals, public facing individuals, and anyone whose life requires an unusual degree of privacy and flexibility. Many of my clients are managing complex trauma or anxiety that has never been fully addressed, often because their circumstances made it hard to find a therapist equipped to work at that level of discretion.

Education and Experience
I hold a doctorate from Antioch University Santa Barbara and graduate and undergraduate degrees in psychology from Chapman University. My background spans schools, community agencies, integrated care settings, and higher levels of care, including partial hospitalization and intensive outpatient programs, giving me clinical depth I bring directly into private practice.

Research and Advocacy
My academic training paired clinical practice with social justice. My research focused on immigrant parents raising children with special needs, with an emphasis on advocacy, reducing barriers to care, and promoting equity.

Mindfulness Practice
Mindfulness has been central to my work for more than a decade, shaping my ability to stay present, grounded, and attuned, while fostering curiosity, self reflection, and ongoing growth, the same qualities I bring into the room with every client.

Outside the Practice
I find restoration in nature and connection with family and friends. I feel most grounded near the ocean and am drawn to California's Central Coast for its sense of perspective, renewal, and calm.

I serve as faculty at both Antioch University Santa Barbara and Pacifica Graduate Institute.