Dr. Kirsten Helgager is a licensed clinical psychologist in San Diego, CA. She received her doctorate degree at the Wright Institute in Berkeley, CA and her bachelors in English and Psychology at the University of California, Santa Barbara.
Dr. H believes strongly in a person-centered, collaborative approach to therapy. Her goal is to work with people to find their true potential by identifying and calming the negative thoughts and patterns that hold them back. Dr. H's particular passion is guiding people with trauma along their personal journey of healing. Her specialties include complex trauma (including childhood physical, sexual or emotional abuse, neglect, domestic violence), anxiety, depression, and addiction. She also works with disordered eating, anxiety disorders, and codependency. Dr. H facilitates individual therapy with both adults and teens.
Dr. H has worked in the mental health field since 2005. She has experience with a variety of populations and settings facilitating individual, group and family therapy. Most recently, Dr. H has worked in treatment centers (including AToN and Park Mental Health) for co-occurring substance use and mental health. Her practice has been focused on trauma, mental health and addiction. She has conducted intensive EMDR and trauma processing sessions at the residential level of care, as well as trauma-informed long term therapy. Additionally, Dr. H received her post-doctoral hours as part of a comprehensive and adherent DBT team. She currently works both in a private practice setting and as clinical supervisor for Park Mental Health.
Dr. H is certified in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) and integrates modalities like Internal Family Systems (IFS), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT). She is also trained in psychodynamic psychotherapy, exposure therapies for anxiety, Acceptance-Commitment Therapy (ACT) and mindfulness.
