Kristina Mendez, Ph.D. (La Jolla)

¡Welcome y bienvenidos! My name is Dr. Kristina Mendez. I am a licensed clinical psychologist in San Diego and work with clients ranging from adolescence to adulthood. I specialize in working with BIPOC clientele, including bilingual treatment (English/Spanish) for the Latine/a/o/x and Chicane/a/o/x community, multi-racial clients, trauma survivors, first generation college students, first and second generation immigrants, and LGBTQIA2S+ clients. I have extensive training and experience offering therapy and mental health consultation in settings ranging from K-12 schools, universities, community mental health centers, non-profits, and private practice.

I conceptualize my treatment from a feminist multicultural, trauma informed, and decolonizing approach. From a feminist multicultural perspective, I attune myself to the societal, cultural and historical systems that may be impacting your wellbeing and am a committed advocate for social change. From a trauma informed approach, I collaborate with you to create a safe space where treatment moves at your pace. From a decolonizing approach, I encourage you to trust your intuition, connect to ancient ways of knowing and healing, and unpack the impact of systems of oppression on our internal and intergenerational narratives. We work in partnership with one another and we each bring our strengths to the therapeutic relationship.

I specialize in treating chronic stress and trauma, including adverse childhood experiences (ACES), acculturative stressors, adjustment stressors, sexual trauma, migratory trauma, ethnic and race based stress and trauma, and intergenerational trauma. I also treat co-occurring concerns such as anxiety, depression, substance use, negative body image, disordered eating. I tailor my integration of evidence based treatment interventions to meet your unique needs, drawing from Interpersonal Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) and Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT). I have extensive research and clinical experience in the application of mindfulness in preventive wellness and in treating trauma, anxiety and depression, and frequently integrate mindfulness into treatment.

Thank you for considering me as a partner in your healing journey.