https://aprilkirkhart.com/home daily 1.0 2022-09-16 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/621e5e3ae07b075b4303456b/cde60b0b-ebd6-42dd-b7de-d1c12b344f2d/AprilNeutral.jpg Home Therapy for individuals in Santa Cruz, the Central Coast, and throughout California. Finding support when you need help can be daunting, but it doesn’t have to be. Therapy can be hard work, but it can also be exciting, creative, and even fun at times. In our sessions you may learn new things about yourself, about the way you think and feel, about your relationships. You might laugh...or cry. It’s all welcome. I encourage you to come just as you are and to explore opportunities for positive changes. I start wherever you are. I have a warm but direct approach, and am curious about how you understand your situation. I create a safe and inviting space and am passionate about inclusivity. I’ve worked with people of all different races, abilities, backgrounds, ages, genders, sexualities and am committed to being a life-long student of cultural humility. There is always more for me to learn! Whatever issues you are facing, there are possibilities for feeling and living better. It can help to share your story and get a different perspective. We will start by building a trusting relationship and map the rest out from there. Call me for a free 15-minute consultation. April KirkHart, LCSW (831) 854-7970 Pronouns: She/Her https://aprilkirkhart.com/areas-of-practice daily 0.75 2025-08-11 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/621e5e3ae07b075b4303456b/f72b096d-4cd4-4ccb-8fcd-2ec402e39f88/IMG-8515.jpg Areas of Practice - Grief and Loss Grief is a natural response to loss and is experienced differently by everyone. You may experience feelings of sadness, anger, numbness, or even relief. Coping with the feelings or pain from that loss can feel very isolating. When your grief doesn’t match other people’s expectations, it can feel even more isolating. The work of healing can be difficult particularly in a culture that pushes productivity above all else. Grieving can happen after a death, but it can also happen when you change roles or go through adjustments in other areas of your life. I will provide a safe space for you to explore what is true for you, and map out what is most helpful for you in your grieving process. Healing is possible. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/621e5e3ae07b075b4303456b/bccce81d-0a82-4042-8317-c8f0bbddb970/woodenpath.JPG Areas of Practice - Life Transitions Life transitions can be positive or negative or a mix of both! Sometimes it is a new role, like becoming a parent, living with a partner, a new position or promotion at work, job-loss, graduation, empty-nesting, retirement, or managing a temporary or permanent injury. Regardless of whether it is considered positive or negative, there are stressors involved that can require big adjustments. Sometimes these transitions come with a sense of confusion, questioning, imposter syndrome, or even feeling lost. The one thing we can count on in life, however, is change. We will work together to find out how you approach change, what stressors you may find, and try to expand your range of options for how to cope with or even grow when facing them. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/621e5e3ae07b075b4303456b/cf7f57d5-e1ff-4a6e-9098-2f33c550e88c/lightendofcave.jpeg Areas of Practice - Emotions and Mood Disorders What is keeping you from living more fully, from feeling happy, more at peace, or experiencing joy in your life? Do you sometimes feel overwhelmed by your emotions? Do you struggle with anxiety or depression? Or maybe you don’t like the way you handle your feelings or communication when you experience intense emotions. We will explore ways to identify, observe, and mindfully approach your emotional spectrum as well as options for making choices that feel more in alignment with your values. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/621e5e3ae07b075b4303456b/5ee70691-473f-4b2e-a75b-edf1a7d24c8a/twopeopleocean.JPG Areas of Practice - Relationships Maybe you’ve already identified a pattern in your own relationships but feel stuck repeating it. Or maybe you are in a new relationship and want to figure out how to change the patterns you are aware of. You may want to focus on a relationship with your partner, a sibling, a parent, your child, a friend, or even a colleague. Changing our patterns is possible. We have learned to be in relationships through modeling from our families of origin, old wounds, triggers, fears, attachment styles, and our cultures. Therapy is a great place to sort through these issues and make sense of them so that you have more options for how you want to BE in relation to others. https://aprilkirkhart.com/about-me daily 0.75 2025-08-11 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/621e5e3ae07b075b4303456b/8cf65628-7aa4-4806-ad97-8cd267004aee/AprilPurple.jpg https://aprilkirkhart.com/my-approach daily 0.75 2025-08-11 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/621e5e3ae07b075b4303456b/1657228890479-EMQDWKEHA4CI98T7ENDQ/unsplash-image-yH18lOSaZVQ.jpg My Approach - My Approach I have a lot of education and experience. But none of that matters if you don’t trust me. A trusting relationship is essential for you to feel safe to explore what is most important or difficult for you. The foundation of my approach in therapy is to create a strong therapeutic relationship with you. As a generalist social worker, I draw from a variety of therapies, modalities, and theories, including Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), mindfulness-based stress reduction, attachment theory, and systems theory. My education and experience in social justice and a strengths-based approach inform my thinking and the way I work with my clients. But each client is different, and so my approach is flexible and the therapeutic tools I use are diverse so that I can meet each client where they are. So, what will it be like to do therapy with me? We will co-create a safe and trusting relationship and space. That’s really my only agenda; the rest is up to you. You may want to set goals for therapy and prioritize what feels most pressing for you. I will continue to check in throughout your sessions to determine what is working and what is not and adjust as we go to see where it takes us. We will pave the path forward together! https://aprilkirkhart.com/hours-and-fees daily 0.75 2025-08-11 https://aprilkirkhart.com/join daily 0.75 2022-07-27