Here is a list of the Top 10 psychologists in San Diego.
1. Dr. Rita Romero, Ph.D. Licensed Psychologist
Dr. Rita Romero is a licensed psychologist (PSY14190) specializing in adult, adolescent and couples’ psychotherapy and maintains a private practice in Rancho Bernardo, CA located in San Diego County. She is the founder/CEO of San Diego Psychotherapy Associates, a group practice dedicated to the provision of skilled, respectful, compassionate and effective psychotherapy.
With more than 25 years of experience as a clinician, she is currently serving as a private practitioner. Her areas of expertise are treatment of depression, anxiety, addictive disorders, transition stages in life and others. Dr. Romero is also Board Certified as a PTSD Clinician.
Dr.Romero is also skilled in identifying, and effectively treating trauma and the military service members and their dependents with evidence-based treatment. Dr. Romero is especially valued by her patients for her respectful, empathetic and extremely effective therapeutic skills.
Location:
5425 Oberlin Drive Suite 105
San Diego, CA 92121-1703
Contact Details:
Telephone: (760) 846-0361
Website: https://www.ritaromerophd.com/
2. Margaret Sawires Psy.D., Licensed Clinical Psychologist
Margaret Sawires is a licensed clinical psychologist, with over 19 years of experience in serving the San Diego community. In 2018, she expanded her work and founded Urban Psych–a private practice located in the heart of East Village, San Diego, CA
Dr. Sawires earned both her Masters and Doctorate degrees from the California School of Professional Psychology at Alliant International University, San Diego. She has achieved post-doctoral specialization in Adult Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy from the San Diego Psychoanalytic Center.
While Dr. Sawires specializes in Psychoanalytic/Psychodynamic psychotherapy, she utilizes modalities to fit the needs of each of her patients uniquely.
Location:
Urban Psych is located at
San Diego, CA 92101
Contact Details:
Email: [email protected]
Website: https://www.drsawires.com/
3. Shant A. Barmak, PsyD, EdD
Shant A. Barmak, PsyD, EdD is a licensed psychologist with a passion for helping individuals to overcome obstacles in their lives. He specializes in providing therapy for adults and families. He is an attentive listener who uniquely approaches helping individuals and families reach their goals.
Dr. Barmak has worked extensively with individuals of all ages in a variety of professional settings. He also has been a clinical supervisor and training director in an education setting. His desire to advance his understanding of how to meet the education needs of diverse populations in education prompted him to complete a doctorate in education leadership at UCSD.
Professional affiliations he has maintained include the San Diego Psychological Association, the California Psychological Association, the California Marriage and Family Therapists, and the San Diego Psychoanalytic Center
Contact Details:
858-481-8827
Email: [email protected]
Website: https://www.helptherapy.com/
4. Pilar Placone, Ph.D.
Dr. Placone pursued her undergraduate degree in psychology, then graduate school earning a Master’s in Marriage and Family Counseling. In 1997, she decided to further her education in a Doctoral Program to deepen and broaden her knowledge.
Dr. Placone received her Doctorate Degree in Integral Psychology and Psychotherapy in 2001 from The Union Institute and University.
Recent Experience
1992- LMFT Licensed
1992- Present LMFT, Private Practice
2001- Doctoral of Psychology, Union Institute and University, OH
2011 – Author, Mindful Parent Happy Child: A Guide to Raising Joyful and Resilient Children
Location:
3356 Second Avenue, Ste A-1
San Diego, CA 92103
Contact details:
Call or Text: (619) 884-1966
Website: http://www.pilarplacone.com/
5. Jeff Schanowitz, Ph.D.
Dr. Jeff Schanowitz is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist specializing in individual, couples, and family therapy, and maintains a private practice in San Diego, CA.
With many years of experience as a psychotherapist, and as a specialist in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, he is currently serving as private practitioner working with a broad spectrum of clients. Among his areas of expertise are Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, mood disorders, child and adult ADD/ADHD, anxiety, bipolar, addiction, substance abuse, and psychological and psycho-educational testing.

In addition to being a prominent clinical psychologist, Dr. Schanowitz has a doctorate in Industrial/Organizational psychology.
He integrates complementary methodologies and techniques to offer a highly personalized approach tailored to each client. With compassion and understanding, he works with each individual to help them build on their strengths and attain the personal growth they are committed to accomplishing
(CA Lic. # PSY20362)
Certified OCD Therapist at the Behavior Therapy Institute
Office Location :
2525 Camino Del Rio South,
Suite 245, San Diego,
California, 92108
Contact Details:
Phone: 619.252.3713
Email: [email protected]
Website: https://sandiegopsychologist.net/

6. Demet Çek, Ph.D.
Services offered via Teletherapy
Demet Çek, Ph.D., is a licensed clinical psychologist in California and Florida, providing professional therapeutic services to adults.Rather than focusing solely on the presenting problem, Dr. Çek aims to understand the strengths and contextual factors of each individual she serves.
Clients will find Dr. Çek’s therapeutic approach to be collaborative and warm while maintaining focus on helping clients accomplish their goals. Dr. Çek believes in empowering clients through values-based psychotherapy that promotes flexibility, resilience and vitality.
She has a specific interest in working with men and male-identified clients who seek to navigate life transitions as well as resolve issues in relationships, communication, and mood management.
Dr. Çek enjoys working with individuals from diverse backgrounds and emphasizes the importance of recovery within one’s own value system.
Dr. Çek provides therapy services in English and Turkish.
Education & Training
- Doctor of Philosophy in Clinical Psychology, University of Miami, Miami, FL
- Master of Science in Psychology, University of Miami, Miami, FL
- Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, Koç University, Istanbul, Turkey
Location:
Hillside Professional Center
2221 Camino del Rio South, Suite 200
San Diego, CA 92108
Contact Details:
Phone: (619) 275-2286
Fax: (619) 955-5696
Email: [email protected]
Website: https://therapychanges.com/
7. Kirstin Filizetti, Ph.D.
Dr. Filizetti is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist in San Diego, California. She earned her Doctorate of Philosophy (PhD) in Clinical Psychology with an emphasis in Family and Children at Alliant International University, California School of Professional Psychology, San Diego. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Therapeutic and Community Psychology from Point Loma Nazarene University in San Diego, CA.
She has experience in working with various diagnoses, ages, ethnicities, sexualities, and genders. Presently, she works in a private practice setting and as an Adjunct Faculty member for Point Loma Nazarene University.
Training/Approach:
Dr. Filizetti was trained in a humanistic approach to therapy. This approach believes that individuals can reach self-actualization by taking responsibility for their lives by taking an active part in solving their own problems along with the therapist based on their unique resources and strengths.
Additionally, Dr. Filizetti was trained in: CBT, ACT, Positive Psychology, Humanistic, Client Centered, Family Systems, Imago Therapy, and Narrative Therapy.
Location:
2535 Camino del Rio South
Suite 303
CA 92108
Contact Details:
Website: https://www.psychology-sandiego.com/
8. Barbara Cox, Ph.D.
Barbara Cox, Ph.D., is a therapist whose advice has been featured in local and national publications, including MSN.com and Cosmopolitan.
Barbara started her career as a scientist, having earned a B.A. in Biology from the University of California, San Diego. She worked as an environmental scientist, most notably organizing environmental projects for the Department of Defense (DOD).
Barbara uses a holistic, integrated approach that incorporates both traditional goal-setting techniques, as well as alternative techniques such as meditation, NLP, Qi Gong, and hypnosis to help you move forward more quickly.
Contact Details:
Phone: (858) 531-5310
Website: https://www.drcoxconsulting.com/
9. Lindsay Elizondo, Licensed Clinical Psychologist
Lindsay Elizondo seeks to provide involves attending empathically to the client’s experience in the room, staying curious about what they feel, appreciating the complexity of their experience, and remaining open to what’s happening during therapy through collaborative efforts.
She is always ready to apologize and work to repair when she has caused harm. She actively strives to examine her own internalized oppressive biases and beliefs—and invites her clients to do the same.
License: California Licensed Clinical Psychologist, PSY31249
Education:
Rosemead School of Psychology at Biola University
- Doctor of Psychology (Psy.D.) in Clinical Psychology (APA-Accredited)
- Master of Arts (M.A.) in Clinical Psychology (APA-Accredited)
- University of Colorado at Denver
- Bachelors of Science (B.S.) in Psychology, minors in Business & French
Multicultural Experience.
Mount Saint Mary’s University (A federally designated Hispanic-Serving Institution)
- Post-Doctoral Fellowship at Counseling & Psychological Services (CAPIC-Accredited)
University of Washington—Tacoma (An urban-serving university)
- Pre-Doctoral Internship at the Student Counseling Center (APPIC-Accredited)
Contact Details:
(619) 289-7597
Email: [email protected]
Website: https://www.lindsayelizondopsyd.com/
10. Kimthu Trinh, Ph.D. | CA License PSY29587
Dr. Trinh is a licensed Clinical Psychologist, Forensic Consultant, Divorce Mediator with over 20+ years of experience in providing both therapy and evaluation for children and adults.
Therapy Approach:
She believe’s each client’s situation to be unique and requires appropriate, individualized treatment. After an initial session, she will develop a treatment plan that is tailored towards your specific needs. By integrating research-based treatments along with traditional talk therapy, she has developed methods and tools for psychotherapy that are highly effective and achieve results.
Dr.Trinh utilizes a number of different theories and methodologies such as Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), Solution-Focused Therapy, and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) which includes Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Mindfulness-based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) Techniques.
She provides services in English and Vietnamese, and enjoys working with children and families of diverse backgrounds.
Location:
4565 Ruffner Street, S.101
San Diego, CA 92111
Contact Details:
Tel: (858) 717 – 4196
Email: [email protected]
Website: https://www.drtrinh.me/
Read more
TOP 10 BEST PSYCHOLOGISTS IN PHILADELPHIA, PA