Danielle Dwan, M.P.H.

Hello and welcome! My name is Danielle, and I am a psychological associate, student, mother, partner, daughter, sister, and friend. Juggling the multiple roles and relationships that society calls us into can be quite the challenge, and part of my reason for being a therapist is the desire to walk alongside individuals as they navigate life’s trials. I feel that our greatest challenges have the potential to lead us to the freest expression of our truest selves. I believe in the healing power of nature and like to spend most of my free time moving my body somewhere outdoors – preferably on horseback or with one of my dogs by my side. While I don’t have an outdoor office (yet), I try to find creative ways to bring nature’s healing properties into our therapeutic space.  

I am a registered psychological associate currently accruing the required hours toward licensure as a clinical psychologist. Prior to pursuing my calling to the work of a therapist, I earned my Master’s in Public Health (MPH) with an emphasis in global health from Loma Linda University. I am now a student in the Clinical Psychology doctoral program at Pacifica Graduate Institute in Carpinteria, CA.  

I have completed 3 years of pre-doctoral training at Westmont College’s center for Counseling and Psychological Services providing individual, group, and couple’s psychotherapy to the college student population. In addition, I accrued training hours at Family Service Agency, which is a community-based non-profit providing no/low-cost services to underserved populations in the Santa Barbara community. Here, I worked in the Senior Services Program providing individual psychotherapy to senior citizens and caregivers.  

Over the course of my training, I have had the opportunity to work with individuals at different places along the lifespan and with varying concerns and diagnosis including relational concerns, gender and identity concerns, anxiety, depression, personality disorders, PTSD and other trauma-related diagnosis, and eating disorders. I have also worked with victims of physical, sexual, relational, and religious trauma.  

Therapeutic Approach

While I have been trained in multiple therapeutic modalities, I tend toward a primarily depth orientation. Depth psychology honors the unconscious and views mental health symptoms as signals that point to the condition of the soul. From this premise, symptoms are viewed as something to learn from, and our therapeutic sessions will include time exploring and making meaning of symptoms as they are rooted in life experience. My depth orientation is informed by psychoanalytic and humanistic concepts, Jungian and Archetypal psychology, and attachment theory. I aim to provide a safe and openhearted experience for my clients where all aspects of the self are welcomed with warmth and curiosity. I use a creative and integrative treatment approach in which I draw from multiple modalities to best suit the unique needs of each client.   

My education and former work in public health granted me a unique perspective on what it means to be “well”, emphasizing the inseparability of individual and collective wellness. A tenant of public health is that you cannot treat the individual without treating the community, and you cannot treat the community without treating the individual.  Thus, my therapeutic approach is informed by the belief that a person is inevitably influenced by their connection to immediate family, friends, community, society, culture, country, and world. It then follows that individual symptoms often reflect the soul’s discord with the prevailing issues, values and beliefs of the greater collective. Understanding and discovering oneself in relation to the constructs of the collective seems to be a valuable part of the therapeutic process for most individuals. 

Client Information for Danielle Dwan, M.P.H.

Fees

I charge $150/hour for individual therapy, and I reserve a portion of my practice for reduced-fee clients. 

Insurance

Because I am a psychological associate, it is unlikely that insurance companies will reimburse for services. If you would like to attempt reimbursement through your plan, I will provide monthly statements.

Paperwork

If you complete the office paperwork before your first session, it will be more convenient and save time.  Clicking on the following links will provide you with forms that can be printed, filled out at home, and brought to your initial session.

The most important form is the Informed Consent Form, which describes how my practice functions. Next I will need the  Client Database Form, which records demographic information and some brief historical material.  Finally, I am required by law to provide you with a copy of the HIPAA Notice of Privacy Practices: please sign a brief Acknowledgement Form stating that you have read the HIPAA form.  Lastly, those clients wishing me to discuss their treatment with other doctors or significant others will also have to fill out the Client Release Form.