Let’s transcend your past and transform your life.

Crystal, an award-winning author, was brought to me by her husband, James. She worked very hard in therapy and is now a published author. She has chosen to disclose our therapeutic relationship here and previously in her autobiography, “My Mother Only Had Me for the Check.” It is available on Amazon (https://a.co/d/a3fFJlU), and I receive no financial benefits from the sale of her book. Her words are below.

Having dabbled with a few therapists in the past, I harbored reservations about baring my soul to a stranger. I questioned the efficacy of such endeavors, wondering whether it could truly make a difference. However, my preconceived notions were shattered from the moment I met Dr. Masters. Dr. Masters wasn’t just a psychologist; she was a beacon of empathy and nurturing care. With every session, she exuded a profound love and dedication to her craft that was undeniable. Her ability to listen without judgment, to understand without reservation, and to guide without coercion left an indelible mark on my soul. Five years have passed since that first hesitant session, yet I still find solace in our conversations. Her unwavering support, wisdom, and guidance have been the bedrock upon which I’ve rebuilt my mental well-being. Without her, I dare not imagine where I’d be today.

To Dr. Masters, I extend my deepest gratitude. Your presence in my life has been nothing short of a lifeline, and I am forever indebted to your kindness, compassion, and unwavering commitment to my healing journey.

Author Crystal Bass (permission to publish my name)

Jackie was a doctoral student; she was talented, smart, kind, funny and caring. She struggled with anxiety and depression on and off for years and now as she focused on completing her Ph.D., it was just too much. She was being crushed under the weight and reached out for help. Here are Jackie’s exact words about our work together.

Dr. Masters is not only a very skilled professional, but I would argue she is amongst the top of those in her field. She was able to identify the underlying cause of my issues on the first day, and while some other psychologists would just tell us to change our behavior, Dr. Masters knew to tackle the underlying problem – my self-worth. She gives homework on why your feelings and self-worth matter, which is vital to making these changes in your life smoother and quicker. I know people who have struggled to fully incorporate behavioral changes for more than a year because their psychologist is not one to assign homework or tackle the underlying issue.

On the contrary, it took me maybe three sessions over three weeks, before Dr. Masters and I started seeing results. She is also very understanding, a great listener, and does not judge you, your opinions, or values. The only time she will get remotely unhappy is when you question your self-worth, but she will help you tackle that internal debate. That inner voice that tells you that you don’t matter, she won’t leave it to you to settle that internal debate. She will accelerate the process by speaking to that mindset in you and directly tackling your negative thoughts. I will not forget that session when I couldn’t understand why she felt so strongly that I matter. Part of me thought she may even be wrong. But it took less than an hour of reflecting before I realized that I was in denial, and Dr. Masters spoke the truth. I went through multiple psychologists over many years before finding her. I had thought that psychological therapy does not deliver results. But Dr. Masters proved me wrong. If you have not had positive experiences in therapy, do not give up. Go to Dr. Masters.

*Name changed to protect client confidentiality.

Michele was a single mom with two teenagers, worked in corporate America, and cared for her aging father. She felt like she was being squeezed from all angles. She was used to being the strong one others came to for help but felt she couldn’t hold things together much longer because of crying spells, panic attacks, and flashbacks from childhood trauma. Here are Michele’s thoughts about therapy with me.

Dr. Masters is a pleasure to meet with. She brings a lot of laughter to every session, which eases the topic of conversation. She is the first therapist who demonstrates that she understands what I’m going through. Meeting with Dr. Masters has provided me with a lot of positive perspectives and relief. She is a great listener and is task/action-oriented, so she often has great ideas about actions to take. In addition to being a great therapist, she is also a great coach, often providing resources, such as videos, individuals or businesses to look up that could be used for additional reference. Based on my experience, I didn’t think therapy could be fun, but Dr. Masters makes it a joyful experience.

*Name changed to protect client confidentiality.

Kevin was an abused foster youth who was arrested for possession of stolen property. I was his therapist while he was in Juvenile Hall. He had a bright smile and engaging personality but had difficulty staying out of trouble due to the lack of support and healthy role models. He worked hard in therapy and reaped huge rewards. He graduated high school while in JH and was accepted into a four-year university. Because of his success, San Diego County interviewed us both and created a video of him in their County Chronicles series. The San Diego Union-Tribune wrote an article about him, and he received a special commendation from the Mayor. He is now a family man and business owner and was able to stay out of trouble. These are his actual words.

Dr. Masters began talking to me and seen something in me that I didn’t see in myself, which was potential and a mentality to do something better with myself but I just didn’t know how. I need to be mature and I’m acting like a 6-year-old. I began to do a self-inventory of myself and building myself up. It came to the point where I can catch things that I was gonna say. I never thought before I acted and I began thinking before I acted and I think that was the biggest change. If I wouldn’t have gotten locked up, I wouldn’t have made the change. I could have been dead right now for all I know. I’m gonna study business and music in college and I want to start a non-profit where guys like me can develop skills in art, music and even culinary. Recidivism would be a lot less if we had places like that. The world is full of Van Goghs who just don’t have a place to shine.

*Name changed to protect client confidentiality.

I am incredibly grateful to have met Dr. Masters. To say that I have the utmost respect and admiration for her is an understatement. She has been an invaluable source of support as my therapist. Not only does she genuinely care for her clients, but she is also a wealth of knowledge and resources.

For many years, I have struggled with anxiety and depression as a result of severe abuse that I faced as a child and in serving as a caregiver for a parent with schizophrenia.

Due to growing up with a mentally ill parent, I learned a lot of negative coping strategies and unhealthy communication patterns. Among other things, I was lashing out at people when I felt offended, I felt that people were not to be trusted, I had trouble communicating when I felt upset, and my anxiety made it impossible to read social situations. This affected every area of my life including my relationships with friends and in the workplace. I was miserable and felt extremely hopeless. It was especially frustrating because I kept seeing a pattern that many jobs I worked at I would always have tension and mistrust with certain coworkers.

After so many jobs, I started to realize that sometimes I was actually part of the problem. I was responding to stress and conflict in really unhealthy ways. Dr. Masters was able to help me identify why I was having so many problems socially. Moreover, she helped me believe that there was hope and that I could improve.

I’ve worked with many therapists over the years. However, Dr. Masters is the first to sit with me whenever a specific conflict with someone arose. We will literally write out specific responses for me to say when speaking to the person and she also helped me reframe the situation in a positive way. This has been life changing because I am learning healthy ways to communicate when I feel stressed or upset. Time after time, she has gone above and beyond to help me overcome quite a few major obstacles.

Ultimately, Dr. Masters has helped me take my life back. She is helping me discover a confidence and a sense of peace that I’ve never had before. Through her patience, humor and geniune warmth she has helped piece a broken spirit back together. She is truly one of a kind and I sincerely hope the kindness she’s shown to others is returned to her many times over.

*Name changed to protect client confidentiality.