Tiana Leeds, LMFT, is a Santa Barbara-based therapist for individuals and groups. She sees clients across California online and by phone. While she focuses primarily on working with women in their 20s and 30s and highly sensitive people, she welcomes clients of all ages, genders, and backgrounds.
You’re tired of carrying the weight of anxiety, self-doubt, or sadness on your own. You’re ready for the relief that comes from working with a caring therapist who helps you feel calmer, more confident, and more at home in your mind, body, and relationships. It’s time to take that first step toward feeling like yourself again.
You’re just gearing up to book your consultation call, but suddenly actually doing so feels hard. How will I know if it’s the right fit? What will I even say? I get it; first-call nerves are real and very normal. Let me help by answering some of your questions right now.
Below are just the questions I’m asked most often. You will likely also have questions that are more specific to your situation and I’m happy to answer those too during our free 15-minute initial consultation. You deserve to be able to make an informed decision about the person you’ll be sharing your story with.
The initial consultation call is designed to accomplish two main things: I want to determine whether I am a good fit for you given what you’re working on and I want to give you an opportunity to get to know me and my approach to therapy so you determine if it’s a good fit for you too. If for any reason I don’t feel I’d be a good choice for you, I will offer to give you referrals to other therapist who might suit you and your specific situation better. The structure of the call is that first, I’ll ask you about what you’d like to work on in therapy and then I’ll transition to sharing about my approach to sessions. Next, I’ll also go over all of the logistical pieces like fees, insurance, and scheduling. If it’s a good fit both clinically and practically and I have immediate openings and you’re ready to move forward, we’ll go ahead and schedule our first session. If I don’t have any current availability, I will add you to my waitlist and reach out when a spot opens up. Most consultation calls take 15-30 minutes, but please plan for 45 minutes as pccasionally these calls take more time.
Beginning in 2020, I transitioned to an all-online therapy practice and see California clients both via phone and video sessions. I do not see clients in person and cannot see therapy clients outside of California. You are welcome to choose whether you prefer video or phone, provided that both types of sessions are clinically appropriate given what you are working on. At any given time, about half of my clients are using video sessions and half are using phone. You may choose video for a while and then switch to phone sessions or vice versa - everyone is different. Some clients enjoy doing phone sessions while taking a walk and getting some sunshine. Others prefer to be tucked into the couch with a blanket and a cup of tea during their session. Sometimes I reserve certain time slots for phone sessions and other time slots for video.
Yes, I use a secure HIPAA-compliant platform called SimplePractice to offer video counseling.
More severe and life-threatening mental health issues, such as suicidal thoughts, self-harm, addictions, and eating disorders, are better addressed in in-person therapy. With these types of issues, it’s important that your therapist lives in your community and has an in-depth knowledge of the local mental health resources available to you. Additionally, in more severe cases, it’s important to see an in-person therapist so they can more easily pick up on subtler body language that might not be as noticeable online.
From tracking outcomes and doing the research, I know that weekly sessions work best for the majority of my clients. Weekly sessions typically help clients to progress faster instead of taking two steps forward and one step back. That said, some clients appreciate taking a couple of weeks between sessions to process the work we’re doing togehter and have time to implement any homework. Every other week also is more manageable for some clients from a financial perspective. We will establish a set time to meet, whether weekly or bi-weekly, and that will be our reoccurring appointment time. Sustained long-term change takes time. It’s a commitment. As you integrate our work and are feeling closer to meeting your goals we will begin tapering your frequency, first to every other week if we’d been meeting weekly, then to every 3-4 weeks, and eventually “graduating” you out of therapy. Sessions are 45 minutes long.
Sometimes there’s a big event coming up or one of us has been out of town for a week or two. If you feel there’s more going on than we can comfortably cover during a 45-minute session or your session feels too rushed to cover what you’d like, we might benefit from scheduling an additional session within the week, regular longer sessions, or perhaps just a longer session now and then. We can schedule a 75-minute or 90-minute session when needed - the additional time is pro-rated based on the standard session fee.
Rather than worrying about scheduling a different time every single week, I set aside a weekly appointment time that’s protected for you- I won’t schedule anyone else during your time. For some clients, their schedule does not allow for a regular weekly time. In those cases, I am usually able to accommodate scheduling week to week when needed. I meet with clients Mondays-Thursdays from 10am-4:45pm PST.
As I write this, I currenly have openings for new clients, although my availability ebbs and flows and at times I do have a waiting list. If you would like to be added to the waiting list, you can fill out this brief form (https://forms.gle/ifTMMV3qwa7NHMMh8) and I will get you in for an initial consultation call quickly and will offer you a start date as soon as new spots open up. If you complete the waiting list form and there is no waiting list at that time, I will contact you within a couple of days to schedule your initial consultation call. At times I am able to fit clients in for their first session within a week of the initial consultation.
Hours are 10:00am-4:45pm Monday through Thursday (ie my last appointment of the day starts at 4pm). Please note that all email and phone communication received Friday through Sunday will be returned at the beginning of the next work week.
All of us get sick from time to time or have something pop up at work out of nowhere. That being said, my most important goal is maintaining clinical progress whenever possible. I require 48 business hours’ notice for cancellations. If you start to feel sick more than 48 hours before our appointment and believe it may interfere with your appointment, let me know and I will be happy to take you off the schedule without any late cancellation fees.
Current clients can cancel an existing appointment and request a new time using online booking via the client portal - https://tianaleeds.clientsecure.me.
I work with adults ages 18 and up. While I welcome clients of all ages, most people who find my practice are Gen Z and Millennial adults navigating life transitions, relationships, and identity development. As a Santa Barbara therapist, I reserve several spots specifically for college and graduate students from UCSB, SBCC, Westmont, Antioch, and Pacifica, and also offer online therapy for young adults across California.
My specialty is working with people who are highly sensitive and/or neurodivergent but I also welcome clients who do not identify with this trait. If you’d like to determine whether you may be highly sensitive go to the Self-Assessment.
I specializes in therapy for women, especially those who identify as highly sensitive, perfectionistic, or neurodivergent, however, I also work with adults of all genders throughout California. Many clients come to me seeking relief from anxiety, overwhelm, and self-criticism, and the tools we use are effective for anyone wanting to feel calmer, more grounded, and more connected to themselves. If you resonate with my approach, you’re warmly welcome here, no matter your gender.
While I am not an in-network provider with any insurance panels, I do provide Superbills for you to provide your insurance for possible reimbursement. Please check with your insurance company prior to meeting with me if you would like to determine whether they may reimburse you for our sessions - you can refer to the list of questions on my Fees page. You can click here if you are a current client who would like guidance on submitting your Superbill to your insurance.